The Lord of the Rings. 3 Vol. Set by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Book Reviews of The Lord of the Rings. 3 Vol. Set
Book Review: A subtle genius
Summary: 5 Stars
I shall pretend that there are actually some people reading these reviews who have not already read LotR...
First off, LotR is the defining work of fantasy fiction. I think EVERYONE publishing in the genre today owes some kind of debt to Tolkien, consciously or not. Basically, Tolkien is a world-builder and not a mere novelist. He had a very deliberate project of creating a new mythology and he succeeded admirably. The amount of originally unpublished (but now available) background material for this book is truly amazing and reveals the depth of Tolkien's project.
As a writer, however, Tolkien has definite flaws. His style is somewhat antiquated (and British) but I, personally, do not see these as bad things. (IMHO, very little being published in the genre today has any literary merit.) His characters are rather flat and he has a very poor sense of the dramatic: the death of a major character is disposed of in a paragraph; the climactic battles cover only a few pages. (In this regard, the movies did a far superior job).
The beauty of Tolkien, however, is that he's not a "professional" writer; he's not churning out formulaic novels that conform to the "conventional wisdom," i.e., novels that are designed to sell and not to be good. Yes, he "tells" instead of "shows" but his narratives a gracefully crafted and, often, truly beautiful. True, any literary agent today would probably turn Tolkien away, but this is a sad commentary on the publishing business and the low standards of the reading public.
I read Tolkien the same way I read Poe or Shakespeare: to appreciate the use of language in-and-of itself, as well as for the actual story-line. In his own way, I think Tolkien has a subtle brilliance. Even so, I'm sure that LotR is "boring" to some. I can see why they would think this, but, in the end, I think that says more about the standards (and intellectual capabilities?) of the reader than it does about J.R.R. Tolkien.
With the possible (?) exception of the Bible, I think LotR is literally the most-loved book in the world. You owe it to yourself to give it a chance. To never read this book is to miss out on a true pleasure and a gift.
Book Review: Way better than 5 stars, a classic
Summary: 5 Stars
The Lord of the Rings in my opinion is the single greatest piece of literature to be written and conceived by a single man. Tolkien was am absolutely brilliant Philologist and was way ahead of all the scholars back then (when he was at oxford), and still is even after his death. He had a noble heart and was generous with his time to others. And Most of all he loved the natural world as god had created it untainted by industry. He was a lover of trees. He was and still is the greatest English Literary scholar of european and germanic languages, and read more than most people read in a lifetime. On the whole he knew the entire history of English literature, Could speak fluent anglo saxon, German and Greek and Latin. He knew the great tales of men's past not in their modern english translations but as they were originally written and conceived. Like the Iliad anf the odyssey, in greek, the kalevala in finnish, and beowulf in the original saxon. He had also read the Elder Edda and Younger Edda, sometimes known as the poetic edda and the prose edda, in original ancient german. He had read the whole corpus of Icelandic Sagas in their original language, and was a lover of the latin translation of the bible which he recited at catholic mass. Here is a book that should be taught in English classes in middle school and high schools and colleges. But the literary elite does'nt want that to happen because of their preference for post-modernism and reality based fiction. Plus he knew good literature, and not that snobby tripe they shove down our throats in school.Book Review: One volume to tell the tale, one book to own....
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was a teenager, I bought the Lord of the Rings boxed set -- which included The Hobbit -- and attempted to read the whole Tolkien saga over the summer. My intentions were good, but both the scope of the quest and the tiny type on the standard sized paperback defeated me. I did not so much "read" The Lord of the Rings as "skimmed" through it. Even though I got the gist of Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring and was astounded by the narrative of the War of the Ring, I could never say with a straight face that I had read The Lord of the Rings completely.That is, until I found this one-volume edition in a trade paperback format. Even though I still had to fight off the temptation to skip through the various poems, songs and other embellishments Tolkien added to the basic "Gandalf-enlists-the-reluctant-but-brave-Hobbit-to-go-on-a-great-Quest" plot, at least with a more eye-friendly page/typeface size I could read The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King in their entirety and in a single book (which, as I found out last year, was Tolkien's intent; it was his British publisher who, for business reasons, divided the gigantic novel in three).
Considering the cost of books these days, this one-volume edition is quite a bargain!
Book Review: As Tolkein would have wanted it
Summary: 5 Stars
Most everyone familiar with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy knows that its author didn't envision it as three volumes; financial realities in the publishing industry gave us the familiar three books. Now here it is in one great volume, just its author would have wished! I wish I knew how to express my joy at being able to read the saga whole in one book. For those of us whose reading experience consists of jumping back many pages to refresh our memory, or jumping forward to the appendix to remind ourselves of the vast scope of this fantasy world, the ability to do this without keeping track of three separate books is a God-send. For the first time, the story flowed seamlessly from volume to volume, without the artificial boundaries presented by three sets of front and back covers.
If you read and reread the LOTR (as many of us do,) I suggest you treat yourself to the single volume experience. It's an even greater read!
Book Review: one volume to rule them all...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to admit that I hadn't read the books before the films were released. Even after seeing the first film, I wasn't a fan. However, my former roommate's enthusiasm for the series (he bought the DVD the day of its released) and a second viewing of The Fellowship of the Ring made me a convert. The books themselves astounded me with their depth, moral quality and sheer imagination. A book that I had previously associated with geeks who rolled die with more than 6 sides made me think about questions like the nature of good and evil and whatnot, all within the confines of a thrilling narrative. If you are wary about the book, check it out for yourself. Its a great read and adds even more depth to your viewing of the excellent films.