Goodreads | The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

rating	frequency	%
5		49%
4		31%
3		14%
2		3%
1		1%

topics	replies	views	last activity
Gandalf and Frodo	17	65	1 hour, 18 min ago
Fantasy Lovers: What is your favorite book or series ever?	65	110	9 days ago, 12:21PM
Similar-ish books?	12	29	10/22/2008 02:24PM
¿Que leen los arg...: Tus Libros Favoritos...	2	14	09/17/2008 09:47AM

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

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

2 comments

Linda rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

10/27/07

bookshelves: peer-pressure-reading

Read in January, 1972

I'll admit this: the only reason why I read the LOTR Trilogy was because I was jealous.

The year: 1972. It was a time of ridiculously insane fashion: hot pants, maxi-coats (and pads) and rough-woven cotton shirts, so scratchy they felt like the sartorial equivalent of surgical gauze with chunks of wood stuck between the weave. It was not for the faint-hearted.

And of course, who was the most faint-hearted? Me. I was entering a new high school in a new town in a country I hadn't live ...more

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

5 comments

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

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

2 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

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

add a comment

Ron rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

10/02/08

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in January, 1966

Have read this series at least once a decade since college (which was a few decades ago for me) and it continues to be fresh and refreshing.

Great story and great storytelling.

The gold standard for fantasy.

Elsewhere goodreads invites us to identify movies which fell short of the book. Cute poll, but the wrong premise. By their nature, no movie can compare with the book. Take Fellowship as an example. Peter Jackson spent great energy, money and creativity capturing the sp...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

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

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

add a comment

Randy rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

08/23/08

Read in December, 2007

Hate this cover art, hate the movies (PJ turned them into horror rather than moralistic epic fantasy), but this is my favorite series.
I am currently telling everyone I have read them 11 times, but I am quite certain it is more, I just don't know how many more. Whenever I just feel really worn out and almost sick . . . I recoup my energies by being inspired again by Tolkien . . . usually every 2 or 3 years.
These books have been a powerful influence in my life -- it so much easier to read...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

Elfie rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

04/17/08

I treat the Lord of the Rings trilogy as one and I could not make a better comment than my friend Teryl did. There is only one thing I disagree with - I loved the films!
However, I don't think it does any harm to tell a little story showing yet another way of how Tolkien can enter peoples' hearts: We were at the time living in Spain and our son attended an international school with an English curriculum. He was anything but a keen reader, in fact, he had had reading problems from the time when ...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

d-pain is currently reading it (review of isbn 0618346252)

03/16/08

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in March, 2008

If you haven`t at all seen the Lord of the Rings at all, well here is a quick summary of what happened in the book. This book is good. Its seems longer than the movie,( I guss from all thIf you haven`t at all seen the Lord of the Rings at all, well here is a quick summary of what happened in the book. This book is good. Its seems longer than the movie,( I guss from all the writting)but I think that its a little diffrent than the movie.
Well in the book Frodo (the ring carry),(he is a hobbi...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

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.
...less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Julie rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

05/02/08

Read in January, 2008

This is one of my favorite books ever, so I used it to cleanse myself after the debacle that was Eat, Pray, Love. And now I can review it.

There are many praiseful things I can say about this book, but I'll try to keep it short. One of the sharpest things about this first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is its ability to create terror and suspense without actually introducing us to the enemy, Sauron (or even Saruman, his wizard henchman, for more than a few pages at least). Th...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Lifeworld rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

10/22/07

Seems people either love or hate this. (I'm talking about LOTR as a whole.)

My humble opinion: don't read this as fantasy. Read this as myth in a book.

LOTR comes with an incredible sense of history in an incredible world, lovingly detailed. It is basically mythology - and even has a creation myth (Silmarillion). If you focus too much on the plot or the characters you lose that. Forget about your usual contemporary sci-fi/fantasy fare. Forget about suspense and mystery and excitement and j...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Randy rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

01/04/08

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: Fans of Fantasy Books

I recommend this book to anyone with time on their hands who loves fantasy books. Frodo, a hobbit living in the a quaint village, stumbles upon a golden ring. This ring, though, contains evil powers and if the creator of the ring, Sauron, regains control of it, he could unleash desruction and chaos. Frodo, realizing the power of the ring, sets off with a group to destroy it. The road ahead is not easy for him, though. Many perils and obstacles lie in his path. Can he overcome them?

I found th...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

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

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

08/27/07

bookshelves: fantasysci-fi

For one thing, my review is really for the set of three books; they are really one long work broken into smaller parts, and the structure is not quite so awful if you look at it that way. This is a must-read for all lovers of Fantasy, although I definitely don't think it's going to be to everyone's taste, despite the semi-recent popularity of the movies. The heroes seem very British to me (the aristocratic, land-owning Frodo "suffering" in nobility--and the most American character is...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

07/15/07

bookshelves: fantasyliterature

Read in December, 1995

recommends it for: Anyone. Literally.

I first read this book after stumbling upon my father's copy. I hadn't enjoyed it (at the time, Tolkien seemed a little too long-winded for my taste); however, when five years later I requested the full set of Harry Potter novels (whatever had been out at the time), my Mother bypassed Rowling and bought my a full set of Tolkien instead... and I have been in love ever since.

I once read a quote about J.R.R. Tolkien, which asked increduously: "How did one man, in the course of a single li...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Susan rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

06/18/07

bookshelves: booksicouldntfinish

while every loves the lord of the rings books, i thought this book was so boring i couldn't believe how everyone could love it! i thought most people didn't like to read yet claim they love this book? i mean, it seems so impossible! this book is so slow i couldn't believe i was still reading it. i have seen the movies and i love the movies but i couldn't make it past the part in the book when they leave the main village next to their hobbit village. i mean, it takes them 20 years to leave the ho...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Bronson rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

03/18/08

I must have read these too late in life to get caught up in the magic of the series. I read them after the first movie came out and I couldn't believe that such an exciting movie was based on this slow boring book. I didn't think Peter Jackson had any restraint when it came to editing out unimportant events from the movie but I found that there was a lot of really boring stuff like Tom Bombadil and the songs - ohh the songs just went on and on. Overall I think Tolken is a genius and created a...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

3 comments

Susannah rated it:

(review of isbn 0618346252)

11/07/08

bookshelves: adventure, book-you-stay-up-late-to-read, childhood-classic, classics, currently-reading, fantasy, favorite-books

Read in December, 2006

recommended to Susannah by: My dad
recommends it for: Anyone

After hungrily devouring The Hobbit, the witty prequel to the Lord of the Rings Series and a book I cannot say enough good about, I decided to ask for the Lord of the Rings box set for Christmas.

Well my dear friends, I must say that the Lord of the Rings is quite different from The Hobbit. The wittiness remained but this book was quite harder than its prequel. So, after struggling through 10 chapters, sensibly concluding that my 8-year old mind wasn't cultivated enough to devour such an inti...more

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

add a comment

Steve rated it:

(review of isbn 0345296052)

11/22/08

feeling a little irked: I give this book 1 star. Does it deserve only one star? No probably not. My reasoning for giving this book one star is that I want to prevent as many people from reading these books as possible. Basically I go a little more crazy with every review that says, "this book is a horrible take off of LOTR." The extent at which this remark is used is horrendous. Maybe we should title every fantasy book Lord of the Rings: (then the actual title of the book). would this ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1)

book data

new topic
discuss this book

friend reviews

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 65951)

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1)

book data

new topic discuss this book

friend reviews

lists with this book

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 65951)

new topic
discuss this book