THE GREATEST FANTASY EPIC OF OUR TIMEWhile the evil might of the Dark Lord Sauron swarmed out to conquer all Middle-earth, Frodo and Sam struggled deep into Mordor, seat of Sauron’s power. To defeat the Dark Lord, the accursed Ring of Power had to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. But the way was impossibly hard, and Frodo was weakening. Weighed down by the compulsi...moreTHE GREATEST FANTASY EPIC OF OUR TIMEWhile the evil might of the Dark Lord Sauron swarmed out to conquer all Middle-earth, Frodo and Sam struggled deep into Mordor, seat of Sauron’s power. To defeat the Dark Lord, the accursed Ring of Power had to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. But the way was impossibly hard, and Frodo was weakening. Weighed down by the compulsion of the Ring he began finally to despair.The awesome conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, beloved by millions of readers around the world.(less)
Paperback, 507 pages
Published
July 12th 1986
by Del Rey
(first published January 1st 1955)
a rousing climax to the most ravishing love story of the modern age. tempestuous, tormented Frodo at long last learns to accept the love of his lifemate - the loyal and submissive Samwell Gamgee, bottom-extraordinaire. this is truly a tale of love's labour hard-won, and at such a cost! but love conquers all in the end, and even bitter, militantly hetero villain Sauron cannot stand in the heart's path for too long. in this third book of the torrid trilogy, Frodo's love-hate r...more♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
a rousing climax to the most ravishing love story of the modern age. tempestuous, tormented Frodo at long last learns to accept the love of his lifemate - the loyal and submissive Samwell Gamgee, bottom-extraordinaire. this is truly a tale of love's labour hard-won, and at such a cost! but love conquers all in the end, and even bitter, militantly hetero villain Sauron cannot stand in the heart's path for too long. in this third book of the torrid trilogy, Frodo's love-hate relationship with the concept of commitment - deftly symbolized by a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, designer ring - reaches a dramatic fever pitch, as he wrestles with his awkward feelings about monogamy & gay marriage in the boiling, repressive deserts of "Mordor" (clearly a stand-in for maverick Texazona). fortunately, the maternal Sam is constantly by his side to offer succor - forever the wind beneath Frodo's wings.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
the incredibly racy & erotic atmosphere is filled with a circuit party's worth of soldier types, as well as many classic queer icons: butch trade turned romantic male-model Aragorn; saucy friends-with-benefits Merry & Pippin; the tough & dour yet loveable uber-dyke Arwen; little bear-daddy Gimli; cringing closet-case Oh My Precious; fey pretty-boy Legolas; the exquisite drag queen enchantress Galadriel; and of course, presiding over them all, flouncing from scene to scene, battling his nasty sourpuss of an ex-boyfriend Saruman, and just chewing up the scenery like no one else...the fabulous and effervescent Gandalf the Gay. you go, girlfriend!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
despite the couple dozen unnecessary scenes of Sam staring dreamily into Frodo's sad sad eyes, this is truly a flawless and timeless gay classic, one that boldly states Love Is a Glorious Burden That We Must Ever Shoulder. love knows no boundaries. and even the smallest of men can have the biggest...."heart", i suppose. queer fave Enya even contributes to the soundtrack. Return of the King is a luscious, deliriously homoerotic fantasia.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
oops, forgot i wasn't reviewing the thrillingly fagtastic film version. well, as far as the novel goes, it is perfect. i wouldn't change a word. even the poetry is awesome.(less)
***NEW LAWSUIT UPDATE BELOW (6-30-11)...Lone reviewer continues fight with corporate ASSCLOWNS powers in epic 1st Amendment battle royale.***
4.0 stars. FULL REVIEW (hopefully) to follow after resolution of the lawsuit* filed against this reviewer in the District Court of Narnia by, among others: 20th Century Fucks Fox, Lucasfilms, the Tolkien Estate and Robert Van Winkle (aka Vanilla AsshatIce) in order to prevent the release of an allegedly offensive but in reality just knee-slappin...more***NEW LAWSUIT UPDATE BELOW (6-30-11)...Lone reviewer continues fight with corporate ASSCLOWNS powers in epic 1st Amendment battle royale.***
4.0 stars. FULL REVIEW (hopefully) to follow after resolution of the lawsuit* filed against this reviewer in the District Court of Narnia by, among others: 20th Century Fucks Fox, Lucasfilms, the Tolkien Estate and Robert Van Winkle (aka Vanilla AsshatIce) in order to prevent the release of an allegedly offensive but in reality just knee-slappingly funny PARODY review depicting Darth Vader, Gandalf the White, The MOUTH of Sauron and several inebriated Ewoks hopped up on "Shire Ale" and "Longbottom Leaf" all playing a naked, sexually explicit game of "ring toss" using oversized versions of the One Ring; all while singing a re-mix club version of Ice, Ice Baby.
I hope to have this matter resolved shortly or at least by the time I come up with something to actually say about the book.
***PREVIOUS UPDATE***
Discovery is proceeding in the case and this reviewer has requested travel records and receipts from counsel for Darth Vader and several of the Ewoks (now sober) relating to an "incident" that hopefully will not "stay in Vegas" for long. The incident, now being discussed all in chat rooms across the Internet, concerns the Sith Lord's behavior at a recent bachelor party for one of the Imperial staff and may assist in demonstrating that the parody review was not as damaging to Lord Vader's reputation as the complaint alleges. I will keep you posted.....
***LATEST UPDATE***
The prosecution was dealt a serious blow today when, during cross-examination, Grima Wormtongue admitted under oath that Ice, Ice Baby did indeed "suck bad enough to pull a softball through a garden hose," seriously undermining the case for damages brought by Robert Van Winkle (aka Vanilla Ice). Following today's proceedings, Mr. Van Winkle responded by saying, "Yo, Yo...wetting himself and then walking away looking confused." More on this as it develops.
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*DISCLAIMER: The lawsuit referenced above is itself a parody. The full review is actually pending...possible in the future unlikely because the reviewer himself is inebriated on ale and some kind of pipe-weed and thus can not prepare a proper review at this time.
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
by: Caris “The O’Malley” O’Malley
This summer was really good. I got to do a lot of neat things. The best part of the whole summer was that I got to spend it with my new best friend Johnny. Johnny is my friend because he’s smart and he tells good stories and his mustash tickles. The stories he tells are filled with creatures and adventures, so they’re really good.
Johnny is really serious about his stories. Sometimes he gets really detail...moreHow I Spent My Summer Vacation
by: Caris “The O’Malley” O’Malley
This summer was really good. I got to do a lot of neat things. The best part of the whole summer was that I got to spend it with my new best friend Johnny. Johnny is my friend because he’s smart and he tells good stories and his mustash tickles. The stories he tells are filled with creatures and adventures, so they’re really good.
Johnny is really serious about his stories. Sometimes he gets really detailed about little things and I have to call him a fuckstick. Some things that made me call him a fuckstick are: lots of walking and funny names. When Johnny gets going though there’s no stopping him. We have to read a lot of books in school but none of them are as good as Johnny’s stories.
It seems like school got out forever ago and just a day ago at the same time. Right when school got out, Johnny started telling me his story, called The Lord of the Rings. This is the story about two little people called Hobbits who go on an adventure. They meet lots of people along the way. Some of them are good and some of them are bad. One of the things that makes me hate Johnny is that a lot of the boring characters are in the story a lot and some of the cool ones (like Tom Bombadil) are just forgotten in the past of the story.
Right before school started, Johnny told me the last part of the story. It was called The Return of the King. A lot of things happen in this part and it was the most exciting I think. I really liked the end and wished it would have been longer. It is the conclusion of all I had heard this summer. The end was very sad, but happy at the same time because everything worked out good for the characters.
I feel like I spent a million years in Middle Earth this summer. That’s the setting of the story. I feel like I am now friends with Bilbo and Sam. They are the main characters in the story. Middle Earth is a nice place to go, especially when my dad is drinking a lot and my mom yells at him. No one does those things in the Shire. The Shire which is also the setting is where the Hobbits live.
The Lord of the Rings taught me a lot about what it means to be someone’s friend. It was Frodo’s job to get rid of the ring, but his friend Sam stayed with him to the end. There was nothing that could keep Sam away from Frodo, not even spiders. Sam would do anything to make Frodo happier even if it meant giving him his last piece of food or his cloak to sleep on. I think if everyone was willing to give their cloak away to their friends then the world would be nicer.
The other thing I liked about the story was that there weren’t very many girls in it. There were a couple but they didn’t do anything really and they weren’t around for long. One of those girls I think was a boy anyway because she wanted to fight with the soldiers. She was okay I guess.
I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, but I want to talk about the end. The end was my favorite part. The adventures in far away places was cool but the Shire was neatest. I liked how Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin came back to the Shire and took over again. Saruman an evil wizard decided to take over the Shire after the ring was destroyed and the evil armies were defeated. The Hobbits were not scared though because they knew they could beat him because Galdalf already did. It was really cool when Peter Pettigrew killed him with a knife then got shot by some Hobbits. I didnt really understand that part though. Why would Saruman go back to one of the only places his enemies would return to? He should of known he would catch a beat down there. If he was smart he would have gone somewhere else like America or Mexico. Even though it was a weird part I liked seeing the Hobbits being heroes.
