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The Fellowship of the Ring
(The Lord of the Rings #1)
by
Alternate Cover Edition ISBN 0618260269 (copyright page ISBN is 0618346252 - different from back cover)
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could ...more
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could ...more
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Paperback, Media Tie-In Edition, 398 pages
Published
September 5th 2003
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published July 29th 1954)
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Start your review of The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)

Never have I been so sad to give a low rating to such a revered book. I'm so sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am.
Again, I'm so sorry, but I found this book unbelievably dull. I really am so, so sorry. I'm desperately sad about this. This series has been such a foundation for modern-day fantasy that I'm incredibly disappointed in myself for not liking this. I have always wanted to be a Tolkien fangirl. I've always wanted to learn Elvish and get completely offended à la Stephen Colbert but I ca ...more
Again, I'm so sorry, but I found this book unbelievably dull. I really am so, so sorry. I'm desperately sad about this. This series has been such a foundation for modern-day fantasy that I'm incredibly disappointed in myself for not liking this. I have always wanted to be a Tolkien fangirl. I've always wanted to learn Elvish and get completely offended à la Stephen Colbert but I ca ...more

As a single lady myself, I also love to put a ring on it. And shoutout to my homegurl Sauron!!! you go girl take over middle earth! Reach for the stars! With that balrog on your side you can do anything!
That main dude Frodo tho... reminds me of dat boi Harry... besides what does he need the ring for??
Anyways I gotta give it a low rating cuz theres 2 much frodo, not enough orcs
That main dude Frodo tho... reminds me of dat boi Harry... besides what does he need the ring for??
Anyways I gotta give it a low rating cuz theres 2 much frodo, not enough orcs

I refuse to write a review for one of the best books ever written. Asking a serious fantasy fan to write a review for Lord of the Rings is like asking a Christian to write a review for The Bible.
So instead I will supply you with this graph:
...more
So instead I will supply you with this graph:


Authors who inspire a movement are usually misunderstood, especially by those they have inspired, and Tolkien is no exception, but one of the biggest misconceptions about Tolkien is the idea that he is somehow an 'innovator of fantasy'. He did add a number of techniques to the repertoire of epic fantasy writers, and these have been dutifully followed by his many imitators, but for the most part, these techniques are little more than bad habits.
Many have called Tolkien by such epithets as 'The Fa ...more
Many have called Tolkien by such epithets as 'The Fa ...more

Jan 17, 2014
Sean Barrs
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
tolkien,
5-star-reads
I’m not going to write a normal review; it’s almost impossible for a fantasy fan to do so in this case. Instead I’m going to give you a series of ten points to explain exactly why I love this particular book. Take from it what you will. There will be spoilers. Here goes:
1. The wizards!
"“Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.”
Now I do love wizards. Who doesn’t? The wisdom of Gandalf is unmatched. He is, in effect, the leader of the forces of light. He ...more
1. The wizards!
"“Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.”
Now I do love wizards. Who doesn’t? The wisdom of Gandalf is unmatched. He is, in effect, the leader of the forces of light. He ...more

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
As someone who’ve read more than three hundred fantasy novels, it may come as a surprise to many people that this is, in fact, the first time I managed to finish reading The Fellowship of th ...more

Nov 05, 2021
Mario the lone bookwolf (is on a longer vacation)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
tolkien-j-r-r
Founding a genre like a boss
Stealing everything possible from mythology and the, maybe sometimes a tiny bit boring, old, classics.
The beloved tradition of using others' ideas to create something new is big here, especially because Tolkien had the perfect background to milk everything from wherever he could find inspirations, from ancient to medieval and, at the time, modern works. It would especially be interesting to read or reread LotR with a focus on how he let the classics mutate to new for ...more
Stealing everything possible from mythology and the, maybe sometimes a tiny bit boring, old, classics.
The beloved tradition of using others' ideas to create something new is big here, especially because Tolkien had the perfect background to milk everything from wherever he could find inspirations, from ancient to medieval and, at the time, modern works. It would especially be interesting to read or reread LotR with a focus on how he let the classics mutate to new for ...more

