The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Book Reviews of The Lord of the Rings
Book Review: Absolutely worth the effort
Summary: 5 Stars
These books can be somewhat difficult to read... there are many names for the same people and places (elvish name, hobbit name, dwarf name, you get the idea) and the names are sometimes not easily pronounced. BUT, if you push through, it is COMPLETELY worth it. You can get used to flying by names (without missing anything because most of the time he writes "and the elvish name is"...). The world Tolkien creates is absolutely amazing. You absolutely get a feel for this world and can put yourself there. If you have not seen the movies (unlikely but possible right?!), I would HIGHLY suggest reading these first. There are so many things you miss in the movie. A quick example is when Gollum/Smeagol is writhing around because of the rope that has him restrained. That is because it is an Elvish rope and it burns his skin (there was a lot of good dialog left out there).
As we know, the book is 99.9% of the time better than the movie and these books are no exception (this should say a great deal given how awesome the movies are!). I found that it was a ton of fun to see the story come to life on the screen and it enhanced the already exciting story I had read.
If you have already seen the first two movies, you don't have to wait to find out what happens! Although, in the second movie they left out some of the action that happens in the second book. In the movie, Gollum (Smeagol) says something like "she will take care of them". In the book, you aren't told this but, in any case, what he is referring to happens in book two. I would suggest starting with when Frodo and Sam leave Faramir (I believe that would have you starting with the last three chapters of book two)...that is, of course, only if you don't want to read the entire thing!
Last thing...it took me a while to push through the first 100 to 150 pages. I was told that I really should have read The Hobbit first and it would have been faster and I would have already known and liked the characters. I never went back but it was suggested to me by several people...
ENJOY!
Book Review: My favorite book
Summary: 5 Stars
Lord of the Rings is one of the most well known books of the 20th century. It played a huge role in the creation of the modern fantasy genre-every writer of fantasy today owes something to Tolkein. And it is simply excellent.
Tolkein begins the book with the lighthearted story of Bilbo's last birthday in the Shire, and then draws the reader slowly into something darker-the final confrontation, in this age, between good and utmost evil. Tolkein writes wonderfully-he uses many old, archaic words and poetic descriptions, and his characters often burst out into song or poetry, but, unlike some less skilled writers, Tolkein makes this add to his story, rather than take away from it. Indeed, the thing that comes through most is the shear wonder and majesty in which he describes his world-a world he created and fleshed out in exacting detail, in a way few authors have managed to do since. Tolkein's descriptions of the journey his characters must take are excellent too-we feel Frodo's shock at finding the ring, determination to do what he must, wonder at the world he encounters, and, as he walks through Mordor, despair combined with a determination to, if nothing else, complete the task that fate has, for reasons of its own, dropped into his lap. The other storylines Tolkein introduces are treated just as well-the urgency of the battles, and the final decision of Aragorn to sacrifice everything, in the one, final hope of letting Frodo live to destroy the ring.
Indeed, if Lord of the Rings has a central theme, it is hope. There is an old quote, I believe by a Mr. Chesterson: "Fairy tales are real not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten." In an uncertain world, where it is impossible to tell how things will settle, and where the books esteamed as "literature" all seem to compete to see which can contain the most unhappiness and despair, it is reassuring to have a book with a resounding message-the dragons of the world can, indeed, be beaten.
Book Review: Beautiful boxset with delightful illustrations
Summary: 5 Stars
First off this review is about this edition only. The three volume box set 2002 illustrated by Alan Lee.
If you are reading this, I am sure your questions are is this worth the money given that I probably have a set or an edition of LOTR already. For me the answer was yes.
I highly recommend this. The quality is top-notch. I was concerned because some of the reviewers seem to say that it is hard to read and or blotchy ink. It has neither of these problems.
It is on very nice, very clean, very white paper with a large font. The books are substantial even bordering on heavy. They have beautiful red cloth covers with the J.R.R.T. symbol in gold. The dust jackets are beautiful with a different Alan Lee print on the cover, back, and spine.