That was what I did this summer. It was fun. I hope next summer will be as fun as this one was. When I am an old man I bet I will want to hear Johnny’s story again. But next summer I want to go to camp instead.(less)
I’m sure glad Stevie didn’t bother to read this one:
Sam and Frodo wake up in some swamp/heath/mountain pass Frodo: We’re lost, oh its awful, I’m hungry, we only have 3 pieces of elfin bread left
Sam: Don’t worry Frodo I’m here for you, you have the bread
Sam and Frodo walk around a bit looking dirty and lost and miserable Frodo: oh the ring, it’s so heavy, how will I cope?
Golem: Myyy presssciousss [and all that nonsense]
Sam: Don’t worry you have a nice sleep...moreI’m sure glad Stevie didn’t bother to read this one:
Sam and Frodo wake up in some swamp/heath/mountain pass Frodo: We’re lost, oh its awful, I’m hungry, we only have 3 pieces of elfin bread left
Sam: Don’t worry Frodo I’m here for you, you have the bread
Sam and Frodo walk around a bit looking dirty and lost and miserable Frodo: oh the ring, it’s so heavy, how will I cope?
Golem: Myyy presssciousss [and all that nonsense]
Sam: Don’t worry you have a nice sleep, things’ll look better in the morning you’ll see
Sam and Frodo wake up in some swamp/heath/mountain pass Frodo: We’re lost, oh its awful, I’m hungry, we only have 3 pieces of elfin bread left
Sam: Don’t worry Frodo I’m here for you, you have the bread
Sam and Frodo walk around a bit looking dirty and lost and miserable... FOR 200 HUNDRED GOD AWFUL PAGES Anyone who wasn’t desperately hoping that Golem cracked open Frodo’s skull like a pumpkin after Halloween and drained the grey goo inside has more patience than me.
(less)
AndrewIf you saw my earlier post, I was saying that the books were really good, and that maybe he was talking about the movie. But I really liked the movies...moreIf you saw my earlier post, I was saying that the books were really good, and that maybe he was talking about the movie. But I really liked the movies as well, so I added that.(less)
Feb 28, 2011 01:25am
Brandon JamesAllegory? Tolkien hated allegories. It's why he didn't like Lewis's Narnia books.
Dec 25, 2011 10:08am
To me, the whole point of reading the first two books of LOTR is to get to this one, because this is the truly masterful part of the story.
One thing I will say is that I really admire how the main heroes of the story, Frodo and Sam, are quite inconsequential in the classic tradition of heroes. They can't fight, they can't cast spells, they can't really do anything except persevere through extreme trial, all so that they can do what they promised to do, to do the right thing. Sam, i...moreTo me, the whole point of reading the first two books of LOTR is to get to this one, because this is the truly masterful part of the story.
One thing I will say is that I really admire how the main heroes of the story, Frodo and Sam, are quite inconsequential in the classic tradition of heroes. They can't fight, they can't cast spells, they can't really do anything except persevere through extreme trial, all so that they can do what they promised to do, to do the right thing. Sam, in particular, is a True Hero in my eyes, a character with a pure heart.
Do I need to warn of spoilers when everyone already knows the story? Oh well, SPOILER ALERT!
It's very interesting to me that Frodo is unable, at the edge of the Pit of Doom, to part with the ring. It takes a struggle with Gollum, and an accident, really, in order for the ring to be destroyed. I wonder if any mortal, even Sam, would have been able to throw the ring away? I suspect not, and to me it signifies our mortal failings in this life. We cannot, try as we might, fully separate ourselves from the natural man of our own accord. But still, like Frodo and Sam, we can give it our best go.
In the end, however, we will need to be rescued. Like Frodo and Sam, we will not be able to survive or escape in and of ourselves, but we will need (so to speak) Gandalf and the eagles to come swooping down and rescue us, in the end.
(I am, of course, speaking metaphorically in a religious sense.)(less)
ShannonGandalf is a definite Christ figure. Frodo and Sam went as far as is mortally possible and gave it their all, Gandalf helped them the rest of the way...moreGandalf is a definite Christ figure. Frodo and Sam went as far as is mortally possible and gave it their all, Gandalf helped them the rest of the way.(less)
Dec 14, 2007 03:35am
CarmineLord of the Rings is one book, they chopped it up for cost and enormity issues. So, definitely Fellowship and Two Towers build to Return of the King.
Dec 16, 2008 03:44pm
The more times I read The Lord of the Rings, the more I love it, and the more important it is for me. I first discovered it in college, starting with The Hobbit (which is my recommended starting point). I deeply love Tolkien, this world, this universe, the legends, the histories, the people, and the story. The Greeks said that everything was in Homer. If you studied Homer, all virtue and understanding, everything you needed to know was in there. I feel the same way about the Lord of the Rin...moreThe more times I read The Lord of the Rings, the more I love it, and the more important it is for me. I first discovered it in college, starting with The Hobbit (which is my recommended starting point). I deeply love Tolkien, this world, this universe, the legends, the histories, the people, and the story. The Greeks said that everything was in Homer. If you studied Homer, all virtue and understanding, everything you needed to know was in there. I feel the same way about the Lord of the Rings.
The recent series of movies by Peter Jackson, while it got most things visually right, (I was amazed that anyone's artistic vision could come so close to the way things looked in my head), scored much lower in the storytelling. He made it into an action film, but action is only one facet of the story. Worst of all, he changed the motivations and character of some of the people. On the other hand his balrog seriously kicked butt. =) <3 the balrog.
In Tolkien's letters to his son Christopher during WW2, he said something I'll never forget. He said "in real wars we all know there are orcs on both sides". Orcs aren't a species, they're a way of acting.
The Lord of the Rings is scriptural to me. I realized on about the 6th reread that we live in Middle Earth. It's here now, if we look closely. The only differences with our modern world have to do with our choices, with what we want our lives to be.
I've read and re-read The Lord of the Rings so many times. Why? Because it sings to my soul and sends it soaring.
This last volume, or last few books, of the epic tale of Middle Earth, has always been my favorite.
And it's the relationships and the struggles that appeal most - Frodo and Sam, Boromir and his father, Aragorn and Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli.
At the end of all things, even a perpetually optimistic Hobbit can be tempted, can fall, just like all ...moreI've read and re-read The Lord of the Rings so many times. Why? Because it sings to my soul and sends it soaring.
This last volume, or last few books, of the epic tale of Middle Earth, has always been my favorite.
And it's the relationships and the struggles that appeal most - Frodo and Sam, Boromir and his father, Aragorn and Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli.
At the end of all things, even a perpetually optimistic Hobbit can be tempted, can fall, just like all of us fall short. Yet the sacrifice and the redemption are well worth the pain and the strife.
Bittersweet victory for Frodo, but salvation for all of Middle Earth.
The appendices I've read more times than the story as well. Lots of insight to be found there. (less)
Having just re-experience The Lord of the Rings on audio book, I am struck again by how truly awesome these books are. Tolkien's fantasy has been copied endlessly yet remains so very unique.
Reading (hearing) it again, it is difficult not to compare it to the Peter Jackson films. I think Peter Jackson is to be commended for taking great pains to include much of the textual dialogue and faithfully attempting to recraft the books' scenes as much and whenever possible. I was surprised...moreHaving just re-experience The Lord of the Rings on audio book, I am struck again by how truly awesome these books are. Tolkien's fantasy has been copied endlessly yet remains so very unique.
Reading (hearing) it again, it is difficult not to compare it to the Peter Jackson films. I think Peter Jackson is to be commended for taking great pains to include much of the textual dialogue and faithfully attempting to recraft the books' scenes as much and whenever possible. I was surprised by the extent the films adhered as much as possible to the books. However, Tolkien obviously never wrote with film adaptation in mind. In the chapter "The Paths of the Dead" for example, (surely one of the scariest parts of the trilogy), Tolkien creates a scene of primarily psychological horror. His florid passages construct a scene of vague terror and, occurring in total darkness give no visual cues to future directors. Gimli senses, yet does not see or hear, the growing presence of dead souls following behind him and must draw upon every part of his will to marshal the courage needed not to flee in terror or rush to give himself up to the undead host in his unendurable terror. Jackson's rendering of this scene is not necessarily a failure, but has to be viewed as something else entirely.
As I intimated in my review of "The Fellowship of the Ring", Tolkien world is weirder, more counter-intuitive, and more wonderfully unique than I remembered.(less)
And so it ends. What Tolkien did so well in the final book was to provide closure to the story. The fellowship is allowed to part ways in a fine and loving fashion. Most writers never go to these lengths to conclude a story (probably an additional 40 pages after the destruction of the ring and the completion of the quest). And just when you think the story had come to a quiet end, the return to the Shire is filled with drama. And here, Tolkien gives the reader a chance to observe the new found c...moreAnd so it ends. What Tolkien did so well in the final book was to provide closure to the story. The fellowship is allowed to part ways in a fine and loving fashion. Most writers never go to these lengths to conclude a story (probably an additional 40 pages after the destruction of the ring and the completion of the quest). And just when you think the story had come to a quiet end, the return to the Shire is filled with drama. And here, Tolkien gives the reader a chance to observe the new found confidence and maturity of the four hobbits. There is no better three volumes of fantasy in print as far as I'm concerned.
