I started reading this book earlier this year at my library and haven’t been able to find it again.
It is about a “dark” lord who was once part of a group of gods? Godlike beings? I think there were seven (maybe more, maybe less). They had some disagreement about how life should work (free will related? the “dark” lord felt kind of promethean) had a war between him and the others, one of the others was noted as being the strongest. The war was a draw.
There was a cataclysm (I remember he had dragons on his side). He stole a McGuffin that belonged to the eldest (strongest?) of the others. The McGuffin was some kind of weapon/repository of power that the other gods wanted to use to start over (something like that).
He ended up on a separate continent from them, across a vast ocean (formed from their war I think). He built some kind of fortress (think Mordor) with “orcs” (not orcs called something else, but, they are orcs/trollocs/generic fantasy bad) he had 9(±) special generals/followers/not ringwraiths who he made “immortal” (I think they can be killed, but won't die of natural causes).
I think the book had elves.
It had a very "this is lord of the rings told from the view of Sauron" feel to it. The story, at least as much of it that I read, was mostly being told from the viewpoint of one of his human generals (they might all have been human).
The plot points I gave were mostly the prologue to the main plot of the book.
I didn’t get far into the book, so I don’t know much more than that. I don't know if it's enough to go on.
It is not "The Last Ringbearer".
