Rating: 
Summary: Character Driven - The Best Part of the Ring Saga
Review: "The Two Towers," the second part of Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," delivers on the promise and potential of epic-scale action and adventure carried over from the cliffhanger ending of "The Fellowship of the Ring." With the dispersal of the Fellowship, Tolkien takes a different narrative tact in the second part of the Ring saga. The Fellowship now in three units - Frodo and Sam; Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas; Merry and Pippin - Tolkien deals with each unit separately, preferring for the sake of unity to relate the fortunes of each unit for long stretches. Herein is the great triumph of Part 2 - the development of character and involvement with each that the segmenting of the Fellowship allows. Here we get depth and feeling, along with high action and truly epic scope. "The Two Towers" begins with the aftermath of Boromir's attack on Frodo in an attempt to wrest the One Ring from him. The Fellowship disbands - Frodo and Sam leave to try to destroy the Ring on their own, Merry and Pippin try to find them, only to be captured by Orcs, and Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn attempt to track down Merry and Pippin. The apparently dead Gandalf reappears to the third party, stronger and more committed to the goal than ever. The split action of the novel, with regard to the title, concerns the ways that the members of the Fellowship deal with the major sources of crisis facing Middle-earth: the ambitious wizard Saruman at the Tower of Orthanc in Isengard and the Dark Lord, Sauron at the Tower of Barad-dur in Mordor. One cannot get too excited about the virtues of "The Two Towers." The relationships between the characters are so finely rendered - for my part, the job that Tolkien does in developing Merry, Pippin, Gimli, and Legolas is magical in itself. Merry and Pippin are underestimated and undervalued by everyone, including themselves. The illumination and discussions of their doubts, fears, and modest desires against the spectacular backdrop of millennial conflict is so understated, that the two hobbits actually bring a sense of prosaic normalcy to Tolkien's epic fantasy. Gimli the dwarf and Legolas the elf, members of long-antagonized peoples, thrust together by the common goal of the Fellowship, is another fascinating pairing. The contrast in their characters and the process by which they become bosom friends is lovely to behold and offers one of the great homosocial relationships I've encountered in English literature. In both cases, throughout "The Two Towers," Tolkien continually privileges the individual over the national, an approach which forces war and conflict to appear as it should, as an unnatural and horrific evil in the world. The minor characters add colour and vibrant life to "The Two Towers." Good characters, like the melancholy Ents; evil characters, like the eternally-infighting Orcs; and ambivalent characters, like Wormtongue and Smeagol - all contribute to the development of the primary characters, while Tolkien carefully allows these minor figures the dignity of their own histories, actions, conversations, and fleshing out. All of this adds to the complexity of the Ring saga and shows more of the intricate social and even ecological effects that the anticipated War of the Ring will have on Middle-earth. "The Two Towers" is literally and figuratively the heart of the Ring saga. Rich in content, detail, and action, here, Tolkien's epic vision is most fully realized. Choice is a major theme of "The Lord of the Rings" as a whole, and, again, in the many individual, minute choices made by the characters throughout Part 2, Tolkien allows us to see how the fate of people and nations can hang on the most seemingly insignificant choices. In the scope of an epic, Tolkien stresses the importance of the individual and of tolerance and patient judgment in decision making. Overall, my favourite of the three parts of "The Lord of the Rings."
Rating:
Summary: Tolkien + Inglis + Unabridged + Perfect Sound = Excellence!
Review: In my reviews of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, both read by British Shakesperean actor Rob Inglis, I wrote that the sound quality on these audio books is crystal clear (neither too high, too low or distorted in any way), Inglis's characterizations are spot-on and the story itself (presented here in the only unabridged version available) is engrossing. The Two Towers continues the story begun in The Fellowship of the Ring but introduces new characters, more battle scenes and a nearly palpable feeling of impending doom as Sauron and Saruman search for the ring. Speaking of new characters, I don't think you'll ever find characters more fascinating than Ents. Ents are walking, talking trees found in Fanghorn Forest. Treebeard (a most "unhasty" Ent) is their leader. He's the oldest living thing in Middle Earth. As Inglis read these passages, I could almost picture the unhasty trees talking to Merry and Pippin. And I longed to look into their very old, wise eyes as they did. The bottom line: The Two Towers (part two of the Lord of the Rings "trilogy") is equal to the previous books in every way. Which means there really isn't much more that needs to be written. This is, without doubt, the best audio books edition of The Lord of the Rings available. How do you know if The Two Towers read by Rob Inglis is right for you? Well, if you... 1. Love Tolkien's stories.
2. Have drive time on your hands.
3. Enjoy hearing a British voice.
4. Don't want to here a "dramatized," multi-voiced version.
5. Have already listened to (or are familiar with) The Fellowship of the Ring.
6. Have a cat you'd like to keep company during the day while you're at work (simply load up your CD changer, push "Play" and "Repeat All" and let Rob Inglis serenade your feline) THEN... This unabridged audio books edition of Tokien's masterpiece read by Rob Inglis is exactly what you need.
