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Summary: The Reason I Read!
Review: If it were not for J.R.R. Tolkein's magnificent trilogy (quadrology? if you count "The Hobbit") I'm not sure I would have become the avid reader that I am. I first read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord Of The Rings" in my teen years and they remain the only books I've ever read more than once. They also remain the only fantasy books I truly enjoyed .Tolkein blew open the doors of fiction for me and I have since read many excellent books by authors ranging from E. Hemingway to A. Barrett to D. DeLillo to J. Kerouac to J. Austen to A. Roy and on and on. He opened my eyes to the wonder of entering a fictional world and getting to know fictional characters, all entirely created by human imagination using the tool of language. I have read some of the negative criticisms with interest (few that they are) and while I understand the points (black vs. white, few women characters, etc.) I feel that Tolkein was not intentionally creating negative stereotypes or omitting a gender. I believe he was simply endeavoring to create a fantasy world while not necessarily trying to convey specific ideological, religious or cultural messages. Remember that he first wrote "The Hobbit" for his children. His is a work of fantasy, nothing more. That fact is what makes these books so great. I have not read "The Hobbit" or "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy in over 20 years but plan to soon. I'm sure the magic will still be there. Of one thing I am sure, I will not turn a jaundiced, adult eye on these books. I will read them for what they are and get transported beyond the 'real' world. Thank You J.R.R. Tolkein!
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Summary: Probably the greatest fantasy story of all time.....
Review: "Lord Of The Rings" is one of those books that you just can't put down. John Ronald Raoul Tolkien's writing is some of the most descriptive, vivid and facinating literature ever writen. His world of Middle Earth should create such interest in his work that you will want to read every book he has writen from The Hobbit , to The Adventures of Tom Bombidal, as well as the dozen or so that his Son continues to write, based on his fathers notes and stories. Wether you read it as the Trilogy of books or the One Book version this Story is the best. WARNING: once you start! You can't stop!!! I can hardley wait for the films of the trilogy now in production.
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Summary: The greatest Epic and the longest sci-fi story in history
Review: James Tolkien's Lord of the ring is the longest Science fiction in history, and it is the award winning epic ever written by a sci-fi author. In fact, Lord of the rings, is the first longest Sci-fi fantasy ever made. Lord of the rings in 1978 was turned into a Aninmated feature film by Ralph Bakashi, soon New Zealand director Peter Jackson (The Freightners) is making the live action cinema apdaption of Lord of the rings which will star Al Pacino and Eliajha Wood.
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Summary: A wonderfully written masterpiece!
Review: I loved this book. It was the greatest I have ever read. It's number one on my list!!! Tolkein is a great fantasy writer, and I also recommend The Silmarillon. It tells a lot about the history of Middle-Earth that the characters refer to.
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Summary: This is life
Review: The Lord of the Rings changed the way of my life. This wonderful book taught me about respect and passion, about friends, and about all things, good or bad that we can face. This is a fantasy world that seems so real, and i really enjoy all characters and chapters of the book. I only give one advice... Read The Hobbit before LOTR, only to prepare the atmosphere.
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Summary: Amazing
Review: I am 16 years old from UK I read The Hobbit when I was 10 and I have now read Lord of the Rings about 5 times in the last 3 years it is superb. You are gripped right from the start and you just cant put it down. The characters are amazing in their own right from the elven archer Legolas to the great wizard Gandalf, everyone should read this book there is a whole world in there... After finishing the first part of this masterpiece you will be mesmorised at the greatness of it all you will love the characters and the adventure that they take. READ IT.
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Summary: A Message to the Detractors
Review: I first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when I was thirteen. At the time I found it to be a grand, inspiring tale of fantasy. Ten years and five reads later my opinion has not changed, but become perhaps just a little more sophistocated. About every other summer I pick up the four battered paperbacks and allow myself the luxury of escape for a few hours a night. I don't worry about the stock market, race relations or nuclear holocost. I don't search the pages of Tolkien for answers to today's pressing social problems. I find nothing wrong with shelving my individual political agenda when enjoying this masterpiece, and I pitty those of you who can't. I simply indulge myself in the art of storytelling at its best. But when I wake up in the morning I find that I am better able to face the "real-world" than had I spent the time attentively absorbing the latest on CNN. If you think fantasy is just for kids, then I say "Grow Up!" And for those people who tire of the book's length, I suppose you wish Ahab would just catch the damn whale, and Tolstoy's Napleon would just leave the Russians alone. Do you think that there would be so many glowing 5 star ratings here had Tolkien written a 200 page Cliff Notes version of The Lord of the Rings? I just wanted to stand up and say something for all of the people who never wanted a book to end.
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Summary: God helped him make this one.
Review: This book is totally the best ever, all-categories. You can say what you wan't about Robert Jordan, George Martin, Sean Stewart, Tolkien is the best. The effort put into the book resulted as a world with infinite depth. If you haven't read this one yet, you are missing THE wonder of life.
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Summary: The best book I know - certainly in its genre
Review: The Lord of the Rings stands alone. No other book can even approach its grandness, completeness, compactness and endless variety! Throughout the book, you are filled with a world completely different from ours, yet at the end of the book you feel at home there. Tolkien imagination is awe-inspiring, and very important to any fatasy book: he doesn't make mistakes. Read it!
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Summary: Alright for some people
Review: I was given this book by a friend to read, and received nothing of what I expected. No doubt that Tolkiens stories have reached world popularity; however I found it to be tediously dull, and alarmingly unmoving. Tolkien was indeed one of the countries finest authors, but to say that he is the best is taking it out of context. Simpley because Tolkien was the first successful fantasy novelist, does not mean he was the best. I can understand why people would take his books as almost a religion, but I could barely trudge through the first 100 pages. I account this to my own preferences. I value character development very highly, and of which there seemed scarce to none in Lord of the Rings. Tolkien I feel focused more on places; the then and where. Understand, that I desprately wished to enjoy this book, as I hoped to learn from the master, since I hope to someday strick my own mark in fantasy writing. Because I personally did not enjoy Tolkiens writing does not mean that I do not hold him in the highest regard and respects. Fantasy has achieved much thanks to the imagination and genuinity of J.R.R. Tolkien.
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