Goodreads | The Fellowship of the Ring

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adam rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

05/03/07

Read the review by Doc Opp; I think he covers it quite nicely. He explains how Tolkien was the forefather of fantasy writing, and why that makes his books important. He also shares his opinion that the historical importance sort of causes people to overlook that Tolkien couldn't write worth beans.

Opp posits that perhaps it has something to do with the concept of heroism being different in Tolkien's days than it is now. I'm not sure I agree with that. I mean I agree that his characters ar...more Read the review by Doc Opp; I think he covers it quite nicely. He explains how Tolkien was the forefather of fantasy writing, and why that makes his books important. He also shares his opinion that the historical importance sort of causes people to overlook that Tolkien couldn't write worth beans.

Opp posits that perhaps it has something to do with the concept of heroism being different in Tolkien's days than it is now. I'm not sure I agree with that. I mean I agree that his characters are a study in perserverance without being able to really fight or do anything but perservere, I just don't know that I buy that it's a sign of the times. I think Tolkien was just boring.

I don't disagree, also, that the Shannara series is essentially the same storyline with a better writer at the helm.

My venom towards Tolkien is greater than Opp's perhaps because we read for different reasons. I have very little patience with writers who have great ideas or imaginations when it comes to the physical world, but can't get inside the head of a person to save their lives and thus can't tell a story. This sort of writer is often found in sci-fi/fantasy, because the genre is geared to reward the most innovative and plausible inventing of a future or past timescape.

If guys like Opp were always doing the commentating I might not hate Tolkien with such a passion, but unfortunately the world is filled with people who don't read sci-fi but who recalled their lit teacher spoke Tolkien's name once and probably said something about how he was the father of modern fantasy, and those people went on to shout Tolkien's name from the rooftops to the extent that a movie even got made out of it. Now the movie I could actually stomach (a little) because Hollywood realized they couldn't completely bore the pants off of people and still make money. But I digress.

I cannot conceive of any reason one would read these novels unless they were forced e.g. for a class. And even then, it'd better be a history class and not a writing class, unless the objective was to teach how not to write. There's no pace, no character development, the focus shifts between groups of characters ala Robert Jordan without any of Jordan's redeeming qualities (although Jordan certainly has faults as well).

The most compelling reason to read these novels is so that you can rip someone a new one when they bring up Tolkien by making a point by point case where you describe all the things he does wrong.

Let me put it this way, I have read some of the most God-awful books in my time. I mean when I was younger I would read a phone book if it was handy. But I could not finish the Fellowship of the Rings.

Comparing Tolkien to Asimov is just...I mean that's like comparing me to Asimov. I have an imagination and so does Asimov, comparison ended. Asimov came up with a plausible future that was interesting, and then he wrote characters within that adventure that were compelling. Caves of Steel is brilliant because whatshisface the detective is sort of an everyman and Asimov deals with things such as embarrassment because your Dad's job doesn't rate you high enough to eat at the right hydroponics diner. I'm mangling things, but you get the point. Asimov may have been the best ever at having really cool ideas and not wasting them by forgetting to write about people.

I hate Tolkien, I blame him for his vacuous and enraging fan base, I blame him for every author that followed him that spent 5 hours describing a blade of grass, I hate him for taking a genre that I like and making me want to vomit on it, even if he was the first. It makes me want to burn my entire fantasy bookshelf down to the ground.

That's my review....less

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Brandon rated it:

(review of isbn 1594130078)