Note on text: this 4-book Houghton Mifflin trade paperback set (known as the Alan Lee set) is great because it's inexpensive. The size of the volumes make for good traveling companions and easy holding while laying about. But...and it's a big but, this edition is poorly edited and is ripe with punctuation errors (missing commas) and misspellings. This is not a collector's set or a set that a serious reader would want to own if they wanted just one authoritative set. Much better editions of LOTR exist.(less)
Writers who inspire a genre are usually misunderstood. Tolkien's reasons for writing were completely unlike those of his followers. He didn't have an audience, a genre, and scores of contemporaries. There was a tradition of high adventure fairy tales, as represented by Eddison, Dunsany, Morris, MacDonald, Haggard, and Kipling, but this was only part of what inspired Tolkien.
His writing was chiefly influenced by his familiarity with the mythological traditions of the Norse and Welsh c...moreWriters who inspire a genre are usually misunderstood. Tolkien's reasons for writing were completely unlike those of his followers. He didn't have an audience, a genre, and scores of contemporaries. There was a tradition of high adventure fairy tales, as represented by Eddison, Dunsany, Morris, MacDonald, Haggard, and Kipling, but this was only part of what inspired Tolkien.
His writing was chiefly influenced by his familiarity with the mythological traditions of the Norse and Welsh cultures. He was not writing a fairy story, but a magical epic along the lines of the Eddas. As a translator, Tolkien was intimately knowledgeable with these stories, the myths behind them, and the languages that underpinned them, and endeavored to recreate them in a new form.
Contrarily, those who followed him tended to be inspired by a desire to imitate him. Yet they failed to do what Tolkien did because they did not have a whole world of mythic tradition, culture, and language to draw on. They mimicked his style without understanding what underpinned it. They undertook his style, but not his purpose, and hence produced merely empty facsimiles.
If they had copied merely the sense of wonder or magnificence, then they could have created perfectly serviceable stories of adventure, but they also copied those parts of Tolkien which do not fit a well-built, exciting story. The first mistake was copying his sheer length. In a sense, Tolkien made it 'okay' for writers of fantasy to produce books a thousand pages long, and to write many of them in succession. Yet Tolkien's length had a purpose, it was not merely an affectation.
Tolkien needed this length in order to reproduce myth. The Eddas were long and convoluted because they drew from many different stories and accounts, combined over time by numerous story-tellers and eventually compiled by scribes. The many digressions, conflicts, repetitions, asides, fables, and minutiae of these stories came together organically. Each had a purpose, and though many have become obscure with time, they layer one upon another to create a fully-realized, alien world.
For Tolkien, there was a purpose to all of the long, dull songs, the litany of troop movements, the lines of lineage, the snippets of didactic myths, and side-adventures. To create a realistically deep and complicated world, he felt he needed to include as many diverging views as the original myths had. He was being true to a literary convention--though not a modern one, and not one that could be called a 'genre'.
He gave characters similar names to represent other historical traditions: that of common prefixes or suffixes, of a house line adopting similar names for fathers, sons, and brothers. An author who copies this style without that linguistic and cultural meaning just makes for a confusing story, breaking the sensible rule that main characters should not have similar names.
Likewise, in a well-written story, side-characters should be kept to the minimum needed to move the plot and entertain the reader with a variety of personalities. It is another rule Tolkien breaks, because he is not interested in an exciting, driving pace. He wants the wealth of characters to match the number of unimportant side characters one would expect from a historical text.
The only reason he gets away with breaking all of these rules of good storytelling is that he has a definite purpose for breaking each one, and is capable of using them to instill further depth and richness to his world because of his wealth of knowledge.
But underneath all of that, Tolkien does have an appealing and exciting story to tell, of war and succession and moral struggles, the same sort of story that has been found in our myths since the very earliest writings of man. He does not create a straight monomyth, because his hero is divided between Bilbo and Aragorn. Indeed, even the heart of his adventure is much messier and unpredictable than many epic poems or knightly tales.
It is again a case of his inspiration, which is not coming direct from Homer and Virgil, but askance from a parallel tradition which has since been overwritten and sublimated by Judaic monomythic traditions. Almost all of his followers reunite his story, putting Bilbo and Strider back together and giving us the familiar rising up of the great hero of romance.
They copy all of his asides, his plunges into myth, and some of them even recreate his songs. Yet their pool of inspiration is not very deep, nor is their understanding as complex as Tolkien's. They recreate without first gaining a foundation of understanding, so they end up simply going through the motions, reproducing the external effects of Tolkien without comprehending why they are necessary. The parts they cannot reproduce they simply replace with romanticism and the fantasy of wielding power.
There is little defense for these authors, who copy Tolkien when they are able, and when they can't, claim that they are differentiating themselves from him by removing what elevated Tolkien from guileless romance in the first place.
The inspiration of Tolkien has not been worn out, because no one has yet come along who is knowledgeable enough to see just what Tolkien has achieved and to innovate upon it. The innovators of fantasy have instead concentrated on finding other inspiration, some older than Tolkien, some newer. The dullards of fantasy have merely rehashed and reshuffled the old tropes back and forth, imagining that they are creating something.
One cannot entirely blame Tolkien because Jordan, Martin, Goodkind, Paolini, Brooks, and Salvatore have created a genre out of his work which is unoriginal, cloying, escapist, and sexually unpalatable (if occasionally fun). At least when Tolkien is dull, ponderous, and divergent, he is still achieving something.
These authors are mostly trying to fix a Tolkien they don't understand, trying to make him easy to swallow. The source of their uncomfortable sexuality is their attempt to repair the fact that Tolkien wrote a romance where the two lovers are thousands of miles apart for most of the story. Even a libertine like me appreciates Tolkien's chaste, distant, longing romance more than the obsessively fetishistic consummation that has come to define sexuality in the most repressive and escapist genre this side of four-color comic books.
I don't think Tolkien is a great writer, I don't even think he is one of the greater fantasy writers. He was a stodgy old Tory, and the Shire is his false golden age of 'Merrie Olde England'. His romance wasn't romantic, and his dualistic moralizing cheapened the story. His attempt to force Christian theology onto a heroic epic is as problematic and conflicted as the lines the monks added when they copied Beowulf.
Tolkien is everything Moorcock accuses him of being in 'Epic Pooh', but he was no slouch. For all its central flaws, The Lord of the Rings is the work of a careful and deliberate scholar of language, style, and culture. It is the result of a lifetime of collecting and applying of knowledge, which is admirable.
Each time the moon is mentioned, it is in the proper phase as calculated from the previous instance. Each description of a plant or stone was carefully researched to represent the specific biome and terrain the characters are passing through. Every name mentioned has a story, a past, and a myth. The Lord of the Rings may be dull, affected, and moralistic, but it is Tolkien's, through and through. For all its flaws, I have yet to see a modern epic fantasy which achieves even one small part of what he did.(less)
After having this on my 'currently reading' shelf for the past three months, I'm just gonna mark it as read and be done with it.
Technically, I finished it. The problem is that I didn't actually start it. I read the stuff about Frodo and Sam, but skipped over the part about Aragorn at the beginning.
To be fair, I didn't even like this movie. If I had, I would have read the book. But the movie was too long, and more muddled than the first two. I...moreUPDATE 9/7: Ugh.
After having this on my 'currently reading' shelf for the past three months, I'm just gonna mark it as read and be done with it.
Technically, I finished it. The problem is that I didn't actually start it. I read the stuff about Frodo and Sam, but skipped over the part about Aragorn at the beginning.
To be fair, I didn't even like this movie. If I had, I would have read the book. But the movie was too long, and more muddled than the first two. I understand that the actual returning of the king has some significance, but I cannot remember what, exactly. Our teacher covered this during the 2 1/2 class periods he spent going over the extensive history of Middle Earth, but... I forgot. And it never seemed super important in the books or the movies.
Still not entirely sure why Aragorn & Co. were even in there, beyond being part of the fellowship. The Lord of the Rings books are about exactly that--the Rings. Anything else is just subplot. Boring subplot, in my opinion.
Anyway, about the stuff I actually read...
It was interesting for about 40 pages, from Sam rescuing Frodo to the destruction of the Ring. I don't mind reading from Sam's POV; between him and Frodo, Sam's the one who cares more. He has legitimate character traits, sort of. He's loyal and devoted and self sacrificing for Frodo, even though I can't imagine why.
Frodo's so annoying, for most of the books. He's all moody and emo and obsessive and possessive. Maybe that's just the Ring getting to him, but we never get to see pre-Ring Frodo, so I never got around to liking him. Sam can go on about how wise and kind and beautiful he is, but if the readers don't see it, then... we don't feel it. At least, I didn't feel it.
He also doesn't really have a personality. Like, the first book is all from his POV, and that was some of the most boring stuff I've ever been through in my entire life. He's just not interesting.
