The Lord of the Rings trilogy changed me more than any work of fiction has ever done. It changed the way that I read, and the way that I write, and the way that I think about stories altogether. In the words of C.S. Lewis (from the blurb on the back cover): "Here are beauties which pierce like swords and burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart.....good beyond hope." It did break my heart.
Most of us know the basic story. Frodo Baggins leads a quiet life among his fellow hobbits until discovering that the magic ring he inherited is not just a diverting trifle--it is a ring of power. It is THE Ring of Power, the very one that the crippled Dark Lord, Sauron, is bent on finding at any cost. Thus, Frodo is thrust out of his peaceful (if boring) little world and into an impossible quest to destroy the Ring forever. His journey is continued in The Two Towers and reaches its climax in The Return of the King.
I think the power of this story is really in the wonder that is given to the commonplace. The world that Tolkien creates is deep, textured, real. The art of creating a world for a fantasy novel--one featuring trolls, dragons, elves and dwarves--but making it seem pithy and feasible and true is, in my mind, the greatest achievement a fantasy writer can accomplish. In this story, the bad is really bad, the evil is wholeheartedly evil......and the good is so, so good. It is good that we can relate to; a home by the fire, a good meal, a favorite story. Tolkien draws the reader into a familiar place among the hobbits, and then we, too, are thrust out. If only we were all willing to be so stretched and broken.
Needless to say, the Lord of the Rings are my favorite literary works of fiction of all time. I laughed and cried with the characters, even the first time I read of them back in 7th grade. Tolkien understood the power of story, and I am glad I he blessed us with these.