05/18/08

bookshelves: classics, inkling

recommends it for: Any one who would like to see there world with new eyes

This book is so fun to read. The detail and context which Tolkien takes such pains to develop are what give it the abiltiy to create "secondary belief" and therefore give it the wonder inducing effect of good Sub creative art. See my review of The Silmarillion.
Just a word on Tom Bombadil as he is one the characters who first time readers find difficult to get past. The hobbits’ journey through the Old Forest and Borrow Downs is a very odd portion of the book. ...more This book is so fun to read. The detail and context which Tolkien takes such pains to develop are what give it the abiltiy to create "secondary belief" and therefore give it the wonder inducing effect of good Sub creative art. See my review of The Silmarillion.
Just a word on Tom Bombadil as he is one the characters who first time readers find difficult to get past. The hobbits’ journey through the Old Forest and Borrow Downs is a very odd portion of the book. It takes up forty pages and doesn’t seem to move the plot forward much, and Tom Bombadil never makes another appearance. (Note that Peter Jackson excised the entire section) It seems to be, if I may wax metaphoric, a burl on the trunk of the tree that Tolkien is creating. So, why is Tom Bombadil in the story?
I think that Tom Bombadil is the personification of Faerie Story itself, i.e. a meta-faerie story within the story. By comparing what Tolkien had to say about the origins and purpose of fairy stories to Tom Bombadil we can see that Tom embodies the true “Tolkienesque” model of a fairy story. As to his origin he is called Eldest; for he is older than “the rivers and the trees” and was there to witness the very creation of middle earth. Tolkien says of the origins of fairy stories, “To ask what is the origin of story…is to ask what is the origin of language and of the mind.” So we see that Tolkien saw fairy stories as being participatory in the creation of the human conscience from the very first, just as Tom himself was.
Tom also personifies the purpose of fairy stories: Fantasy, Recovery, Escape and Consolation as explained in “On Fairy Stories.” Tolkien describes Fantasy as “both the sub-creative Art in itself and a quality of strangeness and wonder in the Expression derived from the image.” Tom’s own words to the hobbits is a perfect example of this sub-creative quality. Almost never does Tolkien state what Tom actually says, but only expresses the image created by his words. Pgs 129-131 could be quoted from almost at random to show this but here is a prime cut, “Suddenly Tom’s talk left the woods and went leaping up the young stream, over bubbling waterfalls, over pebbles and worn rocks…wandering at last up on to the Downs” (130). Tom’s words create a context for the Old Forest in Frodo’s mind which eventually encompasses the entirety of the creation of Middle Earth, “and still on and back Tom went singing out into ancient starlight” (131).
He embodies the quality of Recovery in the refreshing of mind and body that the hobbits experience while under Tom’s roof. After one nights sleep Tom wakens the hobbits and, “they leaped up refreshed.” We also see this in the food they eat there, “The drink…seemed to be clear cold water but went to their hearts like wine and set free their voices.”
As for Escape, the hobbits literally escape into the Old Forest from the clutches of the Black Riders. There they find a world “more alive” and full of wonder. Upon leaving the presence of Tom, Sam comments, “I reckon we may go a good deal further and see naught better, not queerer.” In the ultimate sense of the word escape, escape from death, Tom also provides examples. Tom saves them twice; once from Old Man Willow and also from the Barrow-Wight. Both of these events constitute a mini-eucatastrophy, as Pippin (inside of Old Man Willow) and the whole company (inside the Barrow) were completely beyond help and then are saved at the last moment by Tom.
Finally there is the consolation of Tom Bombadil. He whispers to them in their frightened sleep and puts their worried minds to sleep peacefully. He also brings them advice and direction after saving them from the Barrow-Wight, and thus provides them consolation about the course they should take in Gandalf’s absence.
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Fred D rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

12/20/07

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in January, 1991

recommends it for: Anybody

What can I say about The Lord of the Rings? I could go on and on forever. It is my #1 favorite book of fiction of all that I've ever read in my entire life. I am going to review each book separately, but much of what I have to say here applies to all 3 of the books. LOTR is so incredibly EPIC! The scope of the story expands as it progresses to enormous proportions. Tolkien uses a very sophisticated "old" style of writing which at first I found intimidating but eventually I got used to ...more What can I say about The Lord of the Rings? I could go on and on forever. It is my #1 favorite book of fiction of all that I've ever read in my entire life. I am going to review each book separately, but much of what I have to say here applies to all 3 of the books. LOTR is so incredibly EPIC! The scope of the story expands as it progresses to enormous proportions. Tolkien uses a very sophisticated "old" style of writing which at first I found intimidating but eventually I got used to and which now I find very beautiful and poetic. His descriptions of the people, places, cultures, languages, history, and events of Middle Earth are just so incredibly rich and detailed, it is fascinating to me to learn about them as I read. I find the characters to be very interesting, to the point where I have grown to deeply love them and sympathize with them. LOTR addresses all sorts of universal themes and concepts that teach us his view of the human condition. It explores friendship, loyalty, bravery, greed, faith, and many more. Indeed, I consider LOTR to be the closest thing I've ever read to my concept of the "ultimate" or "ideal story". I have read LOTR multiple times and I imagine I'll read it many more times. I first read it in college for an English class. I had wanted to read it for years prior to that but I was intimidated by it so I didn't until college.

