Rating: 
Summary: A big bonus for Ring lovers
Review: "Not another 'Lord of the Rings' tie-in book!" you may be groaning. In the wake of the hit movie trilogy, there have been plenty of books of photos and Middle-Earth info -- some good, some bad, some just blah. But don't start shunning the book displays just yet: "Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare" has plenty of good information yet.It handles the more militaristic aspects of the "Lord of the Rings" films: Loads of swords, arrows (like the giant uruk-hai crossbows called "sappers"), shields and armor. There are also the more unusual allies that our heroes pick up (the unstoppable dead army of Dunharrow), battle plans (a step-by-step examination of the Pelennor Fields battle), unconventional weapons (the mumakil or "oliphaunts"), and sinister fortresses (the Black Gate). There's also relevant biographical info about certain people like Elrond, Eowyn, Faramir, Eomer and Aragorn, and it stretches back to the first film with its stuff about Weathertop and Isildur. And, as a bonus, the extremely articulate Christopher Lee (the amazing actor behind Saruman) writes a brief but bright foreword, in which he talks about his love for myth and fantasy, the Tolkien books, the movies, and finally about what he hopes "Weapons and Warfare" will offer to the readers. Admit it -- even the most peaceful person gets a little thrill when watching a hero felling a dozen evil beasties with a big legendary sword. There's something intensely exciting about swords, arrows and all medieval warfare, however bloody and freaky it may be. "Lord of the Rings" has an extra bonus: There's not only the multiple human civilizations (Gondorians, Rohirrim, Easterlings, Haradrim), but also Elves, Orcs, and Uruk-hai, as well as the ancient Numenorean civilization. More to love! The only problem with the book is simple: those seeking information about how the authentic weapons, armor and war formations were created will be disappointed. So if you want to know about how they made all those weapons at Weta, how they managed to plan all those battles, you're out of luck. And if you're a book purist, you will be equally out of luck -- it sticks close by the films. Even people who aren't fans of military history may be intrigued by the level of detail and richness in the "Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare." And, of course, Rings fans should check this out pronto.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, But Not Great
Review: Although "The Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare" is an excellent reference in explaining the armor, weapons, and battle strategies used by the various races of Middle-Earth, I have to give it a somewhat lower reccomendation as a reference for the history of war and battles in Middle-earth. First of all, the book makes several statements and assumptions that I have found absolutely no support or evidence for in the LOTR books (or the movies, for that matter). For example, when speaking of the Haradrim: "Sauron would have offered them Gondor's fertile lands in exchange for their aid in battle, etc." For this I have found absolutely no support whatsoever in Tolkien's LOTR books. In addition, the book in most cases stays truer to the movies than Tolkien's LOTR. If this wasn't bad enough, the book even seems to try and provide an altered history and background to support the chain of events in the movie version of LOTR. (and especially The Return of the Kings, with the Dead Army, Saruman's death, etc.) In conclusion, although I reccomend this book as a reference to the armor and weapons of Middle-Earth, I reccomend that LOTR fans who have read the books do NOT use it as a history of war or other events in Middle-Earth.
Rating: 
Summary: My Precioussssssssss
Review: Among the host of LOTR memorabilia there are many books, some great some cheap merchandising, but this is one I fully recommend. Unlike the dozens of 'behind the scene' ones, this takes the clever angle of approaching the whole subject like a history text. This allows the writer to delve into the magic of the trilogy both in its' literary and movie form. It also means that unlike many of the other books on the market, which focus on just one part of the story, this is able to cover all three volumes and provides a lot of additional information that didn't make it to the big screen. While some people may find the focus on hardware and tactics not 'their cup of tea', there is also a lot of good background material on the history of the Ring conflict and some basic character exploration, and in any case if you are considering buying it the title does give you some idea of what to expect !!! It is a shame though that the first part of the story, 'The Fellowship of the Ring', isn't given more material, but it's understandable when you consider that most of the battles take place in 'The Two Towers' and 'Return of the King'. Personally 'Fellowship' was always my favourite out of the three, in both print and film, and I think it is a shame that with all the pre-Oscar hype over 'Return of the King' (*because it's seen as a foregone conclusion it will win) that the other films seem to have become overshadowed (*hmmm maybe Sauron isn't vanquished after all !!!). Anyway, for purists like myself, this is a great book that I would give my highest rating to. My only grip is that I suspect 'Gollum' may have been the type-setter. The quality control was appalling and many words seem to be missing the last letter, particularly if they appear at the end of a column. This is also true of some of the punctuation marks, and it is criminal that with all the effort that went in to making this such a great work that such a basic production mistake should be allowed to appear in the final sale version. Perhaps it was rushed in the final stages of production to get it 'in stores' by a set deadline, but although disappointing it can't undermine what in all other respects is an outstanding effort on the part of the author.
Rating:
Summary: Had never cared for fantasy before But..
