The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
by J. R. R. Tolkien

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Book Reviews of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Book Review: Why "The Lord of the Rings" is so re-readable.
Summary: 5 Stars

Whose journey is it? At the face of it, it is a journey undertaken by the hobbit Frodo and his companions. Frodo possesses a most powerful ring, and the only way to prevent this ring from ever falling into the hands of the powers of evil is to destroy it  in the very heart of the kingdom of evil. The Lord of the Rings describes the epic journey of the ring-bearer Frodo and his companions as they journey into the heart of enemy territory to do battle with the powers of evil. If they successfully accomplish their quest, they will assure the conquest of evil by good.

But it is not just Frodo who makes this marathon journey. Tolkien has an uncanny ability to ensnare the reader, so that you will find yourself not just a spectator, but a participant in the marathon mission undertaken by Frodo and friends. The ringbearer Frodo and his company will become more than mere travelling companions. They will become your friends. You will feel you know them, and grow to love them  their joys will excite you, their sorrows will hurt you, their conquests will delight you, their failures will grief you. And it will pain you to say goodbye to them at the end.

In the course of this long journey, you will be presented with breath-taking scenery. Tolkien has a remarkable ability to describe scenery with colour, character and clarity, so that you will visualize every tree, rock and road. By the time you are done, the setting of Middle-Earth will be as real as any place youve visited. As such, The Lord of the Rings is not just about a story and a journey, but about a place  and an immense and grand one. Tolkien has created cultures, histories, and languages. The vast scope of The Lord of the Rings makes it a truly epic novel.

In fact, The Lord of the Rings has all the qualities of an epic  immense scope combined with a heroic and grand style. Tolkien constantly displays a mastery of the English language  the word usage is in turn gloriously grand, passionately poetic, wonderfully descriptive, but always amazing. Together, the vast scope and elevated style combine to create a truly epic masterpiece, so that the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings read like three acts of tremendously immense play, with a global cast of characters, and a worldwide stage. And as you read, you are never quite sure whether this play is going to be a tragedy or triumph, as the powers of good seek to overcome the powers of evil.

This struggle between good and evil that actually makes The Lord of the Rings a deeply religious book. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and although he adamantly maintained that it was written for pure entertainment and had no deeper meaning, he could not avoid being influenced by his religious background, as is evidenced by his sharp view on morality, where good and evil are viewed as moral absolutes. The epic struggle between good and evil occurs on a wider scale than in The Hobbit, and this gives the The Lord of the Rings a much more serious tone, arising out of deeply rooted religious convictions. Yet the struggle of good against evil never becomes simplistic or shallow. As in real life, Tolkiens characters have weaknesses and flaws, and are affected by their experiences  some on the side of good even being corrupted by evil. And this makes the epic struggle for truth, freedom, justice and goodness all the more stimulating as you return to real life. One cannot be unaffected by the commitment and undying devotion towards the cause of good, even when it requires unselfish sacrifices to be made in the process. In this sense, those who share Tolkiens underlying Christian values will especially enjoy the epic journey he has created.

But you do not have to be a Christian to enjoy The Lord of the Rings. There is nothing overtly religious about this trilogy, since the universe Tolkien creates and describes is a universe without God, where chance and fate are acknowledged as crucial players of the game, and where the conquest of evil is accomplished by the power of ones own will. This is probably exactly what we can expect from a Catholic writer.

If you have never read The Lord of Rings, you should read it if only for the fact that it is widely acclaimed as the greatest fantasy ever. Few have read it and failed to be affected by. If you have not yet read it, a most distinct pleasure and experience awaits you. Yet the captivation of the reading experience is far from over at the end of its pages. The epic scale of The Lord of the Rings is so grand, that it begs to be read again and again. When youve read it once, you have the feeling that you have only just scratched the surface of something truly great. Like an amusement park with too many attractions to see in one day, The Lord of the Rings leaves you in constant wonder, and when you are done, you pledge to return again soon. It is this enduring quality of The Lord of the Rings that makes it a truly great read, a memorable and monumental marathon journey often to be repeated.

Summary of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

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• Books > Subjects > Literature & Fiction
• Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic