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Cardboard Box of the Rings #1-3
Cardboard Box Of The Rings Omnibus
The Harvard Lampoon's original masterpiece (hem hem) BORED OF THE RINGS now joined together with A.R.R.R. Roberts' equally 'hem hem' worthy THE SODDIT and THE SELLAMILLION. From Wee to the Minty Mountains, from Goddam to Sollum, from Goodgulf to Gandef, two unique comic visions of a masterpiece of 20th century fantasy come together, all for less than 20. Fans of Tolkien's original works are famously completist in their approach to his works, with a proven sales record for the individual titles this box set is the perfect addition to their libraries. And as an added bonus a small guinea pig can easily nest in the empty box.
- GenresFantasy
560 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2004
1 person is currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Adam Roberts
237 books566 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 12, 2013
I bought this box at the Boekenfestijn in April this year in Kortrijk, Belgium. The Boekenfestijn is a monthly event at which books are sold - duh! - at very low prices. And each month the location changes between Flanders and The Netherlands.
While I haven't read Tolkien's works yet, I did read these parodies, and found that one doesn't have to read Tolkien's books first to appreciate these versions and/or have a very entertaining read.
All three contain lots of humour and witty stuff that just makes it hard not to laugh about them. I can only heavily recommend this box, or better, the books themselves.
For the sake of ease, I'll copy-paste below the reviews I wrote for each little book.
Bored Of The Rings:
While I've seen the LOTR movies a few times and not yet read the books, some may say: the movies are no reference, so much is left out of the books, the books are better, etc... Yes, this may all be true and one day I WILL read them. Only not now. Anyway, after having read the dystopian stories Wool and Shift (both by Hugh Howey) - part 3, Dust, is due later this year (2013) - I was in dire need of something lighter, something funny, something I didn't have to take serious (by manner of speech) at all.
Back in April I bought the Cardboard Box Of The Rings, which also contains The Soddit and The Sellamillion, both of which I still have to read. But Bored Of The Rings was first, hence...
As the authors say, this is a parody, not the actual book(s). This is the LOTR trilogy compressed into roughly 230 pages, in which for obvious reasons a lot was left out. But the original story was also twisted and rewritten with a good lump of humour. Many of it being dry humour (in some places it's dryer and depending on the presentation/use or your mood, it works or it doesn't), but I very much like that.
The lads obviously also changed the names of Bilbo (Dildo), Sam (Spam), Frodo (Frito) and so on. They also nicely mixed contemporary elements with the setting of this well-known Fantasy story, from insurance salesmen over Republicans to certain board games and vegetables and even contracts. Hell, how the fellowship manages to eat diverse breakfasts, have all those different sorts of food and drinks with them... it must be magic. :-)
I would compare this book's humour to Monty Python meets Hot Shots meets Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun, Scary Movie 3, ...). Or in other words: very much recommended, even if you haven't read the original books (yet).
The Soddit:
The Soddit, a parody of The Hobbit. Like Bored Of The Rings, I haven't read the original yet. I might do so in the future. Anyway, Bored Of The Rings was quite a funny book, all things considered. The Soddit, however, didn't offer that instant satisfaction. It took a while to get or appreciate the (often dry) humour.
Still, after some chapters the magic does begin to work. Obviously it's best to read such a book when you're in the mood for it, when you're in need of a laugh, especially, for example, after a stressful day.
The Soddit reads very easily, and while it's a parody, it does create the impression it's a serious book, too. Meaning it's not always easy not to sympathise with Bingo (Bilbo) and the dwarfs. Story-wise it's funny to read how Sollum (Gollum) and the spiders talk in a very philosophical manner. Something one wouldn't expect. Also entertaining is the influence of contemporary elements and terms (product placement, for example).
Oh, and, Gandef (Gandalf) changing into a dragon? Yes, there's a logic reason for that, based on evolution. ;-)
Afterwards there's - obviously funny - publicity for other related (fictional) works: you get a description of the story, and a small excerpt. There's also promo for parodies of e.g. Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Mary Poppins, ... And even for the The Soddit Society or the fanclub.
While I may rate The Soddit a bit lower than Bored Of The Rings, especially when comparing the two, it shouldn't be done, as it's neither a follow-up, nor a sequel. If you liked BOTR, then by all means do read The Soddit as well. You won't regret it. :-)
The Sellamillion:
Like with Bored Of The Rings and The Soddit, I haven't read the original, i.e. The Silmarillion in this case. But this nifty little book, The Sellamillion, came with the other two in a cassette that I bought at the Boekenfestijn in April this year. The Boekenfestijn is a monthly event at which books are sold - duh! - at very low prices. And each month the location changes between Flanders and The Netherlands.
Anyway, as Bored Of The Rings and The Soddit were very entertaining and witty parodies of the original books, I do have to say that The Sellamillion also managed to put a smile on my face, on several occasions.