The box is very nice with Bilbo's trolls and an elven ship leaving the Grey Heavens on the front and back.
The prints are all watercolors and they take up a whole page. Love them. I have always been partial to Alan Lee's work. Is it worth the $50 roughly you can find the box set for? Depends. If you do not have a nice hardback version of LOTR I would say for sure get this. The prints are delightful, the printing is great and very readable and it looks awesome on the table between the no admittance bookends. I love it and say it is worth it for sure.
There is a one volume book with the same illustrations by Alan Lee. I think this is vastly superior as the books here are easier to handle, the three dust jackets are each suberb, and the box is very nice. Alan Lee is a great with watercolors and they are produced very well with these books. I think the high contrast of the print makes it easier to read. Think of this as a great work of art. First Tolkien's art. Second Lee's art. Third the art of printing a good crips text. All 3 come together here for a neat package that you will treasure for years or decades.
Book Review: One Ring to Rule them all.
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the finest books ever written and perhaps the finest book written in the 20th century, The Lord of the Rings is a masterpiece from the mind of JRR Tolkien. It is the father of all fantasy for anything that came after inevitably was greatly influenced by Tolkien.It is a story of a Ring that could give its maker Sauron the power to rule the world. It has been lost however for thousands of years. Eventually it is found and winds up in hands of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who then gives it to Frodo Baggins. Gandalf the Grey wizard discovers what this little ring actually is and tells Frodo he must leave his home with it to a keep it away from the enemy. This starts an epic journey with elves, dwarfs, men, wizards, orcs, and ring wraiths that is scary, wondrous, and truly adventurous. It is eventually determined that the ring must be destroyed in Mt Doom where it was created. However this is located in Mordor the land of the Dark Lord Sauron. The peril deepens with every step of the journey resulting in classic confrontations, epic battles, and true selfless heroics.
The story is broken into three books, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The themes range from power corrupts, unwavering friendship, hope when there is no hope, and the sadness when a beloved world evolves from what you love. It is a wondrous yet bittersweet tale that captures you from the beginning and makes you long for it again when you finish.
Allen Lee is one of the most respected artists whose primary focus is the works of Tolkien. Many of his images are now cannon of the way things in the book should look like. So much so that he did much of the design work for the Peter Jackson movie which I also highly recomend.
I suppose Ian McKellen who played Gandalf in the movie said it best,
"It is a fantasy, a fairytale. It never happened, except somewhere in our hearts."
Book Review: A TRAGIC EXAMPLE OF OUR PRESENT CULTURE
Summary: 5 Stars
A KID'S REVIEW? The movies were great when they followed the books. When they didn't the movies became a promotional vehicle for selling video games. The detail that the "kid" doesn't like is exactly why these books seem so much like a real story. This is not a story to race through, but it is a journey to take. I have taken it several times in my life and it always seems to end too soon. Maybe IF the "kid" grows up he, or she, will be able to appreciate great literature when he, or she, reads it. By the way, "excitement" has a "c" in it.
And now for Adira Rotstein:
If you read more about Tolkien's mythology, you wouldn't have said some of the things you said in your review. The Haven is merely a port. The destination was the Undying Lands, which is where the Elves, and Gandalf, were originally from.
Second; Aragorn and the rangers were remnants of the men from Numenor. If you read the history of Numenor, you will see they had their problems, as well. While you could draw comparisons to the "Aryan" myth, you will find no crap about killing non-Numenoreans, so don't go there.
You went from 2 to 4. Where is your third point?
Four: Gandalf fought the Balrog and chased him out of Moria from another exit. It's in the books.
Five: Quit trying to politicize this story. Orcs were created by Sauron, who captured Elves, then altered them to create the first orcs. They bred after that. Your comment about creating them from mud betrays the fact that you have ONLY seen the movies and have NOT read the books.
You have two points labeled FIVE. Were you drinking when you wrote this? Your second "FIVE" is riduculous. There is plenty of character development if you would read the books. Maybe you need a reading comprehension course.