I admit LOTR has its flaws. There are spots where the story drags, such as the many pages where he describes the characters marching endless miles through forests or swamps or mountains without much happening. Sometimes I wonder, "why is he talking about this? Why doesn't he just jump ahead to the good stuff?". One can argue that he introduces too many characters and that some of them are not developed enough. Some would say some of the characters are too 2-dimentional, and that everything is too black and white from a moral standpoint. I admit those shortcomings, but in the end none of them matter much to me. In spite of all those imperfections, the book is still a work of genius that is unmatched by anything else I've ever read. The story is so big and powerful it just blows me away and leaves me in awe.

Fellowship is perhaps my second-favorite of the 3 books, after Return of the King. I absolutely love the first few chapters. You learn so much about the history of the Ring and of Middle-Earth. The Ring is shrouded in mystery at first and as the mysteries are revealed, the terrible state things are in is realized. A really cool ominous feeling of foreboding sets in that grabs you and pulls you in so that you have to keep reading. The meeting with Strider in Bree, the encounter with the Ringwraiths at Weathertop, the Council of Elrond, and the encounter with the Balrog in Moria are some of the most dramatic, exciting events of the whole series. The only complaints I have with Fellowship is that it suffers the most of all 3 books from what I described earlier: there are definitely a few slow parts where the pace of the story really drags. Fellowship is one of the ultimate Road Trip Stories, much like Star Wars: a New Hope, or Wizard of Oz. One or two characters start out on a journey, and they meet people along the way who join them. Along the way they become close devoted friends as they go through adventures together. ...less

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Melissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

09/23/08

Read in June, 2003

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring is an outstanding start to an epic tale. Unfortunately for those who thrust themselves into all five-hundred or so pages of it, it is just that: a start. For those who are able to embrace the necessary introductory ramblings, the book, I’m sure, is quite rewarding; however, I found myself driven by my own stubbornness to get through it, with the promise that The Two Towers and The Return of the King would be my reward.

Not...more

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Arezoo.... rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