The dry humour, the witty dialogues, the word plays, ... it's sheer fun! On top of that, you don't have to have read Tolkien's works to appreciate and like these parodies.
Of course, the parodies are much more compact, not only in size, but also in number of pages and the story/ies being told.
In short, recommended material if you're in need of a laugh or just want some fast entertainment.
One point of critique: I'm not that fond of the songs or poems that were added at the end, in the appendices. But the stories are very nice.
While I haven't read Tolkien's works yet, I did read these parodies, and found that one doesn't have to read Tolkien's books first to appreciate these versions and/or have a very entertaining read.
All three contain lots of humour and witty stuff that just makes it hard not to laugh about them. I can only heavily recommend this box, or better, the books themselves.
For the sake of ease, I'll copy-paste below the reviews I wrote for each little book.
Bored Of The Rings:
While I've seen the LOTR movies a few times and not yet read the books, some may say: the movies are no reference, so much is left out of the books, the books are better, etc... Yes, this may all be true and one day I WILL read them. Only not now. Anyway, after having read the dystopian stories Wool and Shift (both by Hugh Howey) - part 3, Dust, is due later this year (2013) - I was in dire need of something lighter, something funny, something I didn't have to take serious (by manner of speech) at all.
Back in April I bought the Cardboard Box Of The Rings, which also contains The Soddit and The Sellamillion, both of which I still have to read. But Bored Of The Rings was first, hence...
As the authors say, this is a parody, not the actual book(s). This is the LOTR trilogy compressed into roughly 230 pages, in which for obvious reasons a lot was left out. But the original story was also twisted and rewritten with a good lump of humour. Many of it being dry humour (in some places it's dryer and depending on the presentation/use or your mood, it works or it doesn't), but I very much like that.
The lads obviously also changed the names of Bilbo (Dildo), Sam (Spam), Frodo (Frito) and so on. They also nicely mixed contemporary elements with the setting of this well-known Fantasy story, from insurance salesmen over Republicans to certain board games and vegetables and even contracts. Hell, how the fellowship manages to eat diverse breakfasts, have all those different sorts of food and drinks with them... it must be magic. :-)
I would compare this book's humour to Monty Python meets Hot Shots meets Leslie Nielsen (The Naked Gun, Scary Movie 3, ...). Or in other words: very much recommended, even if you haven't read the original books (yet).
The Soddit:
The Soddit, a parody of The Hobbit. Like Bored Of The Rings, I haven't read the original yet. I might do so in the future. Anyway, Bored Of The Rings was quite a funny book, all things considered. The Soddit, however, didn't offer that instant satisfaction. It took a while to get or appreciate the (often dry) humour.
Still, after some chapters the magic does begin to work. Obviously it's best to read such a book when you're in the mood for it, when you're in need of a laugh, especially, for example, after a stressful day.
The Soddit reads very easily, and while it's a parody, it does create the impression it's a serious book, too. Meaning it's not always easy not to sympathise with Bingo (Bilbo) and the dwarfs. Story-wise it's funny to read how Sollum (Gollum) and the spiders talk in a very philosophical manner. Something one wouldn't expect. Also entertaining is the influence of contemporary elements and terms (product placement, for example).
Oh, and, Gandef (Gandalf) changing into a dragon? Yes, there's a logic reason for that, based on evolution. ;-)
Afterwards there's - obviously funny - publicity for other related (fictional) works: you get a description of the story, and a small excerpt. There's also promo for parodies of e.g. Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Mary Poppins, ... And even for the The Soddit Society or the fanclub.
While I may rate The Soddit a bit lower than Bored Of The Rings, especially when comparing the two, it shouldn't be done, as it's neither a follow-up, nor a sequel. If you liked BOTR, then by all means do read The Soddit as well. You won't regret it. :-)
The Sellamillion:
Like with Bored Of The Rings and The Soddit, I haven't read the original, i.e. The Silmarillion in this case. But this nifty little book, The Sellamillion, came with the other two in a cassette that I bought at the Boekenfestijn in April this year. The Boekenfestijn is a monthly event at which books are sold - duh! - at very low prices. And each month the location changes between Flanders and The Netherlands.
Anyway, as Bored Of The Rings and The Soddit were very entertaining and witty parodies of the original books, I do have to say that The Sellamillion also managed to put a smile on my face, on several occasions.
The dry humour, the witty dialogues, the word plays, ... it's sheer fun! On top of that, you don't have to have read Tolkien's works to appreciate and like these parodies.
Of course, the parodies are much more compact, not only in size, but also in number of pages and the story/ies being told.
In short, recommended material if you're in need of a laugh or just want some fast entertainment.
One point of critique: I'm not that fond of the songs or poems that were added at the end, in the appendices. But the stories are very nice.
August 5, 2013
OK if you like this sort of thing, but a bit too ridiculous for me, although it did have some comical moments and I guess it's good knowing what it was refering to.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews