The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
by J.R.R. Tolkien
|
|
| published
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October 17th 2005
by HarperCollins
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| first published
| 1954 |
| binding
| Hardcover |
| isbn
|
0007203543
(isbn13: 9780007203543)
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| ebook |
|
| pages
| 432 |
| date added
|
05-08-07
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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
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
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 in since I was eight. And since I didn't fit in (or so I thought) I was desperate for a new identity. Since my sister had squatter's rights on the cute/adorable/PYT persona, I was left with the one that I later discovered would make high school life a living hell: The Smart One.
The only problem was, I wasn't that smart. Sure, I could work in references to Betty Friedan with only the vaguest notion about who she was, but when you're surrounded with a peer group who thinks the face of feminism is Marlo Thomas, it was easy, except for the one person who was the true intellectual: Colleen.
Colleen represented everything I wasn't: a polite, wise-beyond-her-years semi-adolescent with perfect skin and hair, who sported a near genius-level intellect. Think of an Asian Susan Dey with actual musical talent and the potential to enter Berkeley at fifteen. And it didn't help to have a mother whose daily mantra was "why can't you be like Colleen?"
So I was in love/hate over Colleen. If Colleen wore culottes, I wore culottes, only mine were eight sizes larger. If Colleen cut her bangs, so did I. The problem was, she had straight Japanese hair that tumbled dutifully back into place whenever she tossed her sylph-like neck. Me? Picture the hair of a young, chubby and half-Japanese Phyllis Diller but without the wigline.
But the one thing that stood out most about Colleen was her and her equally intellectually superior friends' obsession with LOTR. She told me stories of their endless discussions of Middle Earth, Gandolf and the rest of the lot. Images of Colleen and her friends, looking semi-elvish, slipping from class to class, dodging dull students, dogged me in English class. They were ninth-grade gods.
It wasn't until Colleen told me they left an inside joke about their instructor on the blackboard in *Elvish* in one of their gifted classes that I decided to take action: I got on my bike, went to the local K-Mart and bought the Trilogy.
I started out strong: the hobbits I was comfortable with. Then came the Elves. Then the dwarfs, the Orcs, the whatevers. After the parade of names like Bombadil, Elendil, Everclear, I had the horrible realization that I was hopelessly lost. And it wasn't going to be easy to find my way back.
But I was undeterred. I sloughed my way through Fellowship, then Two Towers</> and <I>Return. I played little tricks to keep me interested: pretending I was one of the plucky hobbits, fantasizing myself as an Elven goddess--anything to keep me reading. It must have worked because I finished the damned set.
But my plan didn't work. I was still me: I couldn't muster witticisms about Boromir to clueless classmates. I was still plump and my hair was as unruly as ever. Worse, my mother not only kept comparing me to Colleen, she started pulling out photos to illustrate her point. I shoved the books on the top shelf and tried not to think about being a Smart Kid ever again.
But it was too late. I knew enough to be dangerous. I realized that even if I didn't like the books, I was familiar enough to make knowing comments about them to the right (i.e., AP-bound) clique. So I was accepted. Kinda.
I still have the books. They're still sitting on my bookshelf, surviving countless moves and weedings. Still can't remember who Arwen is, though.
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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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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
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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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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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
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 concepts. Parts of the book, such as Ent poetry, are downright painful to read. And his leaf by leaf descriptions of forests can get fairly trivial. Since he wrote this series, several other fantasy writers have basically stolen the story and rewritten it with higher quality prose. Terry Brooks Shannara series, for example, is more or less identical in plot and characters, but Brooks is a notably better writer. So depending on whether you prefer the authentic text, or the better written text, you should choose accordingly.
The notion of heroism in Tolkein is particularly worth noting. It is, so far as I can tell, the first set of novels that defines heroism entirely by internal features. The protagonist has no ability to fight, or to use magic, or basically do anything except to doing his best to do the right thing. This conception of heroism, which is what is what most people think of nowadays, is quite different than it was historically conceived (where heroism was synonymous with strength or ability, sometimes in conjunction with morality, but sometimes not). So, in this way, like so many others, Tolkein has had tremendous effect on popular culture....less
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
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
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. But not me. I wanted to live in the dream land of magic offered by J.R.R. Tolkien. Where the clash of steel upon steel sparked a light the dark mines of Moria. Where elves ran freely through the woods on their journey to the Grey Havens. Ahhhhh yes. Can you smell it? Not the B.O. but of Pipe Weed being smoked at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. Just over at that table I can see four hobbits hunched over their mugs of beer whispering of what they should do next. In the corner is a mysterious man named Stider. Right now he does not know his full potential but soon he will when he draws his sword Narsil in opposition to Mordor.