09/14/08

قصه از سرزميني مي‌گويد به نامِ «سرزمينِ ميانه» كه پذيراي انواعِ نژادها است، از جمله انسان‌ها كه ضعيف‌ترين و قدرت‌طلب‌ترينِ موجودات هستند، اِلف‌ها كه عمري ابدي دارند و پليدي را نمي‌شناسند، هابيت‌ها كه بي‌آزارترين و خوش‌گذران‌ترين نژاد هستند، و همين طور هم اوُرك‌هاي �...more قصه از سرزميني مي‌گويد به نامِ «سرزمينِ ميانه» كه پذيراي انواعِ نژادها است، از جمله انسان‌ها كه ضعيف‌ترين و قدرت‌طلب‌ترينِ موجودات هستند، اِلف‌ها كه عمري ابدي دارند و پليدي را نمي‌شناسند، هابيت‌ها كه بي‌آزارترين و خوش‌گذران‌ترين نژاد هستند، و همين طور هم اوُرك‌هاي وحشي كه نيكي را نمي‌شناسند، تِروُل‌ها، جادوگرها، دوُرف‌هاي صنعتگر، و غيره. در عصرِ دومِ سرزمينِ ميانه، سائوُروُن، يكي از ظلماني‌ترين موجوداتِ «سرزمينِ ميانه»، با استفاده از هنرِ حلقه‌سازيِ اِلف‌ها حلقه‌هايي را براي شانزده نفر از حاكمانِ انسان‌ها و دورف‌ها مي‌سازد به نامِ حلقه‌هاي قدرت؛ اما در خفا به سرزمينِ سياهِ موُردوُر باز مي‌گردد و در كوره‌هاي سامات‌نوُر، در قلبِ كوهِ هلاكت حلقه‌ي يگانه‌اي را مي‌سازد كه بر شانزده حلقه‌ي ديگر ارباب بود و نهايتِ شرارت و قدرتِ سياهِ خود را در آن تعبيه مي‌كند. ديري نمي‌شود كه سائورون با كمكِ اورك‌ها و ديگر موجوداتِ پليد، شهرهاي سرزمينِ ميانه را يكي‌يكي تسخير مي‌كند؛ اما گروهي از الف‌ها و انسان‌ها باقي مي‌مانند كه در پايِ دروازه‌هاي موُردوُر، سكونت‌گاهِ سائورون، با لشكريانِ تاريكي مي‌جنگند. اتفاقاتي در اين جنگ مي‌افتد كه حلقه از دستانِ سائورون جدا مي‌شود و او نابود مي‌شود. اما پايانِ كار اين نيست. حلقه را انسان‌ها نابود نمي‌كنند و گم مي‌شود. سه هزار سال مي‌گذرد، تاريخ، اسطوره مي‌شود، و اسطوره، افسانه. حلقه نيز بعد از اين همه مدت در دستِ هابيت‌ها مي‌افتد. اما دشمن هم خبردار مي‌شود. هابيت‌ها فرار مي‌كنند و شورايي متشكل از موجوداتِ سرزمينِ ميانه تصميم بر اين مي‌گيرند كه حلقه را نابود كنند، چرا كه سايه‌ي سياهِ سائورون، اين بار با كمكِ متحداني جديدتر و قوي‌تر، در حالِ گسترش است. مشكل اين است كه حلقه تنها در همان آتش‌هاي كوهِ هلاكت نابود مي‌شود و نه در هيچ جاي ديگر...less

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Kerstin rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

03/25/08

When we're talking about novels that for some reason happen to be overshadowed by their big-screen movie adaptations (granted, not many exist), then The Lord Of The Rings belongs into that category. I know that the Tolkien-purists might crucify me for saying this, but I'm saying it nonetheless. For me, watching these movies usually equals an exercise of little to medium effort; reading the book, I often found myself on the verge of frustration. And I'm not one with an attention spa...more When we're talking about novels that for some reason happen to be overshadowed by their big-screen movie adaptations (granted, not many exist), then The Lord Of The Rings belongs into that category. I know that the Tolkien-purists might crucify me for saying this, but I'm saying it nonetheless. For me, watching these movies usually equals an exercise of little to medium effort; reading the book, I often found myself on the verge of frustration. And I'm not one with an attention span of a grapefruit. My problem is this - the text is too heavily loaded with superfluous exposition and details. I kept losing track of the new names and places that popped up on every fifth page or so. Alright, I get that we're dealing with a genius who's created a fictional universe intricate enough (and I bow down - the languages sound exquisite) to require its own encyclopedia, but for heaven's sake... crafting a story shouldn't be about how much background and side info can be shoved into it. Just because you have it, doesn't mean you have to flaunt it. Sometimes less is more approach works better. Offers the reader a bit of breathing room.
The writing style is too dry. If we take the Harry Potter series for comparison (I'm aware that it's a crime to do that, but I'm doing it anyway), the fantasy world in there is lush and bubbling. And don't tell me that's because the Harry Potter books are children's books and The Lord Of The Rings isn't. It has Hobbits and Elves in it. And chattering trees.

The characters in The Lord Of The Rings have always confused me somewhat. Nearly all of the primary archetypes are represented, but they don't seem to have that larger-than-life aura that many other characters have in other epic sagas. It is almost as if the weight of the Middle Earth suffocates them. They leave a lasting impression, yet don't seem to be very relatable. Boromir, the humanized knight, dies before I can really start to care about what he was going through. Aragorn's heroics remain too distant, and I can't quite identify with Frodo or Sam either, wonderful as they certainly are.

