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Rating: 
Summary: A Good Introductory Guide for Children and Adults
Review: Although this is the official movie guide for children to the Two Towers, I found that it was helpful for adults who are not Lord of the Rings fans and/or have not read any of the books by Tolkien. It is lushly illustrated with gorgeous photos of all of the people/creatures in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. There are also a few photos of how they developed CGI characters such as the cave troll and Sauron. Underneath each photograph is a sentence or two explaining who the person/creature is and how they fit into the story. The wording and the brevity of the descriptions make it perfect for younger readers or those looking for a quick and dirty introduction to the characters of Middle Earth including Hobbits, Ents, Easterlings, Haradrim, Uruk-Hai, Gollum, the Watcher in the Water, Dwarves, Elves, Wizards/Istari, Balrog, Gwaihir, and many more. The book also comes with a free fold out enlarged picture of Gandalf confronting the Balrog in Moria. I would recommend this book for those who are not very familiar with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and for children ages 8 and up. It is very short at app. 60 pages (most of which is taken up by pictures) and so is a great introduction. However, if you are a Tolkien fan and familiar with the stories or saw the first movie, there is nothing new for you here.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Introductory Guide for Children and Adults
Review: Although this is the official movie guide for children to the Two Towers, I found that it was helpful for adults who are not Lord of the Rings fans and/or have not read any of the books by Tolkien. It is lushly illustrated with gorgeous photos of all of the people/creatures in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. There are also a few photos of how they developed CGI characters such as the cave troll and Sauron. Underneath each photograph is a sentence or two explaining who the person/creature is and how they fit into the story. The wording and the brevity of the descriptions make it perfect for younger readers or those looking for a quick and dirty introduction to the characters of Middle Earth including Hobbits, Ents, Easterlings, Haradrim, Uruk-Hai, Gollum, the Watcher in the Water, Dwarves, Elves, Wizards/Istari, Balrog, Gwaihir, and many more. The book also comes with a free fold out enlarged picture of Gandalf confronting the Balrog in Moria. I would recommend this book for those who are not very familiar with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and for children ages 8 and up. It is very short at app. 60 pages (most of which is taken up by pictures) and so is a great introduction. However, if you are a Tolkien fan and familiar with the stories or saw the first movie, there is nothing new for you here.
Rating:
Summary: A guide to the creatires and cultures of Middle-Earth
Review: I do not know if there was a "The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Tie-In" version of "The Lord of the Rings: Creatures," but there really does not need to be because this book covers all of the creatures encountered in the first two films based on J. R. R. Tolkien's trilogy (although there is a special little section on the "lost" Tom Bombadil). The emphasis is decidedly more on the film than the original novels, with quotations from both the actors and the technicians who brought Tolkien's creatures to life. Within these pages young fans of "The Lord of the Rings" will find everything from hobbits and their hairy feet to the tree-like Ents. In between there are the forces of men, elves and dwarves allied in the West to face the dark servants of both Saruman in Isengard and Sauron in Mordor. Attention is paid to not only all the species but all of the major characters that appear in "The Two Towers." There are lush photographs from the films (I especially like the shot of Treebeard) but also production drawings and computer graphics, almost always accompanied by insights from the likes of director Peter Jackson, head of special effects Richard Taylor, and others. Older readers will find this book just whets the appetite for more information about these creatures and how they were developed from Tolkien's original descriptions into what we have seen in the films. But younger readers should find this official movie guide to the creatures and cultures of Middle-Earth to be suited to their interests. A fold-out chart is included (cannot know the creatures without a program), but hopefully young readers will put off pouring over this slim volume until after they have actually seen the film. Your first look at Treebeard, Gollum, and Shelob should be in the film, not the photographs of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Need some tips?
Review: The epic movie trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" was the first exposure to Tolkien's work for a lot of the people who watched it. And the fans who haven't yet read the books should check out this book, to get the tips on who and what and where and why.Basically, this "Creatures" book lets the readers know: What's a hobbit? What's an Elf? What's an Ent? Readers of the original fantasy trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien will know all of this. On the other hand, newbies will like being able to look these things up -- especially since "Two Towers" has a lot of new material, with the Ents, Haradrim, Rohirrim, and others. The book is pretty short, and seems even shorter because it is composed mostly of photographs. These are clear, brightly colored, and great shots -- not just of stuff in the movies, but also from stuff behind the scenes. What's especially nice are the quotes. Accompanying many of the smaller photographs are quotes from director Peter Jackson, special-effects wizard Richard Taylor, actors Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, Sean Astin, and pretty much everyone else. These quotes add insights into both the characters ("In their world, it's who you are on the inside that matters") and behind the scenes (complaints about the hobbit feet, from several actors). One of the best quotes is Peter Jackson revealing how the much-maligned Tom Bombadil almost made a cameo -- fans of the books will want to check that out. Even if you've read the other books, this brief book will offer a few new insights and plenty of good movie and behind-the-scenes pictures.
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