So why would Sam go to Hell and back for someone who so clearly does not deserve it? I still can't figure it out, why someone would sacrifice that much for someone so selfish and annoying. Like, who does that?
"What about Jesus, Emma?" That's what my mom said after I ranted about this to her halfway through my Lord of the Rings essay about the power of love (don't judge. And the essay wasn't about how gay I thought the whole thing was; it was about love that empowers self sacrifice. And it was a freaking amazing essay, thank you very much. Saved my English grade).
And then I was like "Oh yeah... Jesus."
I will never understand how he does it.
Or how Sam did it. I would have pushed Frodo off a cliff, grabbed the Ring and ran the heck out of Mordor(though not necessarily in that order).
Anyhow... Sam's POV is interesting, because he cares. That's what adds interest, is when the narrator cares. Because if he doesn't care, then how are we supposed to? So when we switched back to Frodo's narrative, after they got rescued... things went downhill (view spoiler)[(by the way, hated the ending. Stupidest thing ever. Breaking up the bromance/romance or whatever it was, so one can get married and the other can go to Heaven? What is with that?) (hide spoiler)]. I'm not entirely sure how the story dragged on for another hundred and fifty pages, but... they did. As usaul. Tolkien has too many words and not enough editors.
Honestly, I feel like the entire Lord of the Rings series could have been reduced down to one book. Maybe a novella. Maybe a short story. Keep it to the point. The characterization would have been cleaner, it would have been less rambling, and it would have been short, which would have been nice. Maybe even entertaining. Maybe even worth the hype.
Yeah, whatever. I'm the minority here; everyone loves these books except me. Perhaps I'm just cynical.
But seriously, these books are boring. And even if I'm the only one who sees it... well, they're still boring to me. The movies are okay; the first one's the best and they get worse as the series continues.
So... I don't know. Maybe I'll reread them when I'm older and be like 'wow, these books are so amazing! Like the best piece of literature ever!! I lurve them soooo much!'. And then I'll stick my foot in my mouth and have to apologize to a bunch of LotR geeks for dissing their books that I now find amazing.
I really don't see myself doing that. The apologizing, or the rereading. I've endured enough agony going through these things the first time; I don't want to have to dredge through them again.
Chances are, I'll just rewatch the movies. And even those can be a bit torturous, once you get past the first one.
UPDATE 6/7: Read about 40 pages out of the middle. Sam found Frodo and they destroyed the Ring. Actually, Gollum did. Frodo's turning very grating; keeps whining about stuff like being cold or thirsty or hungry. And then Sam naturally rushes in to comfort him... why does Sam even put up with Frodo? I wouldn't have.
Debating whether or not I should actually finish it, or just add in the stars and call it quits. I mean, do I really need to know about what happens to Eragon (kidding. I'm geeky enough to know his name is Aragorn)? Everything I needed to know, I just read. So... I dunno. Probably will go back to it later.
ORIGINAL POST: Let the griping begin... Courtney, beware.(less)
Lowdenthe ring works over time. at first nothing happens. but the pain gets worse the closer to the dark lord frodo gets. its also like cancer that way. and...morethe ring works over time. at first nothing happens. but the pain gets worse the closer to the dark lord frodo gets. its also like cancer that way. and many other people would have fallen to the dark lord long before. so,frodo is awesome.(less)
Sep 04, 2011 07:24am
EmmaSo Sam keeps telling me, but readers never get a chance to see him. He's pretty mopey and annoying for most of the books, and doesn't really have a pe...moreSo Sam keeps telling me, but readers never get a chance to see him. He's pretty mopey and annoying for most of the books, and doesn't really have a personality. Kind of reminds me of Bella Swann: everyone's tripping over themselves to help him, but he in himself really isn't worth it.(less)
Sep 07, 2011 07:25am
There: I've finally finished my reread of The Lord of the Rings. I'm trying to remember when I last reread it. Probably three years ago, maybe four, because I went through a long period where I was sure it would have lost its magic, and I mostly just remembered the accusations of how slow it was, how boring, how long it took to get anything done. That was true, as far as it matters: Tolkien is wordy, but I like the way he writes. I wasn't wrong in remembering that it tasted nice to me, with the ...moreThere: I've finally finished my reread of The Lord of the Rings. I'm trying to remember when I last reread it. Probably three years ago, maybe four, because I went through a long period where I was sure it would have lost its magic, and I mostly just remembered the accusations of how slow it was, how boring, how long it took to get anything done. That was true, as far as it matters: Tolkien is wordy, but I like the way he writes. I wasn't wrong in remembering that it tasted nice to me, with the help of my synaesthesia. This wasn't a book I wanted to gallop through at amazing speed. It doesn't have to move fast -- part of it is the awful menace, the seemingly interminable waiting. I feel some of the despair of the characters -- but at least I know that in five pages, or fifty, or five hundred, good news is on the way.
I seemed to have swallowed whole all the other accusations too: racism, moral absolutism, sexism, etc, etc. I think most of that comes from a reading that isn't terribly deep, though. It's true that there are the evil men of the East -- I think it's the East -- and so on. I don't think we see a single redeemable character among those, or among the Orcs, for example. But it isn't quite wholesale 'men are good, elves are good, dwarves are good; only orcs and such are evil'. There are evil men, too, like Bill Ferny and Wormtongue, and arguably Saruman, since he's a man-shaped thing at least. And there are men who bring in some -- gasp -- moral ambiguity. Boromir, for a most obvious example. He ends as a noble man, but for a while it's in the balance. Denethor? He gives in to despair and by inaction threatens the cause.
Gollum's another. For all the evil he does, he serves Frodo faithfully for a time, and there's a spark of light in him. And he does at the end what Frodo cannot -- however unwittingly and unwillingly. There's darkness in Frodo, and light in Gollum.
Aragorn himself leads an army whose weapons are mostly fear and darkness -- the ghost army.
As for sexism, it's true that women don't have a great part in the story. No woman rides in the Fellowship, and there's no sign of a woman for great swathes of the book, especially when it comes to Frodo and Sam. Women do have a place in the story, but it's to be come home to. Eowyn is given tasks that keep her safe and home, preparing for the return of the men; Arwen stays well out of the action; Galadriel remains hidden in Lothlorien; at the very end, Sam rides off with Frodo and leaves Rosie there alone, and comes back to her at the last...
But at the same time, the role of women is explored a little through Eowyn. She leaves the safe haven of her home and goes out to war -- strikes one of the most important blows. We're told that the Lord of the Nazgul cannot be killed by a man, but Eowyn can kill him. She is eventually calmed, by being settled down with Faramir, but the way she's written, I doubt Faramir could or would rule her, and it's still acknowledged that she has won great reknown for what she did. Galadriel, although she stays hidden, seems to be important among the Wise like Elrond and Gandalf, and wields an elven-ring.
Lord of the Rings would probably be quite different if written now, with what we have of reform and feminism and equality, but that's obvious. There's still some place for women in the narrative, and more than might be expected.
This last book was shorter than I remembered. It was hard to stop reading it, and in the end I gave in and just sat down to finish it. In a way, I think the end lingers a little too long -- it could end in Minas Tirith, it could end as they enter the Shire, etc, etc. It's a little strange the way the action starts up again a little at the very end, for the Scouring of the Shire. But it is still good to read, and it ties up a lot of loose ends.
And the real end, with Frodo and Bilbo and Gandalf and the elves all sailing away to peace and healing, it's beautiful. It's a little too good to be true, because people don't just sail off into the sunset and live apart from any strife; if there's anyone else around, there's usually something to disagree about. But that's what beautiful fictions are for.(less)
I was lucky enough to have finished most of the lord of the rings series before the movies came out, so i got to really understand the testement of how much better a book usually is than it's movie. While the Lord of the Rings Trilogy remains to be my favorite trilogy on two fronts, both movies and books, i am still finding that this trilogy is something that must be read several times in order to begin grasping some of the full concepts expressed within. J.R.R. tolkein was actually friends with...moreI was lucky enough to have finished most of the lord of the rings series before the movies came out, so i got to really understand the testement of how much better a book usually is than it's movie. While the Lord of the Rings Trilogy remains to be my favorite trilogy on two fronts, both movies and books, i am still finding that this trilogy is something that must be read several times in order to begin grasping some of the full concepts expressed within. J.R.R. tolkein was actually friends with one of my other favorite authors, C.S. Lewis. Together these two men seem to have grasped such a real being, such a real thing as Christ and redemption, and made it something that dances with the imagination and our sense of fantasy. While these books are fiction, there is such a realness to them that is sometimes for convinvincing than believing them to be fiction. (less)
This was technically a re-read, but since it was twenty years ago that I read it the first time I decided I could review it here. When the LotR trilogy came out in the theaters, I was reading the books after watching the theatrical release. Except for RotK. I either wasn't in the mood to read it or I just bounced off of it. After our trip to Vegas, we watched RotK again, and I decided that I was at last ready to give the book another attempt.