Rating:
Summary: Heart-stopping second installment
Review: I've been a fan of fantasy books for years, mainly because I read and fell in love with "The Hobbit" as a child. Yet I didn't read "The Fellowship of the Ring" until a few months ago, in anticipation of the new film. Once again I fell in love with Tolkien's Middle-Earth and story-telling ability. I loved the dramatic twists at the end of "The Fellowship;" indeed, I thought I had never read anything quite like it at the time. But the story of "The Two Towers" blew me away. In the first half, Book III, Aragorn leads Gimli and Legolas in hot pursuit of Saruman's band of orcs, who have nabbed hobbits Merry and Pippin. These five members of the now-broken Fellowship find unexpected allies in the Riders of Rohan, and the Ents, ancient dwellers of the Fanghorn forest. The battle at Helm's Deep with the servants of Saruman was riveting. Book IV, which deals with Frodo and Sam's journey towards Mordor, seemed very slow-moving after the events of Books I-III. Still, there are incredible descriptions of the often-barren, mountainous landscape, the hobbits' dealings with Smeagol, and occasional settings of staggering beauty (the groves and thickets of Ithilien, the Window of the Sunset). The sense of impending doom builds as the hobbits draw closer to Mordor. Yet I realized that there was no other way Tolkien could have built up to the conclusion more deliberately or masterfully as I read, late last night and spellbound, the staggering events in the final two chapters of this book. I never thought it possible that "The Two Towers" could be better than "The Fellowship," but there you have it. I loved Merry and Pippin's encounter with the Ents, and the tree-creatures' deliberate ways. As a student of geology, I couldn't get enough of the beautiful descriptions of mountains and landscapes. I loved how everything in Middle-Earth is steeped in history and lore - even magical objects like the Palantir, with an ambiguous, almost-forgotten history, take on a deeper dimension. Most of all, I loved the moments of the truest kind of friendship. Friendship grows between Gimli and Legolas, two (initially) unlikely companions. And Frodo and Sam, always drawing closer towards the heartland of the Dark Lord, realize that now, more than ever, they must rely on their companionship and loyalty to each other. I couldn't recommend anything more highly, and would also caution you to have "The Return of the King" close at hand!
Rating:
Summary: The Journey continues...
Review: The Journey continues... 5 stars This book starts off exactly where, "The Fellowship of the Ring," (see my review) ends. The Nine Walkers of Boromir, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Pippin, Merry and the Ring-bear Frodo set out from Rivendell. After their leader and guide fell into the abyss in Moria (an ancient palace of the Dwarves in the mountains), Aragorn became their leader. After emerging from the mountains, and passing through the land of Lorien, the Company faced a choice. Should they go to Mordor, where Frodo must go to destroy the Ring, the all-powerful instrument of evil and corruption or travel to Minis Tirith (Tower of the Guard) capital of the Gondor, a nation of Men who are at war with Mordor and its evil ruler Sauron. The Hobbits Sam and Frodo disappear and depart for Mordor. The other two Hobbits (Merry and Pippin) are taken captive by Orcs, despite being defended by Boromir, who is killed in their defence. In the first half of, "The Two Towers," the tale of what happened to Pippin, Merry, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn is related. In the second half of, "The Two Towers," the tale of what happened to Frodo and Sam is related. Within the book, I much prefer the first section of it. The reunion of the Hobbits with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas is one of my favorite moments in the book. In some ways, whenever I undertake to read, "The Lord of the Rings," I dread the second section of, "The Two Towers." Personally, I do no appreciate the pain-staking description of every mountain, rock and flower; I keep waiting for some actual dialogue or action to happen. Tolkien obviously had a vivid, EXTREMELY detailed imagination for he invented every single part of his fictional world of Middle-Earth to be believable. There is a history of behind all the races and some of the races have their very own languages. The problem that Tolkien may have run into in his epic work is that he lost something in attempting to achieve the grand scale he sought to produce. His heavy use of allusions to persons and events that the reader knows nothing of start off as evocative and then begins to get annoying. However, in terms of good epic length fantasy literature, "The Lord of the Rings," started it and it is probably one of the best novels of the 20th century. One last note, remember, Tolkien originally wrote the story for his own enjoyment, he did not envision millions of people in dozens of languages reading his work.
Rating:
Summary: "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy continues...