Jun 19, 2010
Ahmad Sharabiani
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
childrens-young-readers,
british,
novels,
classics,
1001-books,
20th-century,
epic,
fiction
(Book 494 from 1001 books) - The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of The Rings, #1), J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien.
It is followed by The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first volume of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's three-volume novel The Lord of the Rings, an epic novel set in the fictional world of Middle-earth.
The t ...more
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien.
It is followed by The Two Towers and The Return of the King.
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first volume of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's three-volume novel The Lord of the Rings, an epic novel set in the fictional world of Middle-earth.
The t ...more

A review of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, by Sauron
Hello. You may remember me as the title character of the Lord of Rings. I go by a lot of names: Dark Lord of Mordor, Sorcerer, Red Eye, Dark Power, Lord of Barad-dûr, Ring-maker and Base Master of Treachery (I use that one in my band). I actually object to Tolkien's chosen name of Sauron, which I understand originates from an adjective that means "foul, putrid" in his crappy invented language. What can I say, the showers in Mordor a ...more
Hello. You may remember me as the title character of the Lord of Rings. I go by a lot of names: Dark Lord of Mordor, Sorcerer, Red Eye, Dark Power, Lord of Barad-dûr, Ring-maker and Base Master of Treachery (I use that one in my band). I actually object to Tolkien's chosen name of Sauron, which I understand originates from an adjective that means "foul, putrid" in his crappy invented language. What can I say, the showers in Mordor a ...more

The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings,#1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
This book is full of wonder and adventure with fantastic writing. And filled with a lot of emotions, exciting characters, and creatures. But also provided a lot of information at the beginning. For this, the story was a bit confusing for me at first. But later, Tolkien amazingly set up all the information and made the story so entertaining.
This book is full of wonder and adventure with fantastic writing. And filled with a lot of emotions, exciting characters, and creatures. But also provided a lot of information at the beginning. For this, the story was a bit confusing for me at first. But later, Tolkien amazingly set up all the information and made the story so entertaining.
Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on o...more

I wasn't really "cool" back in high school. I never made out with girls under the bleachers, or smoked under the bleachers, or did any of the other things under the bleachers that - I am lead to believe - the popular kids did. Instead, I maintained a low profile and waited for the teenage years - that wilderness of strangled thinking - to end.
In high school, as today, I harbored geekish obsessions, had a wandering imagination, and nurtured an appreciation for minutiate. In other words, I should ...more
In high school, as today, I harbored geekish obsessions, had a wandering imagination, and nurtured an appreciation for minutiate. In other words, I should ...more

YOU CANNOT PASS!
Very cool line, sir.

And that's pretty much it.
If you're hankering for action, you'll need to go on a different quest. This is not The Fast and Furious Fellowship of the Ring. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite of that in every way. I ended up speeding up the narration to 2x fairly early on thinking that I'd slow it back down once it got past some of the duller parts.
Turns out, I liked that speed.

This is one of those books that you can completely space for 5 or 6 minutes an ...more
Very cool line, sir.

And that's pretty much it.
If you're hankering for action, you'll need to go on a different quest. This is not The Fast and Furious Fellowship of the Ring. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite of that in every way. I ended up speeding up the narration to 2x fairly early on thinking that I'd slow it back down once it got past some of the duller parts.
Turns out, I liked that speed.

This is one of those books that you can completely space for 5 or 6 minutes an ...more

Jun 03, 2019
JV (semi-hiatus)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5-star-reads,
middle-earth,
classics,
fantasy,
home-for-my-heart,
2019,
audiobooks,
favourites,
completed-series
"All that is gold does not glitter,Life is, indeed, a box of chocolates. No matter how much we prepare for it, we will never be ready. Truth be told, no one ever is — such is the mystery that life has to offer, as we don't get to choo ...more
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.
From the valleys of the Shire to the summit of Amon Hen, The Fellowship of the Ring is an extraordinary adventure of endearing characters defying impossible odds. ...more

