The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Book Reviews of The Lord of the Rings
Book Review: A Peerless Fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
This collection contains the most famous work of J.R.R. Tolkien -- The Lord of the Rings. When we read through the pages of these books, we discover a living world of wonder. We follow the fate of the Ring of Power, filled with evil, and one which could lead to the rule of darkness if it ever returns to its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. Now some few people who really think they are so 'intellectually superior', or 'have more demanding taste', or whatever title of arrogance they try to give themselves, often dismiss this fascinating myth as 'children's stories', and that if one was to read a real novel, they would never return to such 'rubbish'. Well, I pity them, for they (like the Cynic in Hawthorne's 'The Great Carbuncle')must look at everything through dark spectacles, not allowing themselves to experience the beauty of this tale. Their preferences are theirs, and I am glad there is variety in this world. But when they mock those of different taste, it often displays their own ignorance. The Lord of the Rings is not just a story of magic and imaginary creatures. It is a tale of good and evil, and not just a 'Guy in White vs. Guy in Black' kind of story. It shows the subtlety of evil, how it can worm its way into even the hearts of the most honest person. It shows how good can strengthen a person, and how love can allow one to bear a multitude of burdens. I have read many novels (A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics), Lord of the Flies (50th Anniversary Edition), The Scarlet Letter, and On His Own being some of the finer examples), and although good ones are compelling, none that I have read would make me turn away from Middle-Earth. It is not just a 'children's story' (though most children enjoy it), but an enthralling study in the nature of mankind, and the forces that shape him.
Now, on to this particular presentation of these books! This boxed set by Houghton Mifflin is very nice. The design (with its beautiful cover illustrations by Alan Lee) and the layout of the books is fitting, and the size is convenient, and yet conveys a sense of expansiveness. This all adds to the experience of the legend, and I am grateful that such a fine edition has been released.
Ryan Robledo
Author of the Aelnathan:
Book Review: Far richer than Peter Jackson's vision
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a long time fan of the Lord of the Rings having first read the Hobbit 35 years ago! I've since read the trilogy through perhaps 10 times. Many people here have described the plot so I won't bother. Instead I want to talk about the way that Tolkien creates a 'believeable' world out of totally fantastic material -- and why Peter Jackson's movies are bound to have such mixed results.Throughout LOTR, Tolkien employs an interesting strategy for dealing with the most fantastical events that occur -- he only lets us see them secondhand through the recollection of the characters. This happens in many places: Gandalf's imprisonment by Saruman is told to us after the fact by Gandalf himself at the Council of Elrond; the battle with the Balrog on Zirak-Zigil is again Gandalf's recollection. I could go on: the destruction of Isengard by the Ents is not directly narrated but comes to us as Merry and Pippin tell the story to their companions, Aragorn's battle with Sauron to wrest control of the Palantir is told from Aragorn's memory, we experience the harrowing Paths of the Dead in the form of Gimli's painful confessional.
There are a few places where fantastic events are directly described but most of the time Tolkien lets his characters tell us about 'magical' happenings after the fact. He does this, I think, because it allows the reader to accept them more easily. Tolkien painstakingly creates human-like characters that we trust (even when they're dwarves or hobbits!) and the lets them tell us what happens. So when Merry and Pippin describe the fall of Isengard I believe them. More unconditionally than if I had been shown it 'directly'.
Movies, however, can't work this way. I do like many parts of the Peter Jackson's 'Fellowship' -- Hobbiton, Bag-End, Frodo, Legolas and Boromir are all nearly perfect visions from the books. But when really magical things begin to happen the movie falls into caricature in ways that the books avoid. One only needs to compare Gandalf's economical telling of his contest with Saruman at Orthanc to the 'Kung-Fu Wizards' scene in 'Fellowship' to get the idea.
The books are an entirely different experience for this reason and more. I could write another review that just talks about the poems and songs for which the movies have no time. If you've become familiar with LOTR through the movies by all means enjoy them! But then do yourself a favor and *run* to get the real thing and read them over and over.
Book Review: An incomparable masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this great book 20 years ago and have re read it dozens of times. Each time it brings new wonders and emotions, the endless depth allows each re reading to be fresh and new. It is a wonderful tale, the greatest fiction I have read; and I include in the comparison list, works by Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy, Dante, Homer, Donaldson, Le Guin and many others!) Tolkein is one of the greatest authors of all time, up there with the aforementioned greats. The modern day fantasy genre owes all to Tolkien, Jordan, Eddings, Brooks and the others are but pale shadows to this masterful original, even though good on on their own. As Tolkien himself stated, if you don't like this work, no reason to feel guilty - the kind of works you probably would admires would be anathema to me, Tolkien and millions of fans.