Do I need to summarize RotK? I think...moreThis was technically a re-read, but since it was twenty years ago that I read it the first time I decided I could review it here. When the LotR trilogy came out in the theaters, I was reading the books after watching the theatrical release. Except for RotK. I either wasn't in the mood to read it or I just bounced off of it. After our trip to Vegas, we watched RotK again, and I decided that I was at last ready to give the book another attempt.
Do I need to summarize RotK? I think enough folks have read this - or seen the movies - to remember the basic story well enough.
Reading this book was an interesting comparision between the movie and the written word. I know amongst avid Tolkien fans that there was much resentment towards Peter Jackson and how he did the whole trilogy. Now having watched (more than several times) the theatrical version and having re-read all the books, I really must applaud Jackson for tackling such a difficult series.
I have decided Tolkien is not an easy read. He has so much history and discription woven into all of the books that you really have to be paying attention to what is going on. His writing style is very formal to the point of being almost stilted. The names of his characters all look alike and sound alike (Eowyn, Eomer, Elrond, Elindil - to mention just a few) and he has multiple names for many of them. I felt it helps if you have read the Simarillion (which is a history of the four books) to help set the stage and all the characters straight - but it is certainly not necessary.
Did Jackson "miss the point" in the final movie when compared to the books? In my opinion, no. Jackson took the whole LotR series and distilled it down to its bare bone essence. Like taking wine and making brandy. You start with something full of floral notes, fruity overtones and lingering tastes of summer and end up with, concentrated floral and fruity notes that make brandy. Something was going to be cut, changed, altered (artistic liberties going on here) and out came the movie trilogy.
So while I think the books allow a person to really dive into the world Tolkein created and the epic struggle, I feel the movies did a good job of bringing that struggle to the screen. And I would say, if a person has the patience to read Tolkien, it is a facinating comparison because really, the whole story is brilliantly conceived and written.(less)
Recommends it for: everyone. This is an absolute must-read
I consider the Lord of the Rings trilogy the best fantasy, and perhaps the best fiction, ever written. Middle Earth is a beautiful, rich, complete land to which Narnia pales by comparison (don't get me wrong, I very much like Narnia, too).
The conclusion of the quest, Frodo and Sam claw their way to the steps of Mount Doom, looking up at Barad-dur, Sauron's throne. Meanwhile, the rest of the broken Fellowship desperately fight to slow the spread of Sauron's darkness. The Hammer of ...moreI consider the Lord of the Rings trilogy the best fantasy, and perhaps the best fiction, ever written. Middle Earth is a beautiful, rich, complete land to which Narnia pales by comparison (don't get me wrong, I very much like Narnia, too).
The conclusion of the quest, Frodo and Sam claw their way to the steps of Mount Doom, looking up at Barad-dur, Sauron's throne. Meanwhile, the rest of the broken Fellowship desperately fight to slow the spread of Sauron's darkness. The Hammer of Sauron falls on Minas Tirith, the last true Numenorrian bastion that could possibly challenge him. The world hangs by a thread and an old alliance, almost forgotten. The book is perhaps the most powerful literature I have ever consumed. I actually wept by the end, it was so powerful and moving. That is something that has only happened twice.
The depth and beauty of Tolkien's work stems from his obsession with language and how world events impact its evolution. To create this book and its wealth, Tolkien developed 14 complete languages, all of which can be learned and spoken, written, and read. He created the lore and legend that each population clung to for their heritage. The relationships, distrusts, friendships, and animosities between the races stem from ancient and powerful roots. The detail of the world before the series lends it a believability that is virtually unparalleled even in many nonfiction works.
I've read this series 4 or 5 times, which is something I have not done with any other work, aside from formative Christian religious texts. No one book is complete without the other two, so I consider them all to be the same book, divided into several parts--so as to allow for the faint of heart to enter Middle Earth in safer, smaller pieces.(less)
I am including the ratings and reviews of ; Eliza (16) 5 stars. She especially liked the ending. The satisfying tying up of all the ends. She loved that the story came full circle and ended in the Shire. Amelia (13) 4 1/2 stars. She had to take away half a point for the long, boringish parts. Max (10) 2 stars. He liked the beginning because it was the beginning and that was fun. He liked the ending because it was over. He had a hard time with all the boringness in between.
T...moreI am including the ratings and reviews of ; Eliza (16) 5 stars. She especially liked the ending. The satisfying tying up of all the ends. She loved that the story came full circle and ended in the Shire. Amelia (13) 4 1/2 stars. She had to take away half a point for the long, boringish parts. Max (10) 2 stars. He liked the beginning because it was the beginning and that was fun. He liked the ending because it was over. He had a hard time with all the boringness in between.
This was a huge undertaking, especially because our family is not all at home in the evenings consistently anymore. I'm glad we did this together, and I'm glad that the girls liked it so much. Even though we lost Max through some of the long parts, he really did stick with it admirably. He knows what happened for the most part, and he loved the Ents!(less)
JennGood for you guys! I really need to attempt this with my kids. You've inspired me!
Aug 17, 2008 03:25am
TracyThat is the most charming review I have read on GoodReads ever. I loved hearing your kids comments!
Aug 20, 2008 09:57am
KateWhat a wonderful idea to read Lord of the Rings with your kids!
I was lucky enough to be inspired to a love of Tolkien when our fourth grad...moreWhat a wonderful idea to read Lord of the Rings with your kids!
I was lucky enough to be inspired to a love of Tolkien when our fourth grade teacher read The Hobbit to us at school, and I imagine you've done the same for your children :)(less)
May 10, 2009 05:41am
In this one his style changes a little--and not for the better, but so what?
In retrospect, another shortcoming is the scarcity of female characters. And isn't it just too bad that Eowyn has to learn the error of her ambitious ways? And another thing, too, those swarthy Southrons who scatter willy-nilly without putting up much of a fight--does that strike anyone else as Eurocentric? Sigh.
Even so, I was one of those obsessive types who read all of the appendices, learned...moreIn this one his style changes a little--and not for the better, but so what?
In retrospect, another shortcoming is the scarcity of female characters. And isn't it just too bad that Eowyn has to learn the error of her ambitious ways? And another thing, too, those swarthy Southrons who scatter willy-nilly without putting up much of a fight--does that strike anyone else as Eurocentric? Sigh.
Even so, I was one of those obsessive types who read all of the appendices, learned the alphabets, wrote to friends in Elvish script.
So, I *finally* finished LOTR. Don't get me wrong, they're fantastic novels. But you can really tell that it's Tolkien's "baby"...there's too much backstory for my taste. You'll never find any plot holes, because Tolkiens comprehends his fictional world so well that everything blends seamlessly together. However, a lot of the time I found myself wondering why he had bothered putting certain parts in...like the multiple descriptions of feasts and forests. Or the ardous lists of hierarch...moreSo, I *finally* finished LOTR. Don't get me wrong, they're fantastic novels. But you can really tell that it's Tolkien's "baby"...there's too much backstory for my taste. You'll never find any plot holes, because Tolkiens comprehends his fictional world so well that everything blends seamlessly together. However, a lot of the time I found myself wondering why he had bothered putting certain parts in...like the multiple descriptions of feasts and forests. Or the ardous lists of hierarchies and kings...this is why I liked The Hobbit better. Tolkien condenses his writing to give a more concise story, which, in my opinion, still has plenty of adjectives. But heck, I read just as drawn-out novels, even at a very young age (Cue for Treason? Great Expectations? Ivanhoe?). And I'm really the farthest thing possible from a concise writer myself. However, there is another reason that I wasn't as happy as I could have been with LOTR. I absolutely loved the characters in The Hobbit. Frodo seems like a less brave and more whiny version of Bilbo. The real star of the story to me is Samwise. In fact my favourite parts of the story were those with Gollum, because he carries over from There and Back Again and his character really does remain consistent in all the books. Which is part, of course, of why I absolutely loved the ending. :) I do have to give Tolkien credit where it is due, though. I often find that endings in even the best books are lacking and seem to wrap things up too quickly and too neatly. The idea of finishing the plot itself, and then finalizing all the loose ends and characters with several followup chapters really appealed to me.(less)
I thought I'd rated these books a long time ago. Alas!
What can I say that thousands of other nerds haven't commented upon? The uncanny descriptions of mountains and hills? Sam's underlying sexual confusion? (and probably Tolkien's) Everyone singing more than the cast of Glee?
The wonderful relationship between Gollum and the hobbits is something that stands out, and how it mirrors many Christian parables of charity to the "unclean", the undesirable. And being a stau...moreI thought I'd rated these books a long time ago. Alas!
What can I say that thousands of other nerds haven't commented upon? The uncanny descriptions of mountains and hills? Sam's underlying sexual confusion? (and probably Tolkien's) Everyone singing more than the cast of Glee?
The wonderful relationship between Gollum and the hobbits is something that stands out, and how it mirrors many Christian parables of charity to the "unclean", the undesirable. And being a staunch Catholic, I can see that Tolkien was probably heavily influenced by that theme, of pity, through Frodo's actions, constantly being the center of temptation. The ring and its vast power, a power so vast we can only contemplate the fulfillment of such power stands as a masking, a way of making oneself invisible and strong, only to lose one's humanity in the process. To become a slave to power. Is power slavery? Is Sauron aware of this? Sauron itself is of course a demonic being, a renegade of past demon armies but rather than being a real live person, Sauron stands as an idea, a belief, that infects other souls, makes them desire everything impure.