I realize that my thoughts manifest themselves in more of a rant than an actual review, but if I could sum up how I feel about The Lord Of The Rings (at least the written version) - then this would be it. I struggle to reach a level on which I am able to thoroughly and comfortably enjoy this grand old battle between good and evil.
Maybe it is my fault and I should try harder. Or maybe we're just not meant to love each and every classic. My boyfriend loves it though. He loves the whole trilogy. They are his favourite books. It takes him five years to read them, and he's a bank employee.
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Nuke rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

11/28/07

Read in December, 2001

recommends it for: สนุกมาก

เรื่องราวบทแรก ของมหากาพย์ แห่งสงคราม มัชฌิมโลก เมื่อพลังแห่งความชั่วร้ายได้แข็งกล้า แต่ทว่าชะตาของโลกกลับตกอยู่ใน มือฮ็อบบิทหนุ่มที่ชื่อว่า โฟรโด แบ็กกิ้นส์ เรื่องราว การผจ...more เรื่องราวบทแรก ของมหากาพย์ แห่งสงคราม มัชฌิมโลก เมื่อพลังแห่งความชั่วร้ายได้แข็งกล้า แต่ทว่าชะตาของโลกกลับตกอยู่ใน มือฮ็อบบิทหนุ่มที่ชื่อว่า โฟรโด แบ็กกิ้นส์ เรื่องราว การผจญภัยที่แสนสนุก ตื่นเต้น และเต็มไปด้วย โศกนาฏกรรม ของเหล่าฮ็อบบิท และ ผู้พิทักษ์ ทั้งหลาย เมื่อแหวน ต้องการจะกลับเข้าสู่มือของ จอมมารผู้เป็นเจ้าของ ความเห็นแก่ตัว และการล่มสลายของ อาณาจักรต่างๆที่เคยรุ่งเรือง การแก่งแย่ง และ ความหวังอันริบหรี่ เหมือนแสงดาว ที่อยู่ดวงเดียวกลางท้องฟ้ายามค่ำคืน ก็ได้เริ่มขึ้น ... มาลุ้นกัน

โดยส่วนตัวแล้ว ชอบหนังสือเล่มนี้มาก จำได้ว่าไปซื้อมาจากแผงที่จตุจักร ขอดเอาเงินเก็บที่มีมาซื้อเลยก็ว่าได้ ได้แหวนสีทองมาวงนึงแล้วมันก็ดันหายไปซะแล้ว -*- ทุกครั้งที่เปิดดูหน้าปก ทุกความทรงจำ ที่ได้อ่านและระลึกได้ ก็กลับเข้ามาในหัว หากใครอยากรู้เรื่องราว การผจญภัยอย่างละเอียด ของฮ็อบบิทหนุ่มที่ชื่อว่า โฟรโด แบ็กกินส์ และ แซม แกมจี้ ว่าเขาทั้งสองไปพบเจออะไรบ้าง เล่มนี้ เป็นเล่มแรก ที่ต้องเริ่มอ่าน
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Adrianne rated it:

(review of isbn 0345253434)

09/09/08

Read in September, 2008

recommended to Adrianne by: Jurvis

Jurvis refused to let me view the three LOTR movies (director's cut, extended edition) again -- I think this would be the third or fourth time -- until I read the books. Actually, there was some misunderstanding. I thought I just had to read Fellowship, but it turns out I'm granted a movie for every book I read . . . so. Now, 530 pages later, I can watch the first four hours. Great. Just another thousand pages and I should be all set for our next marathon. IN LIKE ONE GAZILLION YEARS BEC...more Jurvis refused to let me view the three LOTR movies (director's cut, extended edition) again -- I think this would be the third or fourth time -- until I read the books. Actually, there was some misunderstanding. I thought I just had to read Fellowship, but it turns out I'm granted a movie for every book I read . . . so. Now, 530 pages later, I can watch the first four hours. Great. Just another thousand pages and I should be all set for our next marathon. IN LIKE ONE GAZILLION YEARS BECAUSE THESE TAKE FOREVER TO READ GEEEZ.

I'm clearly a tool who loooooves the Lord of the Rings movies and haaaaaates . . . I don't know. Thinking for myself? Imagination? Seeing the movies both aided and thwarted my enjoyment of the man himself. I tire of geography descriptions and generally skim over them: the city to the south of the mountains in the region of near the lake called blah blah blah SLOW AND BORING. But because I'd seen the movies, I was able to essentially skim to my heart's content, knowing the gist of where they were. It was like having a little Cliff's Notes at my side.