In truth this book may be a long read for those who hate elves, adventure, and magic. Like reading Shakespeare it has a residual "Ye Old English" style of writing that the modern reader may fine heavy handed. But put that aside and just let yourself escape for the moment into another world. In this world it’s OK to hold the sleeping head of your best friend in your lap while whispering how much you love him. It's OK to sing a song of flowers and honey just before crushing the head of an Urukai with your sword. The cool thing is, it’s not gay!! The characters of this world are comfortable with themselves and so should you.
Give the book a read. Like me, you too may jump back in time and remember a fond memory. Only a few books in life can do that. For me, this is one of them.
Cheers.
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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
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 with a shallow knowledge of the lore of the One Ring, Frodo embarks on a mission deeper and more dangerous and impactful than he could ever possibly have fathomed.
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
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
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 heresy. I understand that they're a symbol of childlike purity and innocence and the pastoral ideal and all of that, but they're a bit too good to be fun. Trolls also bore me incredibly (although that might be backlash from the movies and Gimli's role as a profoundly unfunny source of "comic" relief and zippy one-liners). The elves are snotty and stiff, but at least they are intriguing; I like the fading, sad feel that they have.
The Men are, as they were likely intended by the author, the most interesting in their flawed natures and ability to step up to the plate when needed. I like Aragorn a lot. He could have been very irritating, but is saved by his hesitancy to rule, despite his birthright, and fear of his own weakness. I like him the best becuase he combines the best features Tolkein gives to Men and elves, with very few of their downfalls (namely pride). I love the Ring and all it's not-very-subtle methaphors for the seduction of power and evil.
His writing feels more like mythology than a sci-fi novel. It reads like something that was handed down from generation to generation, and that gives it such a unique quality that other authors have tried and largely failed to emulate. ...less
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
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 داستانی دیگری را به اندازه بیلبو بگینز دوست داشته باشم. اما فرودو هم واقعا دوست داشتنی از آب در آمده بود. مخصوصا در آن قسمتهایی که در لورین اتفاق می افتاد، یک تالکین از جملاتی استفاده کرده بود که هرگز فراموش نمی کنم (می گذارم خودتان کشفش کنید)... اما برای باز دلم نمی آید که این یادداشت را بدون نقل قول تمام کنم؛ " در نظرشان چنین می نمود که لورین مثل یک کشتی درخشان با دکلهایی از درختان شاداب می لغزید و می رفت و به سوی سواحل فراموش شده بادبان می کشید و آنان درمانده و ناتوان، بر ساحل جهان خاکستری و بی برگ مانده بودند." (این جمله مربوط به وقتی است که آنها سوار بر قایق داشتند از لورین دور می شدند)ا...less
"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
"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, and a dazzling light from the water pained his eyes. He wondered at it, for he had almost forgotten about the Sun. Then for the last time he looked up and shook his fist at her.
But as he lowered his eyes, he saw far ahead the tops of the Misty Mountains, out of which the stream came. And he though suddenly: "It would be cool and shady under those mountains. The Sun could not watch me there. The roots of those mountains must be roots indeed; there must be great secrets buried there which have not been discovered since the beginning."
So he journeyed by night into the highlands, and he found a little cave out of which the dark stream ran; and he wormed his way like a maggot into the heart of the hills, and vanished out of all knowledge. ...
... All the "great secrets" under the mountain had turned out to be just empty night: there was nothing more to find out, nothing worth doing, only nasty furtive eating and resentful remembering. He was altogether wretched. He hated the dark, and he hated the light more: he hated everything."...less
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
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 hobbit)was celebrating his 33rd birthday with his cousin Bilbo untill Bilbo told everyone that he would be leaving and going into to leave the ring to Frodo, but when he gets to the little house he starts acting funny towards the ring and seem like he did not want to leave it. Then Gandolf( a wizzard) camed and got Bilbo`s mind off it. So then they had there last remarks and said good bye. Now Frodo new that he had to carry the ring now. So time past and then trouble started to come to the Shire(were Frodo lives) so he and Sam Gamdee his gardener, and friend set off on there journey to Riverdell. While they were moving the faced mens in black cloaths and riding on black horses(like some kind of demon) and they were trying to kill Frodo and Sam for the ring. The scary men was trying to take the ring and give it to the Lord Sauron, so he can take back his thrown and enslave all mankind. ...less
bookshelves:
sciencefictionfantasy
Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
everyone
Trilogi ini bercerita mengenai persahabatan 9 tokoh dari berbagai ras (wizard, peri, manusia, hobbit, kurcaci) untuk menghancurkan sebuah cincin penguasa seluruh ras, yaitu One Ring.
The Fellowship of The Ring, terdiri atas:
* Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin (hobbit)
* Gandalf (wizard)
* Aragorn (manusia)
* Legolas (peri)
* Gimli (kurcaci)
* Boromir (manusia)
Persaudaraan cincin yang terbentuk untuk melindungi Frodo dalam misinya menghancurkan One Ring, menjadi terhambat ketika mereka menj...more
Trilogi ini bercerita mengenai persahabatan 9 tokoh dari berbagai ras (wizard, peri, manusia, hobbit, kurcaci) untuk menghancurkan sebuah cincin penguasa seluruh ras, yaitu One Ring.