I think that if anything didn't translate well into the films it was the feeling of innocence of the overall cast of characters. Especially Sam. Now I love the adaptation but if we're going to compare, the books did have I would describe, a more likeable pair of hobbits. I will probably get heavy flack for that, but I think it's true.
Reading these books will bring you through quite a bit of heavy, overly descriptive prose but they stand as an unforgettable symbol of our need for myth, for old fashioned tales of the earth, when it was young. This story was always on the outskirts of such imagined past, taking elements of the real and then shocking us (in the books the fantastic elements are somehow a little bit more surprising) with the beauty and majesty that such symbols immediately bring. And such was Tolkien's gift, the ability to read into exactly what elements of myth are the most dear to our hearts: a sense of foreboding for the main character, a journey that changes souls of good men who go to war, a quest of horrors and beauty that pair up equally, a world where heaven and hell exist in simultaneous reach.
Recently on the radio I heard a Czech official say the following about Vaclav Havel being possessed of an inner strength that emerged when needed:
"You know, it reminds me a little of Gandalf from J.R.R. Tolkien. You know, to hobbits, he was just a fun little gadget-maker, so to speak, but you only realized how powerful he is when he actually met a demon from the ancient past. And this is exactly how Havel looked like."
It reminded me how much I loved the characte...moreRecently on the radio I heard a Czech official say the following about Vaclav Havel being possessed of an inner strength that emerged when needed:
"You know, it reminds me a little of Gandalf from J.R.R. Tolkien. You know, to hobbits, he was just a fun little gadget-maker, so to speak, but you only realized how powerful he is when he actually met a demon from the ancient past. And this is exactly how Havel looked like."
It reminded me how much I loved the characters in the Lord of the Rings books. I read the trilogy in the 5th grade (took me the entire school year). When the films came out I decided to reread the books. For some reason I read the first two, but not the third. Hearing the reference to Gandalf on NPR got me thinking about the books and after a couple of weeks I picked up Return of the King. I got enthralled immediately. It was like something in mind that had been dormant got reawakened and I felt new energy and joy as I read. Maybe it reconnected me with the way I had felt at 10 years old and the books captured my imagination. I stayed up late the next few nights in a row until I had finished it.(less)
Same warning as the other reviews for Lord of the Rings. The review will not be particularly good because of my obsession with the series.
It took me for freaking ever to read this one, but I LOVED it. Totally my favorite of the series.
So this is the one that sealed my love for Merry and Pippin. My favorite line was when Merry wishes that he was big and strong like Eomer so that he could ride into Gondor and save Pippin singlehandedly. I pretty much died of fluff overload ...moreSame warning as the other reviews for Lord of the Rings. The review will not be particularly good because of my obsession with the series.
It took me for freaking ever to read this one, but I LOVED it. Totally my favorite of the series.
So this is the one that sealed my love for Merry and Pippin. My favorite line was when Merry wishes that he was big and strong like Eomer so that he could ride into Gondor and save Pippin singlehandedly. I pretty much died of fluff overload at that point and got a lot of weird looks from the freshies I eat lunch with. Then I read the line out loud and they died with me. So yay, Merry/Pippin FTW. But seriously, whenever it switched to one of their POVs, the first thought they had was, "I wish the other was here so I'd have someone to talk to. I hope he's okay." Serously? I think JRR TOlkien shipped them (not really, but I can dream can't I?).
Gandalf is a boss, but everyone knows that. Still, it bears to be repeated. Aragorn is amazing as well, and the ending to his story was amazingly epic.
Deneathor is...a lot of bad words. He just made me so freakin' mad all the time. Especially because Faramir is my second favorite character, and he used and abused the poor boy and I wanted to smack Deneathor. And then there was a moment where I kind of felt bad for him, and I hated myself for it. That's the mark of a true storyteller - where they make you hate a character SO MUCH, and then make you feel bad for that character. JRR Tolkien, I hate you. But I love you.
And Eowyn! Oh my gooseness Eowyn, she is a boss. She's got one of the most dangerous bad guys poised to kill her, and she...Laughs. In. His. Face. LIKE A BOSS. And then Merry ninja strikes out of nowhere and Eowyn finishes the Witch King off. And then the whole scene just gets ten times more epic when Eomer notices her and freaks out. It broke my heart because he is so stoic and "manly" that when he lost his stuff over his sister's supposed death, it shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces. That whole scene was handled beautifully.
Then it switches to Frodo and Sam. *instert fangirl squee here* Sam is just full of win. His speeches are amazing, and his love for Frodo is amazing, and he's just amazing. Watching him grow from this total nerd and a bit of a coward to a valiant, brave, and wise being was astounding. I don't want to spoil too much, but Sam is a boss.
And more Faramir epicness. They SERIOUSLY downplayed the Faramir/Eowyn relationship in the movie and I do NOT appreciate it. The two of them are amazing. I was peeved for two seconds about Aragorn rejecting Eowyn, and then Faramir came in, and I was totally okay with it. I mean, just the love between the two of them was 100x more epic than Arwen/Aragorn in the movies, and they really should have put more into Eowyn/Faramir relationship in the movies, because it would have been beautiful. But they didn't. The movies are still amazing, don't get me wrong, but still. Peter Jackson, take note. I am upset.
Aragorn becoming king was so cool. I knew it was going to happen - obviously, look at the title of the book - but it was still super cool. I wish guys like him got into politics. And the bromance between Legolas and Gimli is super cute. I love bromances and they are no exception.
And then THAT ENDING! The whole last few pages had me in tears. I was bawling and bawling and snotting all over the place, it was so beautiful. And the last line of a book is always important to me. More important than the first, in my opinion. The last line of Lord of the Rings made my heart clench, die, fall into my stomach, and then be revived by the epicness of it. I will not spoil it though, for those of you who are Last-Line Diehards like I am.
In conclusion: Eowyn/Faramir is amazing, all Hobbits are gay, bromance is always fun, this was my favorite of the series, JRR Tolkien is a god, and this whole book should be renamed Like a Boss, because that's what it is: People being the Boss.(less)
Lord of the rings the return of the king is the final installment to the Lord of the rings trilogy, This book was an amazing book written by J. R. R. Tolkien
and was extremely suspenseful and always captivated you, I liked this book and how the writer was able to accurately and strength fully able to write out memorable battle scenes where it was like watching a film.
This book is about the Fellowship dividing to conquer as Frodo and Sam, with the help and hindrance of Gollum, co...moreLord of the rings the return of the king is the final installment to the Lord of the rings trilogy, This book was an amazing book written by J. R. R. Tolkien
and was extremely suspenseful and always captivated you, I liked this book and how the writer was able to accurately and strength fully able to write out memorable battle scenes where it was like watching a film.
This book is about the Fellowship dividing to conquer as Frodo and Sam, with the help and hindrance of Gollum, continue their way to Mount Doom. Gandalf and Pippin ride to Minas Tirith to help defend Gondor while Merry remains with Eowyn and the other Rohan fighters. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli seek aid from those that live in the Cursed Mountains. All these battles have one goal in mind: distract the Eye of Sauron and buy Frodo a little more time to destroy the ring.
I decided to read this book as i had read the previous two books, my friends persuaded me to read them as they were such brilliant books and i thoroughly enjoyed them.
I liked this book very much because the writer was able to describe the battle scenes with such amazing suspense and describe them in such a memorable way.
There was nothing about this book that i disliked as it was amazingly and brilliantly constructed.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone, If you like fantasy books, war books, suspenseful stories, interesting stories, stories with an amazing plot and well constructed book (Pretty much everyone) then this is Definitely the book for you!
This book Covers the category "A book which has been made into a film" of the bingo board.(less)
It's very odd reading this book with the eye of a medievalist, with the eye of someone studying it. I always thought of Tolkien as so very original, in coming up with all his own languages and mythology, but that isn't quite true. He was a great synthesiser, bringing things together from older things and making them seem new, mixing in just enough of his own imagination... He was original, a trailblazer, but not in the way I thought he was. And he was smarter, and a greater scholar, than I ever ...moreIt's very odd reading this book with the eye of a medievalist, with the eye of someone studying it. I always thought of Tolkien as so very original, in coming up with all his own languages and mythology, but that isn't quite true. He was a great synthesiser, bringing things together from older things and making them seem new, mixing in just enough of his own imagination... He was original, a trailblazer, but not in the way I thought he was. And he was smarter, and a greater scholar, than I ever knew when I first came to his work. His legacy of mindless Tolkien-ripoffs is pretty disappointing, given that.
I don't really have any new major things to say, though. Because I'm planning to write my essay on hope and Northern courage, I noticed hope a lot in this book -- particularly with Frodo, Sam and Denethor. All of them lack hope, but Sam and Frodo go on, while Denethor despairs... It's a very powerful contrast -- and Theoden's a good point of contrast, too, and Eowyn.