I was thwarted, of course, in the traditional saw-the-movies-first way. Beautiful fairy? Oh right! You mean CATE BLANCHETT! I'm going to picture her now, and ignore everything you describe, Mister Tolkien. Also, I will become enraged at no one in particular when you describe something that wasn't in the movie. What! Why wasn't this in here? Who's this lumberjack? Did you know the fellowship spent a few nights in Moria? I feel betrayed! By . . . no one. I don't know! I'm confused!

And hey, I should mention, skimming isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It makes reading feel like the job where you're just staring at the clock, wondering when the hands will magically dictate that your "work time" is now over. Skimming is like reading Facebook updates at work: you feel a sort of cheating thrill, but mostly you feel sad that it has come to this.

The moral of the story, kids, is read the book first. In the past. Make sure to have read the books when you were a kid, so you can watch the movies now, which are awesome and all you really want to do on any given weekend night -- especially with the commentary about how they did all the skulls rolling down the mountain! Saaaweeeeeet!

I should probably mention that I'm a little tipsy right now.

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Doc Opp rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

04/29/07

bookshelves: classics, fantasy

Tolkein's masterpiece is notable primarily for its historical significance. He basically invented the fantasy genre, and because of that all fantasy readers owe him a debt of gratitude. Many things in his books will seem somewhat cliche nowadays, but that's because they have been used so often since he wrote this book - almost all of them were original when this book was written.

That said, Tolkein is not a terribly good writer. He tends to go on in excruciating detail about trivial concep...more

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Robert rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

10/03/07

Read in August, 2001

recommends it for: People who know how to read...

Not my favorite author, but definitely worth reading. His style is paced very slow, with more than his fair share of tangents, but all in all this story is one of the best ever written. What others have said and continue to say about characters, about things revealed by the author of character motivation, Point of view shifts and so on are all based on the ideas of modern writing style. They are new developments and shouldn't be applied to Tolkien. And furthermore, that is not what this sto...more Not my favorite author, but definitely worth reading. His style is paced very slow, with more than his fair share of tangents, but all in all this story is one of the best ever written. What others have said and continue to say about characters, about things revealed by the author of character motivation, Point of view shifts and so on are all based on the ideas of modern writing style. They are new developments and shouldn't be applied to Tolkien. And furthermore, that is not what this story is about. This isn't a character story, or at least that wasn't the point. Characters are obviously included but they were not the point. You beg to differ? Well the cardinal rule of character stories is that they end when the characters have reached their turning point. This story doesn't do that, thats why it continues for whole chapters in the cleaning of the shire even though the main plot has clearly ended. Character stories don't do that. There more like this; Jane finally stands up for herself after getting pushed around by everyone, Joe finally finds it in himself to face his father, etc etc... And when those things happen the story ends. This isn't about that. So to say their wasn't enough characterization or that the characters were card board cutouts and base your whole opinion of the book on that, is to miss the point of this story entirely. And thats your right, thats fine. This type of story isn't for you. This story is easily classified as a Milieu story. ITS ABOUT THE WORLD the characters live in and not really about the characters at all. The characters are merely the excuse to show the reader the world. Thats the point. Tolkien spent decades inventing this world, creating nearly complete languages and backstory that goes on and and on and on. This little tale of the the ring is just the tip of that massive juggernaught iceberg. All meant as a means to an end, To Explore that massive world he created. So if that sounds appealing and interesting, this book might be for you....less

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Sinjinn rated it:

(review of isbn 0788789813)

09/12/08

Read in August, 2008

i TRIED to read this book . i got half way THREE times . this is the worst , most boring book ive read. all they do is go from one place to the next .. and thats it.

update. i re-read the book this is my review

fellowship.

the book starts of great , very homely , nice hobbits etc , and features a wizard, a big party and off they go on an adventure. so far so good. however it son starts to get a bit silly with a totally unecessary trip to some woods where they meet tom babadiollo who is...more i TRIED to read this book . i got half way THREE times . this is the worst , most boring book ive read. all they do is go from one place to the next .. and thats it.