It has great beauty in action and prose, great horrors, despair, indomitable courage, corruption, nobility, love, romance, pride, terrifying villains and monsters, pitiful characters, admirable characters, courageous heroes, cowardly villains, lands of incredible beauty and horror, epic journeys, stupendous battles, and above all, an overwhelming sense of reality. It takes you from the depths of despair to the pinnacle of joy, but as Tolkien readily admitted (strange as it may seem to many) it is too short.
The novel is a fantasy, but in not escapist in reality, only to those with little comprehension. The themes are timeless and inspiring. The emotions it conveys cover the whole gamut of the human condition in a way that has not been equalled since or previously. Superficially it is an antiquest to desroty a great evil, but the astounding background detail lends a complete reality to the works that no one has ever achieved.
In reality, the book was not Tolkien's main life's work, rather a response to a request for a Hobbit sequel, and to understand Tolkein's masterful creation, you will need to read the other novels, but beware, they are harder to read than average modern reader is willing to put up with. If you can put the effort in, you'll be rewarded, but only if you want to explore the huge background tapestry that underlies the LOR and that lends it such credibility.
The films have been incredible, and do justice to the book, but the books are still superior and I mean no insult to the heroic work of the film director and his crew.
Book Review: LOTR in general
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not a review of this edition as I don't have it. But I have read LOTR, The Hobbit and the Silmarillion several times, years before the movies came out, and again afterward.
I think it's almost irrelevant to compare the books to the movies, as they are different stories. The movies remind me of the books of course, but there are so many huge, fundamental differences, that I cannot consider them in the same light at all. The movies amost completely lack the very spiritual core that the books are founded upon.
It's interesting to me that before the movies came out, it was almost hard to find a negative review of Tolkien's work. Almost every adult I know personally who has read the books consider Tolkien's work to be of such high caliber that it seems doubtful that it will ever be surpassed. "Life changing", is not too strong a phrase, if you "get it". I suppose only those with significant literary and intellectual depth and appreciation for historical context typically earn the rewards these stunningly deep and beautiful books offer.
Now that the movies have been out a while, and many more people have attempted to read the books than otherwise would have because of their exposure to the movies and videogames, I see many reviews that seem to entirely miss the point of the books. Perhaps it's because more people are reading them. Perhaps it's because the very time it takes to read through the Midgewater Marshes is one of many factors that contributes to the impression of realism, and helps the reader empathize with the characters. Perhaps some don't have the patience to appreciate the beauty of a journey for its own sake. Perhaps the reader's intellect and imagination, that Tolkien relied on heavily to fill in gaps and speculate about the "uneplained vistas" and character development have been stifled by the spoon-feeding that movies and videogames offer. Almost everything Tolkien DIDN'T explain was just as intentional as what he did write, becasue he understood the longing and curiosity it generates, not to explain everything explicitly.
I think I speak for most Tolkien fans by saying that the depth of detail included in his work makes the memory of the books very nearly as vivid as the memory of a real place. Perhaps more vivid in some ways.
Book Review: A true masterpiece.
Summary: 5 Stars
Given the fanaticism with which lovers of this book rave about it, one might be tempted to assume that it is overrated. This would be a mistake; it is one of the finest stories in literature, and well worth its reputation.Granted, it is not to everyone's taste; nothing is. Some may find it overly wordy or pretentious; this reviewer finds some of Tolkien's other works (notably his postumously published works, such as "The Silmarilien" and the "Books of Lost Tales") to fit that description, and granted, this book occasionally comes closer to that than its companion volume, "The Hobbit", which is told in a much more accessible, lighthearted style. (Others may not care for the heroic-fantasy genre at all; there's no accounting for taste.) This book, however, is intended to be a more serious tale, and its style reflects that. But it only rarely takes itself over-seriously, (at least until one finishes the actual story and reads the appendices, if one indeed bothers doing so) and is a story of much grander scope and accomplishment than "The Hobbit".
This book is nothing less than THE seminal modern heroic fantasy story; everything that has come after it owes much to its influence. Just as there were vampire stories before Bram Stoker's "Dracula", there was heroic fantasy before Tolkien. And as there are modern vampire stories that diverge greatly from the concepts in "Dracula", so there are modern heroic fantasies that similarly diverge from the concepts in "Lord of the Rings". Yet just as "Dracula" is unquestionably a major influence on all vampire fiction that has come after, so with "Lord of the Rings" and heroic fantasy. If any author of heroic fantasy has not read this book (unlikely in and of itself) they still could not escape its influence, because WHATEVER stories they may have read that influenced their writings are guaranteed to have been influenced by Tolkien and this book. It is simply unavoidable.
This is an absolute must-read for anyone with any interest at all in the heroic fantasy genre. If it were possible to rate any book higher than five stars, this would be one that rated at least six.