From the valleys of the Shire to the summit of Amon Hen, The Fellowship of the Ring is an extraordinary adventure of endearing characters defying impossible odds. ...more

reread rereview! https://youtu.be/Tc5xG8Fp5mY
...more

Raise your hand if you remember the awesome book fairs or Scholastic book order forms from back when you were a kid? Well, in middle school I picked up this sweet read in a box set with the rest of the trilogy and The Hobbit. Unfortunately, while I have always been enthusiastic about reading, I did not find the motivation to complete it for almost 15 years.
In the early 90s I read the Hobbit. Then I followed it up by starting this one but lost interest shortly after Tom Bombadil. Tolkien is great ...more
In the early 90s I read the Hobbit. Then I followed it up by starting this one but lost interest shortly after Tom Bombadil. Tolkien is great ...more

The Journey begins!!!
THE EVOLUTION OF A RING’S STORY
Courage is found in unlikely places.
What started up as an adventure oriented for children turned into an epic fantasy...
...THE epic fantasy book, anything else in the genre after this, born here, any other author writing in this field, began here, and even impacted in many other genres and formats.
Certainly, in The Hobbit, there are dangers, there is death, so thinking about it as a children’s tale is a much debated issue, but it’s ...more
THE EVOLUTION OF A RING’S STORY
Courage is found in unlikely places.
What started up as an adventure oriented for children turned into an epic fantasy...
...THE epic fantasy book, anything else in the genre after this, born here, any other author writing in this field, began here, and even impacted in many other genres and formats.
Certainly, in The Hobbit, there are dangers, there is death, so thinking about it as a children’s tale is a much debated issue, but it’s ...more

Nov 11, 2020
Tharindu Dissanayake
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites-fiction
"Sing hey! for the bath at close of day
that washes the weary mud away!
A loon is he that will not sing:
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!"
"You shouldn't listen to all you hear,"
When I first watched LOTR TFOTR, a movie that is around 3 hours long, I thought the movie to be insanely long. But now that I've finally gotten around to reading the book, I'm shocked that the movie did manage to fit at least half of the contents of the book in to that three hour run, for this is one long and eventful story wi ...more
that washes the weary mud away!
A loon is he that will not sing:
O! Water Hot is a noble thing!"
"You shouldn't listen to all you hear,"
When I first watched LOTR TFOTR, a movie that is around 3 hours long, I thought the movie to be insanely long. But now that I've finally gotten around to reading the book, I'm shocked that the movie did manage to fit at least half of the contents of the book in to that three hour run, for this is one long and eventful story wi ...more

One of the great works of 20th century literature. I first tried this in high school, but was not able to get through on the first try. The second try, in my early 20s was the charm. Frodo goes on a quest that take in issues of morality, friendship, one's responsibility towards others, facing one's fears, courage, danger. While depicting a global battle between good and evil, Tolkien puts a human (or hobbit-ish) face on that conflict. His themes are universal and his characters are very accessib
...more

21/25(84%) 4 stars.
This is bullshit. The language is ancient, the characters are boring, there are stupid poems and songs in the middle of the text! And there are no queer or diverse characters! It's escapism and has nothing to say about the issues of our modern world! And it's just so boring!

Well y'all, if that's your take on this, sorry to say so, but then you're probably a bad person. Really. The experie ...more
This is bullshit. The language is ancient, the characters are boring, there are stupid poems and songs in the middle of the text! And there are no queer or diverse characters! It's escapism and has nothing to say about the issues of our modern world! And it's just so boring!

“May your beer be laid under an enchantment of surpassing excellence for seven years!”
Well y'all, if that's your take on this, sorry to say so, but then you're probably a bad person. Really. The experie ...more

What can I say besides that rereading Tolkien's masterwork after so many years is just as full of wonder and inspiration as it was 40 years ago when I was a young man learning the ways of this old world. The Fellowship of an elf, a dwarf, two men, and four hobbits is such a incredibly beautiful tale of adventure and friendship and I savored every page while looking over my shoulder for wargs and balrogs and hiding my head from The Eye of Sauron. So many images, so many memories.
The Fellowship o ...more
The Fellowship o ...more