I read the appendices fully for the first time, this time. I never realised how much background they contained -- although they are somewhat repetitive when it comes to names and dates and such. 'True' fans of Middle-earth should no doubt peruse them, if they haven't already (must not be a true fan, myself).(less)
There's probably not too much I can say here that you didn't already know or think about for yourself--or read on one of the reviews for the other two books. These are inescapably linked to the Peter Jackson films, which I became more and more impressed with as I read these. The series ends as well here as it does in the films, and each ending suited each format. The destruction of the Shire worked well in the books but would've curtailed the films entirely. Frankly, there's a heightened fee...moreThere's probably not too much I can say here that you didn't already know or think about for yourself--or read on one of the reviews for the other two books. These are inescapably linked to the Peter Jackson films, which I became more and more impressed with as I read these. The series ends as well here as it does in the films, and each ending suited each format. The destruction of the Shire worked well in the books but would've curtailed the films entirely. Frankly, there's a heightened feeling of revolt in the films that wouldn't have fit here: the inhabitants of the Shire allowed themselves to be taken over by a rather lame Sauroman and an even more lame Wormtongue--with 50s streetcorner ruffians to boot; no way the characters populating the movies would've allowed that to happen. Jackson wisely left Sauroman and Wormtongue stuck in the Dark Tower in the movies, which is where Tolkein probably should've kept them, too. It seems as if Tolkein didn't know quite what to do with him once the War of the Ring ended. Maybe there was a subconscious (which I say only because Tolkein insisted to the end that he never symbolized any of the wars in his books; I don't believe him) connection to the damage done at home when there's a war abroad; no one is nuetral, perhaps.
But the real ending, where Frodo joins Gandalf, Bilbo and the Elves worked much better in the book than I thought it would; I felt it was too abrupt in the movie. Here it makes sense, actually; Frodo has what is known today as PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder), though actually it may not be called that anymore. Tolkein would've known it as shellshock. The injury in Frodo's shoulder clearly is meant to mirror the injury done to his psyche by the ring; this is why none of the other characters--such as Aragorn, who has seen much more battle-time than has Frodo--is as injured, excepting perhaps Bilbo, a ring-bearer himself. The ring has clearly messed with him as well, though his recent mental feebleness may be expected in one about 130 years of age. As per the comment above, a soldier is never the same at home as he was before he went off to war; that which was special to him in his native land often is not upon his return. The only solution, sometimes, to find peace--which Frodo insists he needs and is not getting in the Shire--is to move on, to travel and experience other things. To explore. Bilbo is foremost an explorer; perhaps Frodo was, too.
It should also not be forgotten that they are the two writers of the Shire (Samwise is due to carry that on, but he hasn't yet). As such, when a writer is moribound, the solution is to move on to another work, another experience, as each work, large or small, is a journey. Stick too long to the same thing and you ground yourself. Samwise was meant (if you buy the fateful attitude of the works) to do just that, to settle down with Rose Cotton, have a family, and tend to the Shire. The very long work, surprisingly, ends with him, saying to his wife and family, "Well, I'm back." A soldier come home to stay--but, then again, he didn't have to bear the burden of the Ring for too long. As Frodo often said, it was his burden to take, his cross to bear, and, like any soldier, the simple bearing of that burden so that others could live their life of mental, emotional and psychological freedom (not to mention political freedom) is perhaps the soldier's greatest sacrifice. Frodo did that so that Sam could marry and have a family, and say, "Well, I'm home."(less)
While not strictly related to the books, I must mention that earlier this year when I went to England one of my destinations was Oxford. While I Oxford I went and had a beer at Tolkien's pub, visited Tolkien's house (20 Northmoor Avenue, there is a plaque on the house that identifies it as his house) and paid a visit to his gravestone. Tolkien was a professor of English literature at Oxford and it shows in his writings. As mentioned previously, he borrowed as lot of ideas from the many books th...more While not strictly related to the books, I must mention that earlier this year when I went to England one of my destinations was Oxford. While I Oxford I went and had a beer at Tolkien's pub, visited Tolkien's house (20 Northmoor Avenue, there is a plaque on the house that identifies it as his house) and paid a visit to his gravestone. Tolkien was a professor of English literature at Oxford and it shows in his writings. As mentioned previously, he borrowed as lot of ideas from the many books that he had read and incorporated it seemlessly into his epic. It is said that Tolkien hated Shakespeare and considered his writings unoriginal and contrived. One thing he points at is Macbeth where Macbeth is told that he cannot be killed by one of woman born. This meant that it was only McDuff, who was born by ceasarean, that could kill him. This, Tolkien though, was rubbish, and wrote into The Lord of the Rings a concept that he thought was much better, that is that the Witchking of Agmar could not be killed by any man, and it was Eowyn, the daughter of Theodren, that ends up slaying him. Personally, I think this is just as contrived, but Tolkien's dispute with Shakespeare can be left for another day. As with the opening of the Two Towers we are introduced to Theodren, a king driven mad by the power of Saruman, in Return of the King we are introduced to another mad ruler, the Steward of Gondor. Gondor does not have a king, and has not had a king for a very long time. Instead the land is ruled by the Stewards, but there is an anticipation that a king will return and take the throne, and this is something that the Steward does not want happening. He has become corrupted by power, and the only way that he is able to let go is through death. In Lord of the Rings, power corrupts, and corruption leads to madness. We see this clearly with Gollum. He finds the ring and in finding the ring is immediately entrapped by its power. Bilbo has pity on Gollum, and in the end so do we. His life is corrupted by one desire and that is to possess 'his precious' the one ring. The ring dominates his entire life, and he ends up hiding in a dark cave staring at his precious. However when he loses it his life is destroyed. It is at this point that even we, the reader, pity him, because we know that his life has no meaning beyond possession of the ring. This drives him to then search for the ring, and this greed that has corrupted his heart pretty much makes him untrustworthy. The only reason he helps Frodo is to attempt to get back his precious. There is a point where Gollum appears to have beaten his demon, and truly understands Frodo as a friend, but this changes when Frodo is forced to betray Gollum, but what Gollum does not realise, and never realises, is that Frodo did this to save his life. However Gollum is an individual that is driven by one obsession and it is this obsession that drives him to separate Sam from Frodo. He knows that the only thing standing between him and his precious is Sam, and he does what he can to get rid of Sam. However, as mentioned previously, it is Sam's undying loyalty to Frodo that drives him, and even when Frodo sends him away, Sam always remains there, ready to step up and save his friend.(less)
So, I'm going to be honest. I started reading these books when I was in seventh grade when the movie came out. I had a gigantic crush on Elijah Wood and I bought the book because I wanted to stare at his face on the cover. Needless to say, I didn't read the books very closely (I did actually read them, but I don't remember much) and I'm kind of ashamed at my motives for buying and reading the books. Especially since I studied abroad in New Zealand primarily because of the LOTR phenomenon. Howeve...moreSo, I'm going to be honest. I started reading these books when I was in seventh grade when the movie came out. I had a gigantic crush on Elijah Wood and I bought the book because I wanted to stare at his face on the cover. Needless to say, I didn't read the books very closely (I did actually read them, but I don't remember much) and I'm kind of ashamed at my motives for buying and reading the books. Especially since I studied abroad in New Zealand primarily because of the LOTR phenomenon. However, even though people say that you would appreciate these books at a younger age, I feel like I would be totally the opposite. I have come to embrace my nerdiness over the years, and I really do think I would appreciate these books more now than I did in seventh grade when I had a huge crush on Elijah Wood. Maybe it's one of those Foucault or Kinsey sexuality things: I must have thought: I'm a girl and girls aren't into these kind of things, so I'm not going to like this. And now, I just think, f**k that.
So, one of these days I'm going to sit down and really read this thing.(less)
The Lord of the Rings story represents to me the epitome of an epic adventure saga. It's a traditional hero's journey, fraught with danger and adversity, friends and enemies, war and the noble quest to bring peace. I have never felt more a part of a world than Middle Earth during the Second War of The Ring. Also, in comparison to other adventure stories, especially those of this nature, the Lord of the Rings stands alone for me as feeling like the largest scale. Tolkien does a great job of d...moreThe Lord of the Rings story represents to me the epitome of an epic adventure saga. It's a traditional hero's journey, fraught with danger and adversity, friends and enemies, war and the noble quest to bring peace. I have never felt more a part of a world than Middle Earth during the Second War of The Ring. Also, in comparison to other adventure stories, especially those of this nature, the Lord of the Rings stands alone for me as feeling like the largest scale. Tolkien does a great job of describing the effect of Frodo's quest on the peoples of Middle Earth, he develops countless characters and the war seemingly has infinite reach, beyond even the borders of Middle Earth itself. Even intergalactic adventure stories like Star Wars or even the Harry Potter series doesn't seem to exhibit the scope of their story beyond its effect on the central characters and environments. Actually, having read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, that series of books matches and even goes beyond the scope I describe, but obviously with a totally different story format and a completely different tone (although equally entertaining to me!).