update. i re-read the book this is my review

fellowship.

the book starts of great , very homely , nice hobbits etc , and features a wizard, a big party and off they go on an adventure. so far so good. however it son starts to get a bit silly with a totally unecessary trip to some woods where they meet tom babadiollo who is the stupidest dumbest charachter in tthe book. isurprised tolkien didnt revise or take out this whole chapter because the charachter is so ludicrous when compared to the serousness of the LOTR later on. it adds nothing to the story and takes so much of the pace away.

next comes bree which is all good but then they go to the elves ,which are the blandest type of charachters in the bok. somehow ,whenever the party end up in elvish lands they become kinda hypnotised and want to just gaze upon the elves , which makes for extreme boredom for me .

this entre middle section f the book is kinda terrible , its so boring and its a struggle to get through and then it comes to the fellowshipand the long history of the ring which is even more boring but you have to read it ncase theres something important you might miss.

this is where the book disappears upitsown ass a bit. gimli son of gloin ? aragorn son of arathorn ?legalus ,son of pegasus? who cares? get on with the story.

thaknfully when the fellowship actually leaves the borng elf lands the book becomes aproper adventure. the latter part of the book is actually very good and makes you want to continue on the adventure hoping that the writer has hit his stride .

all in all , its not a great book , its not even a good book. there is a good book in it, it just needs some real editing to make it more like an adventure and less of chore.

it saves itself at the end a bit , but thats a lot of rubbish to read to get to the final third , which is very very good....less

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3 comments

Bryce rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

10/12/07

Read in June, 1995

recommends it for: everyone. This is an essential 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 beginning of the quest, which starts innocently but dives into a much larger, darker world than its protagonist, Frodo Baggins, could have ever imagined, is absolutely spellbinding. A small portion of the near-infinite background is revealed and armed...more

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Jesse rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

05/29/08

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: LARPERS

Light up Old Toby and pour me a flagon of ye best ale. This is a classic comfort book, which for me, is like eating a nice cold fudgecicle during the summers of my youth in New Jersey. Like the fudgecicle, it brings back a sensorium of memories. Playing Dungeons and Dragons until 2:00 AM, Saturday Morning cartoons, launching rockets, and farting on my brother while he slept. This is what LOTR means to me. Pleasant thoughts of a carefree time.

Sure my other friend was interested in girls. ...more

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Mkc2162 rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

09/27/08

After read “The Lord of the Rings: the fellowship of the ring” , I though that even though I watched this movie several times, I believe that book has more specific expressions especially, hobbits’ party expressions, and when they get in to bridge of KHAZAD-DUM, they felt something specially feeling, but in the movie, they could not express this feeling specifically. Anyway, this book is the first book of “the lord of the ring”’ series and this book is beginning of this story. First ...more

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Briynne rated it:

(review of isbn 0618002227)

07/19/07

Read in May, 2004

This is my general Lord of the Rings trilogy review:

What can you even say about Tolkein? The man was a linguistic genious, literally. He created entire languages, and what's more, he created vibrant and fully-realized cultures to go with them. I love that he borrowed so heavily from Norse myth to create a sort of mythic Northern European pre-history, colored with Germanic/Anglo-Saxon imagry.

The hobbits themselves are my least favorite aspect of the books, which I know is close to he...more

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Yahya rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

06/06/08

دنیای توصیف شده در شایر، محشر بود؛ سرزمین بی حادثه و خسته کننده ای که کافی است یک قدم از آن فاصله بگیری تا دلت برایش تنگ شود. شخصیت تام بامبادیل را خیلی دوست داشتم و همینطور گدلبری را. شاهکار دیگر تالکین در این کتاب، شخصیت فرودو بود. بعد از خواندن هابیت، فکر نمی کردم شخصیت داستا�...more

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Hillary rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

05/13/08

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

"He wandered in loneliness, weeping a little for the hardness of the world, and he journeyed up the River, till he came to a stream that flowed down from the mountains, and he went that way. He caught fish in deep pools with invisible fingers and ate them raw. One day it was very hot, and as he was bending over a pool, he felt a burning on the back of his head...more

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