Give me a few friends,
a stretch of pleasant hills and an ominous wood.
Let us romp in the remnants of innocence,
free of the fear coursing through the veins of the greater world.
Give me the first half dozen chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring and I will gladly make a little heaven on earth out of it.
After finishing The Hobbit as a young boy, I needed something else, something a little more mature to meet my growing needs. Lucky for me, Tolkien had done just that in the form of his epic trilogy ...more
a stretch of pleasant hills and an ominous wood.
Let us romp in the remnants of innocence,
free of the fear coursing through the veins of the greater world.
Give me the first half dozen chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring and I will gladly make a little heaven on earth out of it.
After finishing The Hobbit as a young boy, I needed something else, something a little more mature to meet my growing needs. Lucky for me, Tolkien had done just that in the form of his epic trilogy ...more

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
Every year a man comes to my house
and he knocks at my door. . .

He wears a pointed hat and he has a staff
and he tells me that it is that time of the year again.

I open the door and he looks ar ...more

4+ out of 5 stars to The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien's first novel in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, later made into a billion dollar movie franchise. I count myself lucky to have been able to read this book before it became a movie, though I loved the movie, too.

Why This Book
I was 13 years old when I stumbled upon this book while a friend was reading it. He was a major video gamer, fantasy sports leaguer and avid reader of science fiction. Though we were good friends, I ...more

Why This Book
I was 13 years old when I stumbled upon this book while a friend was reading it. He was a major video gamer, fantasy sports leaguer and avid reader of science fiction. Though we were good friends, I ...more

Tonight on Anderson Cooper 360, we find ourselves in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and at The Green Dragon Public House and Brewery, a Tolkien inspired pub. Our special guest tonight is none other than THE Hobbit, Mr. Bilbo Baggins, formerly of the Shire. We’ll have a moment to get to know the individual that has meant so much to generations of literary fans and then to a new generation of movie going fans in this last decade. Bilbo, how are you tonight?
Bilbo Baggins: I’m well; thank you, Anderson, an ...more
Bilbo Baggins: I’m well; thank you, Anderson, an ...more

My education as a young German continues. I have been able to read children's books easily for some time, but books for grown-ups are still challenging. I thought that reading The Lord of the Rings in translation might be helpful, since for me it's intermediate between children's literature and adult literature. The vocabulary and grammar are more like adult literature; but the writing is concrete and straightforward as children's literature tends to be, with little of the abstractions, generali
...more

I cannot rightly recall how many times I've read the trilogy. I think it's between 5 or 6 but that doesn't include a dramatized version. I don't think. And then there are the gazillion times I've watched the movies, the cartoons, or the beautiful old green poster I used to gaze upon in my room.
Not to mention the balrogs I used to paint alongside my dragons. Or the feverish studying of elvish and writing messages to my friends in runic. Taking a class on LotR and even publishing an academic paper ...more
Not to mention the balrogs I used to paint alongside my dragons. Or the feverish studying of elvish and writing messages to my friends in runic. Taking a class on LotR and even publishing an academic paper ...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. Par ...more
That said, Tolkein is not a terribly good writer. He tends to go on in excruciating detail about trivial concepts. Par ...more

"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
Synopsis of The Lord of the Rings
The Dark Lord, Sauron, seeks the one ring, the one he created, and the one that he lost. His shadow clouds the Middle Earth. Land, sky, and sea are filled with his spies bringing cold terror to those who oppose him. The Ringwraiths are back seeking the ruling ring with a vengeance. And here the poor hobbit, Frodo, from the Shire is thrust with the burden of ...more
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."
Synopsis of The Lord of the Rings
The Dark Lord, Sauron, seeks the one ring, the one he created, and the one that he lost. His shadow clouds the Middle Earth. Land, sky, and sea are filled with his spies bringing cold terror to those who oppose him. The Ringwraiths are back seeking the ruling ring with a vengeance. And here the poor hobbit, Frodo, from the Shire is thrust with the burden of ...more

This was my fourth or fifth read through, and to be frank, it was most definitely the best read through.
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John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, p
...more
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“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
—
55455 likes
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
—
20926 likes
More quotes…
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