The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings #3) by J.R.R. Tolkien - Restarting October 6th 2021

[Dannii]

In the third volume of The Lord of the Rings trilogy the good and evil forces join battle, and we see that the triumph of good is not absolute. The Third Age of Middle-earth ends, and the age of the dominion of Men begins.

[As You Wish]

I'm gonna try and catch up--I have the audio books that I haven't given a go yet and if the voices aren't terrible I'll join in. :D Tomorrow's an appropriate day to start seeing how it's Bilbo & Frodo's birthday.

[Dannii]

I've not started this either yet. I've had some bad family news and have barely read anything. I have the audio of this one too and so will hopefully get to it in the next few days.

[Dannii]

JBask wrote: "I'm gonna try and catch up--I have the audio books that I haven't given a go yet and if the voices aren't terrible I'll join in. :D Tomorrow's an appropriate day to start seeing how it's Bilbo & Fr..."

I didn't manage to start this one either, do you want to change the start date for sometime in October? :)

[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting October 6th 2021. Happy Reading ☺

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[Aaron]

25%
(view spoiler)[ These have felt like longer chapters than usual. That might just be because the last chapters in the two towers were all quite short though. I hope Merry and Pippin can reunite soon. I miss them interacting with each other. I reckon Gandalf will save Faramir. Denethor seems like a bad father. It must have been hard for Faramir knowing his dad preferred his brother. And now Denethor has fully lost it. Someone needs to get rid of him. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

End of book 5
(view spoiler)[ That can’t be the end of Pippin. We didn’t get to see much more of him with Merry. I hope Gandalf can do something. I’m presuming this book will do the same as the last and move on to Sam and Frodo now but both stories are going to have to come together at some point. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

I'll be starting tomorrow :)

[Dannii]

Sorry I'm so late. I'm finally starting this one now :)

[Dannii]

First quarter - (view spoiler)[I scribbled my notes down as I was reading and they are a bit of a mess, sorry.

Pippin's interactions with the little ten-year-old was so funny. I loved how the boy deemed his lack of height made him someone whom he could intimidate. Pippin was very relaxed in their interactions and the two were soon friends.

Aragon's men arrived, despite his not summoning them.

I love how respected the hobbits have become. They have such a brave hearts and are being truly appreciated for them. I'm glad that both Merry and Pip are being given such a large focus here and that their worths are noted too. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Aaron wrote: "25%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I agree, Merry and Pip are at their best when they are together. Their banter and consistent bickering just makes me smile. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Aaron wrote: "End of book 5
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I enjoy every chapter and section but it does feel like one story completely pauses for another to feature. I think I would prefer far shorter chapters from each perspective so each storyline can feel like it is progressing at the same time, like in A Game of Thrones. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Second quarter - (view spoiler)[Merry stabbed the Blackrider upon the battlefield, which again showed how these little beings are not to be overlooked! Following this, the old king showed much affection to the little hobbit as he lay there dying. I'm glad that Éowyn was quickly found to have some life left inside of her as I really thought she was gone.

Merry and Pippin have been reunited! You can see through their initial weary and sombre interaction how much the battles and encroaching darkness have altered them. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Third quarter
(view spoiler)[ I don’t know how there can be much more left. It feels like we’re pretty much at the end of the story. I do feel sorry for Gollum. It’s a shame he ended like that. I enjoyed that last quarter but it has started to feel like the story is getting a bit repetitive with lots of travelling then fighting. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Aaron wrote: "Third quarter
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I know what you mean. I agree with your thoughts but my love for this storyline has me bias to any failings in it, at the same time lol. Gollum's character arc is one of my favourite aspects about the series. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Done
(view spoiler)[ I quite liked that last quarter. It was like a little bonus book. The author must have known nobody would be ready to be done with these characters yet. I really liked Sam’s ending. He got everything he deserved. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by these books. I had no idea what I was in for but I can see why there is such a large fan base. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Third quarter - (view spoiler)[It seemed to all that Gandalf had done doomed Frodo and all others, but I had too much trust in the wizard to believe this was true. Sam saved the day and was reunited with his Mister Frodo again though. The orcs never had the chance to ruin his plans due to Sam's bravery. I have so much love for his pure, kind, and courageous character.

After their trials were all but over Sam awoke and thought all that had befallen them was dream but Frodo's missing finger and Gandalf's appearance reminded him. (hide spoiler)]

Fourth quarter - (view spoiler)[The story wrapped up but there were many more pages left where the reader got to return to previous character's stories, such as Aragorn and Tom Bombadil's, see the hobbits appreciated even more, and resolutions granted to many of the smaller side quests and stories that featured here. It was a very satisfactory conclusion.

I especially loved the return to the Shire, where Sam married Rose, had a baby he longed to name after Frodo (until she was a girl) and moved into Bag End with Frodo. Poor Frodo still seemed haunted by his adventure and carrying the ring. He dropped out of the Shire community and seemed a far more introspective character. (hide spoiler)]

[Aaron]

Dannii wrote: "Third quarter - It seemed to all that Gandalf had done doomed Frodo and all others, but I had too much trust in the wizard to believe this was true. Sam saved the day and was reunited with his Mist..."

(view spoiler)[ Frodo becoming a bit quieter made a lot of sense after everything. I really liked what they did with all the characters at the end because it made so much sense for all of them. (hide spoiler)]

[Dannii]

Aaron wrote: "Dannii wrote: "Third quarter - It seemed to all that Gandalf had done doomed Frodo and all others, but I had too much trust in the wizard to believe this was true. Sam saved the day and was reunite..."

(view spoiler)[I really appreciated an insight to their futures and, I agree, it totally makes sense to see him so changed. (hide spoiler)]