There's so much to say, but whenever I think to describe these books I'm lost for adjectives, Tolkien's works are crucial to the adventure genre and deserve the reverence and respect they command.(less)
I watched the movies before I read the books, because I was too young to understand the archaic Dutch and too inexperienced to read it in its original language. I loved and still love the movies fiercely, although the first one scared me a little at the time. They are my comfort blanket. They are what I turn to when I want to feel, when I want to experience something beautiful.
The world Tolkien created takes my breath away. It's so complete and well-thought out that I almost c...more I watched the movies before I read the books, because I was too young to understand the archaic Dutch and too inexperienced to read it in its original language. I loved and still love the movies fiercely, although the first one scared me a little at the time. They are my comfort blanket. They are what I turn to when I want to feel, when I want to experience something beautiful.
The world Tolkien created takes my breath away. It's so complete and well-thought out that I almost consider it the history of our world. It's the way I feel our world is supposed to be. It's so pure. The Hobbits, with their love of "all things that grow", the graceful Elves, the ever-productive Dwarves... even Men are valiant and honest. And when the Ring clouds all this beauty with darkness and doubt, the underlying beauty never fails to shine through: the beauty of love, of friendship, of loyalty and bravery and perseverance. The beauty of hope.
I am very fond of Tolkien's writing. It gives the impression that he thought carefully about sentence structure and word choice. It's very rich and descriptive, which makes reading his books a slow process demanding a high level of concentration. But it's worth that. I remember reading the Fellowship of the Ring on a coach in Australia. It was past midnight, but not yet day; it was so dark outside, and I was reading, huddled up in my hoodie. My eyes were still heavy with sleep and prickly from the dry air. From time to time I looked out the window at the many stars that were dotted above the barely-visible landscape that passed and passed by, thinking about what I'd just read, and I thought: this is it. This is the life. This is happiness.
One aspect in which I think the movies triumph the books is characterization. In the books, the characters are more static. I feel as though they are more interchangeable than the characters are in the movies and experience less personal development. I'm not quite sure whether this is a flaw of the books or an extraordinary feature of the movies, though.
The Lord of the Rings books make me cry and smile, sob and laugh. They make my chest ache and my heart sing. If I were to teach an intelligent brand new inhabitant of this world its most important aspects, I'd make them read these books. They contain the most valuable lessons of life and evoke every feeling that everyone should have experienced.(less)
An edited version of this article was first published as Book Review: The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3) by J. R. R. Tolkien on Blogcritics.org.
So, I finally finished reading the trilogy. I began with The Fellowship of the Ring, followed by The Two Towers. Now, about a decade after the movie-related hype, I finally read the whole three.
Should I put a synopsis here? Perhaps, just for completion’s sake. This is the third and final installment of The Lord of t...moreAn edited version of this article was first published as Book Review: The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings Trilogy #3) by J. R. R. Tolkien on Blogcritics.org.
So, I finally finished reading the trilogy. I began with The Fellowship of the Ring, followed by The Two Towers. Now, about a decade after the movie-related hype, I finally read the whole three.
Should I put a synopsis here? Perhaps, just for completion’s sake. This is the third and final installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, where evil fails and good triumphs. Aragorn returns to reign as king, and Frodo, together with Sam, journey to the middle of Mount Doom. The mission is to destroy the evil ring, of course, but as this ring is evil, and possesses every person that has possession of it, Frodo has a hard time throwing it in the fire. Good thing there was Gollum, because Gollum bites off his finger together with the ring, but loses balance and therefore falls into the fire. This signals the end of evil in Middle Earth, and peace reigns again.
So, that should be the end of things, right? But apparently no. As the four Hobbits journey back to the Shire, they still face little bits and pieces of evil, apparently due to Saruman, who invaded the Shire together with his evil Men. The Hobbits defeat this, and finally, peace reigns in the Shire.
That was pretty much the end of things. Frodo is happy, Sam is happy, until Frodo goes on a journey that the other three Hobbits are not a part of. Fantasy ends, and the story concludes.
The thing is, after reading the three books, I don’t think I was impressed, impressed enough to be excited to read the three books one after another the way other people did it back when the movies came out. I kind of regret that I saw the movies before reading the books, but after reading the books, I still conclude that it wasn’t worth the hype. Or perhaps it is just me, that I am not a big fan of fantasy in the first place. Well, let me explain.
First, I have this impression that fantasy stories always have something to do with travel. Perhaps that is not the case, and there are other fantasy books out there that do not involve traveling, but this trilogy definitely has a big travel component. Characters move into different places, carrying rings, riding horses, marching towards battle, and so forth. There is even a map in the beginning of the book to aid people in visualizing where the characters go. I suppose I find it rather boring that fantasy always involves a travel component. Can’t fantasy be psychological thriller as well?
Second, I wish that the trilogy concluded with the destruction of Mount Doom and evil in general. That was a big climax right there, and it would have been a better ending after all the events that were portrayed in the three books. I wished that the ring was destroyed, and the king was installed, and people return to their respective neighborhoods, and the book concludes. No, instead, the Hobbits return to the Shire and evil is still there. It’s as if there is a big conclusion in the form of the destruction of the ring, and there is a smaller conclusion in the form of the defeat of Saruman after he invaded the Shire. One would hope that the story is already concluded when the ring is thrown into the fire, but no, there’s still a storyline that continues. Plot-wise, I didn’t like that aspect, as it was quite anti-climactic.
So, one year and three books later, now I can say that I have read a fantasy book. I still am not a big fan of it, although I do appreciate the fact that this is considered classical fantasy literature. But aside from that, I felt that it didn’t shine enough for me to be enthusiastic about it. Good triumphs over evil, yeah, I already knew that. I don’t see why one needs three books and a whole alternate universe to narrate that punch line. It was taxing on my imagination, and it never offered something different and new from the other stories that say the same conclusion.
So, as I think it was just an average book, I am not giving it a high score. Granted, I know that my opinion is of the minority here, and most people consider this to be a spectacular piece of literature. 3 out of 5 stars.(less)
Ever since I was fourteen I’ve been reading Lord of the Rings, and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read it. At least thirty! But I haven’t lost track of how my response to the trilogy has evolved over the years. Sam has always been my favorite character, and in my youth he inspired me. Shortly into the quest he tells Frodo,” I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can’t turn back. It isn’t to see Elves now, no...moreEver since I was fourteen I’ve been reading Lord of the Rings, and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read it. At least thirty! But I haven’t lost track of how my response to the trilogy has evolved over the years. Sam has always been my favorite character, and in my youth he inspired me. Shortly into the quest he tells Frodo,” I seem to see ahead, in a kind of way. I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can’t turn back. It isn’t to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want—I don’t rightly know what I want; but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me.” This is the Sam who years and years ago would always bring out the idealist in me, always stir up within me a sense of purpose as strong as it was vague. Decades later I still gravitate toward Sam, but it’s the hardened and resilient Sam that appeals to me now, the Sam who, as Tolkien says, doesn’t need hope so long as despair could be put off. Yep, as the world increasingly spins out of control, I keep this Sam firmly in mind, the Sam who, out of sheer stubbornness, simply puts down his head and takes the next step, ignoring the voices that ceaselessly speak of the futility of it all.(less)
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE, was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and Merton Professor of English language and literature from 1945 to 1959. He was a close friend of C. S. Lewis...moreJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE, was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and Merton Professor of English language and literature from 1945 to 1959. He was a close friend of C. S. Lewis.
Christopher Tolkien published a series of works based on his father's extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including The Silmarillion. These, together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about an imagined world called Arda, and Middle-earth within it. Between 1951 and 1955 Tolkien applied the word legendarium to the larger part of these writings.
While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when they were published in paperback in the United States led directly to a popular resurgence of the genre. This has caused Tolkien to be popularly identified as the "father" of modern fantasy literature—or more precisely, high fantasy. Tolkien's writings have inspired many other works of fantasy and have had a lasting effect on the entire field. In 2008, The Times ranked him sixth on a list of 'The 50 greatest British writers since 1945'.
Religious influences J.R.R. Tolkien, was born in South Africa in 1892, but his family moved to Britain when he was about 3 years old. When Tolkien was 8 years old, his mother converted to Catholicism, and he remained a Catholic throughout his life. In his last interview, two years before his death, he unhesitatingly testified, “I’m a devout Roman Catholic.”
Tolkien married his childhood sweetheart, Edith, and they had four children. He wrote them letters each year as if from Santa Claus, and a selection of these was published in 1976 as The Father Christmas Letters. One of Tolkien’s sons became a Catholic priest. Tolkien was an advisor for the translation of the Jerusalem Bible.
Tolkien once described The Lord of the Rings to his friend Robert Murray, an English Jesuit priest, as "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." There are many theological themes underlying the narrative including the battle of good versus evil, the triumph of humility over pride, and the activity of grace. In addition the saga includes themes which incorporate death and immortality, mercy and pity, resurrection, salvation, repentance, self-sacrifice, free will, justice, fellowship, authority and healing. In addition The Lord's Prayer "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" was reportedly present in Tolkien's mind as he described Frodo's struggles against the power of the One Ring.'(less)
“For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
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“I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.”
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review of another edition
Dec 28, 2011 05:36am
Dec 28, 2011 11:35am