Review: But...the Lord of The Rings has turned me around. I have read every book and watched every movie. I am an addict, can't wait for the next one to come out and as usual....each is better than the last. Amazing work, such wonderful imagination. Also recommended: I am a Non Fiction reader usually...and my top picks are Nightmares Echo,Lost Boy,Running With Scissors and Lucky
Felicia Stone
Rating:
Summary: Most important book for LOTR fans
Review: Buy this book first, then you might not need the visual companion. This book has better information that all the visual companions combined (except for the small maps). The information inside are more than just about weapons and warfare, but also ALL the battle plans (which the visual companion only include some of the plans), all rings design, and ancient archieves of Moria, Saruman etc. IMHP, if you are new to LOTR movies and never read the novel itself, this book will be the first to buy event before the novel itself.
Rating:
Summary: Let the movie be the movie . . .
Review: Chris Smith's books is a wealth of images and information about all the stuff the a Tolkien geek would love. That includes me. However, my quibble, already suggested by other reviewers is that this book often takes the same liberties with Tolkien's stories that Peter Jackson and his writers took. I believe it is important to let the books be the books, and the movies, with all their own changes to the story, be the movies. Both are enjoyable, but they are different. Unfortunately, when the movies spawn their own accompanying print support that purport to tell Tolkien's tale, with all of the movie alterations, there is something disingeuous about this. It left me feeling considerably unsettled. Weapons and Warfare is an interesting look at its subject. Weapon and armor buffs, or Middle Earth wargamers will enjoy the pictures, but take the text with a grain of salt. After enjoying the movies, I encourage all to read The Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: An A+ book!
Review: FANTASTIC!! This book is far better than I ever hoped...and I had high hopes! It is centered around the movies more than the book. The books have appendixes...I'd say this is the movie's. I expected to get a sort of 'behind the scenes' look at every thing. Boy was I surprised and please to find that it reads more like a history book you might find in the archives of Gondor. It covers everyone and every thing from the first age to the start of the fourth. It is detailed but not tedious; informative but not dull. The pictures and illustrations are wonderful... This a must have for a Lord of the Rings fan...especially if you were impressed with the military side of the movies. A+ work!!
Rating:
Summary: An A+ book!
Review: FANTASTIC!! This book is far better than I ever hoped...and I had high hopes! It is centered around the movies more than the book. The books have appendixes...I'd say this is the movie's. I expected to get a sort of 'behind the scenes' look at every thing. Boy was I surprised and please to find that it reads more like a history book you might find in the archives of Gondor. It covers everyone and every thing from the first age to the start of the fourth. It is detailed but not tedious; informative but not dull. The pictures and illustrations are wonderful... This a must have for a Lord of the Rings fan...especially if you were impressed with the military side of the movies. A+ work!!
Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE FOR A LOTR FAN!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Hey. Okay, this book, right now, is neither a two or three, it's a 2.5. I haven't read this book yet fully, but I looked at it briefly from my friend. It was very detailed and had almost 1,000 pictures -- I counted. This book is so detailed on even the rarest of things -- the Easterlings of Rhun, the Legions of Haradrim from Far Harad, the Corsair Naval Fleet of Umbar, the Dead City and Army, the Witch-king of Angmar, Sauron, Gondor's armies, and everything!! I mean, the Corsairs of Umbar aren't even in the movie for that long, and there are 3 small print pages of text and another 2 with pictures on it. THAT is detail. Plus, the Witch-king of Angmar is my favorite character, and i found a load of stuff on him. It has after the War of the Ring, when Angmar aged war against Arnor and other countries. Gondor attacked and destroyed Angmar's armies, but the Witch-king called out the King for one-on-one combat. The King never lived through it. And another thing---the Lord of the Nazgul doesn't have a mace in the movie ---- IT'S CALLED A FLAIL!!!! The definition is "a weapon used in medieval and feudal times that was wielded effectively on foot. It usually was a short handle with a spiked ball, the two connected by a chain or a rope. Used commonly in the 15th century, it was no longer needed in the gunpowder age of the 1600s. THE WITCH-KING RULES!! The only reason he died is because he got stabbed in the face!!! Eowen wouldn't be that brave in real life, her being not even six feet and the Witch-king being over 8 feet tall, with a flail head as big as her torso and a sword taller than her!!! Y'ALL KNOW IT!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: I love this book
Review: i first asked my mom to get me this book after looking through the first couple pages. it was one of those love-at-first-sight things, and my mom had to swear that she would get it for me first chance she got. and i was happy.
this book is amazing. not only does it have general weaponry and strategy by race, it was character info, and history. very nice. it also has detailed drawings on armor and weapons. there are also small(3-pages or so) bits of info about general things, like swords in middle earth, or bows.
all in all, this is a great book for everyone who enjoys lotr, or medieval type weaponry
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