Review: J.R.R. Tolkiens trilogy continues in "The Two Towers", the second book of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The first book, "The Fellowship of the Rings" (read my review on it, too!) end with the breaking up of the Fellowship. The Company is faced with a choice, whether to continue on with Frodo the hobbit to Mount Doom to destroy the ring, or travel to Minas Tirith, capital of Gondor, to help fight the evil Sauron's forces. But in the end, Frodo secretly goes off alone with his faithful hobbit friend, Sam, to Mount Doom. The other members split up to try to find them. Here is where "The Two Towers" story begins. Boromir is killed while trying to protect hobbits Merry and Pippin from the evil orcs. The three other members of the Company, Aragorn the Ranger, Legolas the Elf, and Gimli the Dwarf, set out to rescue them. They realize that the orcs are not of the forces of Sauron, but someone else. Then a member of the Fellowship Gandalf the wizard, whom they thought was killed, tells them that the orcs are working under the wizard Saruman. Before Saruman had been good but had turned to evil and wants the powers of the Ring. Gandalf tells them that Merry and Pippin have escaped are in the capable hands of Treebeard and the Ents. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli to instead go to the lands of Rohan to help King Theoden in the upcoming war from the forces of Saruman. Here ends part one of the book. The second part tells about Frodo and Sam's quest to the land of Mordor with the unexpected help of... Gollum! J.R.R. Tolkien is certainly a genius, "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy have such a depth to it! Middle-Earth is so believable with all the legends, history, geography, language, and races so thought out. Reading the books, I was captivated and couldn't put the books down. Probably one of the best books I've ever read, or will ever read. One of my favorite characters is Legolas the Elf. Elves are so fascinating to me. They're so mysterious, so a part of nature, and a good companion to have. It's so funny how though Elves and Dwarves don't get along too well, Legolas and Gimli are the best of companions and inseparable. Another favorite character is Pippin the hobbit. He's so cheerful, brave, and seems to always get into trouble! I can't honestly say which of the books if my favorite since they're all fantastic. My suggestion to you is that if you are planning to read the books, you should have the whole trilogy on hand, "The Fellowship of the Rings", "The Two Towers", and "The Return of the King". Also I think it will be a good idea to read "The Hobbit", which is a prelude to the trilogy and it tells how Frodo's uncle, Bilbo Baggins, go a hold of the Ring. Most enjoyable I think for ages 12 and up since I think the books will be a little complicated for younger kids.
Rating:
Summary: It's almost as if you were there ...
Review: This set is long, but worth it. Rob Inglis creates a series of voices for the characters that bring them to life. I haven't seen the movie yet, but this is one of the best audiobooks I have heard!
Rating:
Summary: The Journey continues...
Review: This book starts off exactly where, "The Fellowship of the Ring," (see my review) ends. The Nine Walkers of Boromir, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Pippin, Merry and the Ring-bear Frodo set out from Rivendell. After their leader and guide fell into the abyss in Moria (an ancient palace of the Dwarves in the mountains), Aragorn became their leader. After emerging from the mountains, and passing through the land of Lorien, the Company faced a choice. Should they go to Mordor, where Frodo must go to destroy the Ring, the all-powerful instrument of evil and corruption or travel to Minis Tirith (Tower of the Guard) capital of the Gondor, a nation of Men who are at war with Mordor and its evil ruler Sauron. The Hobbits Sam and Frodo disappear and depart for Mordor. The other two Hobbits (Merry and Pippin) are taken captive by Orcs, despite being defended by Boromir, who is killed in their defence. In the first half of, "The Two Towers," the tale of what happened to Pippin, Merry, Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn is related. In the second half of, "The Two Towers," the tale of what happened to Frodo and Sam is related. Within the book, I much prefer the first section of it. The reunion of the Hobbits with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas is one of my favorite moments in the book. In some ways, whenever I undertake to read, "The Lord of the Rings," I dread the second section of, "The Two Towers." Personally, I do no appreciate the pain-staking description of every mountain, rock and flower; I keep waiting for some actual dialogue or action to happen. Tolkien obviously had a vivid, EXTREMELY detailed imagination for he invented every single part of his fictional world of Middle-Earth to be believable. There is a history of behind all the races and some of the races have their very own languages. The problem that Tolkien may have run into in his epic work is that he lost something in attempting to achieve the grand scale he sought to produce. His heavy use of allusions to persons and events that the reader knows nothing of start off as evocative and then begins to get annoying. However, in terms of good epic length fantasy literature, "The Lord of the Rings," started it and it is probably one of the best novels of the 20th century. One last note, remember, Tolkien originally wrote the story for his own enjoyment, he did not envision millions of people in dozens of languages reading his work.
Rating:
Summary: The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers
Review: As we might expect from the second and middle book in a trilogy, The Two Towers develops its own plot elements, separating itself from the first book, and ending in a frustrating climax. I think that this is my favorite book of the three so far, but I'll have to hold back final judgment until I read The Return of the King, the final book in what has turned out to be my favorite trilogy. The story as interpreted, is broken up into two stories that combine in the end to make sense of this dramatic thriller. The first part of the book has a wide range of activity; it's about the beginning of the War of the Ring in the time of Middle Earth and it concentrates mainly on Merry and Pippins adventure through mysterious lands. As they meet some of the cruelest and unique creatures, they press on to find Frodo and Sam who are on their way to destroy the ring. The second part of the book follows Frodo, Sam, and Gollum as they try to make their way to Mordor, to the top of Mount Doom where the ring can be destroyed to preserve the world. The story turns out to be the most interesting of the two books so far and I highly recommended this book to the educated class who desire a in-depth, breath-taking adventure through a character filled new world.
A+
Rating: 
Summary: tolkein's still going and going and going
Review: My daughter just started this book. I had to pick it up and reread it. I had forgotten so much and yet it was an old friend that was good to visit with again.
Rating:
Summary: What can be said?
Review: It's Tolkien! Nothing more need be said.
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