The Fellowship of The Ring, terdiri atas:
* Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin (hobbit)
* Gandalf (wizard)
* Aragorn (manusia)
* Legolas (peri)
* Gimli (kurcaci)
* Boromir (manusia)
Persaudaraan cincin yang terbentuk untuk melindungi Frodo dalam misinya menghancurkan One Ring, menjadi terhambat ketika mereka menjadi terpecah (tepat sekali perumpaan kita, "Bersatu kita teguh bercerai kita runtuh"). Gandalf mati di Gunung Moria melawan roh jahat. Frodo dan kawanan hobbit ingin segera menghancurkan One Ring sedangkan Boromir ingin agar mereka membantu Gondor menghadapi pasukan Sauron. Aragorn, Legolas, dan Gimli kemudian memutuskan untuk menghancurkan One Ring terlebih dahulu.
Apa daya, Boromir termakan oleh bujuk rayu One Ring, dan ia pun berhasrat untuk memilikinya sendiri. Frodo yang ketakutan pada Boromir segera berlari melarikan diri dan tidak percaya pada persaudaraan cincin. Sam yang tidak mau ketinggalan petualangan Frodo, mengejarnya mati-matian.
Boromir yang kemudian sadar bahwa ia telah termakan bujuk rayu One Ring menyesal, dan berusaha menyelamatkan Pippin dan Merry di tengah serbuan Orc. Boromir mati di tangan para Orc, dan Pippin serta Merry diculik.
Sisa rombongan bingung... Ke manakah mereka harus pergi? Mengikuti Frodo dan Sam atau Pippin dan Merry?...less
Read in March, 2001
recommended to Meri by:
My Dad
recommends it for:
Everyone
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first in a Trilogy recounting the tale of Frodo the Hobbit whose quest it is to rid Middle Earth of the Ring of Power. It is fantastic on multiple levels and creates a beautiful world full of realistic dangers even as they are magical and incredible. Solidly based in 'real world' structure, it is a delicious tale that hooks the reader and despite the addition of multiple characters, layers, and an intricate dance of action and adventure it is so absorbing I c...more
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first in a Trilogy recounting the tale of Frodo the Hobbit whose quest it is to rid Middle Earth of the Ring of Power. It is fantastic on multiple levels and creates a beautiful world full of realistic dangers even as they are magical and incredible. Solidly based in 'real world' structure, it is a delicious tale that hooks the reader and despite the addition of multiple characters, layers, and an intricate dance of action and adventure it is so absorbing I could barely put it down.
The first installment introduces us to Hobbits, Elves, Wizards, Orcs, Goblins as well as valiant and flawed mankind. It is difficult to separate book 1 from 2 and 3 in regard to how the overall arc teaches us: It doesn't matter if you're small, you can make a difference. And bonds of friendship, loyalty and unity are what matters when working as a team to defeat evil.
This book ends almost just when things seem to be 'getting going' on the quest, thus I recommend moving right along to The Two Towers immediately to find out what happens (unless of course, you have read the book already or seen the movie and think you know).
Literally this book and the two other parts, changed my life. I went from enjoying fiction to being immersed and expecting a higher standard of creativity and writing, and ended up meeting many other Tolkien fans online which has led to many friendships I would not have had otherwise!
...less
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
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). The evil that the fellowship fights is instead manifested through the feelings and experiences of our nine companions, and is perhaps more frightening than any graphic movie or novel.
Tolkien takes this story beyond a simple good vs. evil tale most explicitly in this first book - we see evil that is older and markedly different than that of Sauron (barrow wights, for instance) and meet characters that don't fall sway to the power of the Ring (Tom Bombadil). We're given the perspective that, while this battle for Middle Earth is fundamentally important, that no matter what, the world will go on.
And while we are introduced to a world so totally different from our own, we feel the parallels and lessons offered by Tolkien acutely. His ability to balance familiarity and epic so effortlessly will always blow me away....less
bookshelves:
fantasy
Read in January, 1986
I turned these books down in my teen years -- too slow, too tedious, too much time spent staring at the details of things that would never show up again.
Something happened when I turned 20. For no particular reason, the books showed up in my possession and I read them -- the whole trilogy -- within a week. Every spare moment was spent reading. Tedious detail turned into vivid mental images. I had to live in that world, see those characters, know what happened next. I was so drained when...more
I turned these books down in my teen years -- too slow, too tedious, too much time spent staring at the details of things that would never show up again.
Something happened when I turned 20. For no particular reason, the books showed up in my possession and I read them -- the whole trilogy -- within a week. Every spare moment was spent reading. Tedious detail turned into vivid mental images. I had to live in that world, see those characters, know what happened next. 
