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Summary: I loved this book! My favourite character is Boromir!
Review: My mother has been reading this book aloud to us. I love the sound of Moria - how it looks! I don't like the character of Legolas. I think Boromir should have survived. That would have made an even better book!
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Summary: One of a very few Fantasy "Classics".
Review: I originally read the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy about 25 years ago while still in college. At the time it was all the rage as a leisure time read.With the release of the movie we are now seeing a resurgence in popularity of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. As a work of fantasy , the "Lord of the Rings" stands out from the rest of the pack of would be fantasy novels like a Rembrandt at an amatuer art exhibition. In this regard I have concluded that GOOD fantasy is extremely hard to write. There are alot of wannabe fantasy writers that simply attempt to imitate Tolkien (for the most part they just don't get the job done!). The "Fellowship of the Ring" is the first book in the"Lord of the Rings" , trilogy and introduces the One Ring , or the master ring of power forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. In the novelette that timewise preceeds this book , "The Hobbit" , Bilbo Baggins finds the magic ring and after a series of adventures , returns to the Shire and retires to a remarkably long life.
"The Fellowship" begins with allusions of a stirring of evil power attributed to a resurgence of the power of Sauron and the issuance of the nine dark riders , the high Nazgul , who are afield in search of the One Ring. Gandalf the Grey , apparantly a jolly old wizard , comes to Bilbo's birthday party to provide fireworks , and convinces Bilbo to leave the ring to his nephew Frodo Baggins before once again going on the road for an adventure. And thus begins an epic quest for Frodo. Gandalf arranges for Frodo to take the ring and depart the Shire , accompanied by his faithful friend , Samwise Gamgee. On the road to Bree , Frodo and Samwise encounter two other young Hobbits , Merry and Pippin , who also enter the "Fellowship" . "Strider" , as he is called manages to rescue the young Hobbits from the Nazgul at Bree , and becomes the guide of the group. Along the way , many other amazing characters of Middle Earth are encountered , and many adventures transpire. Gandalf emerges as a mighty and powerful wizard , who uses his awesome powers to aid Frodo and his companions on the ultimate quest to the fires ofMount Doom , into which Frodo plans to cast the One Ring and forever destroy the power of Sauron. In my mind what sets the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy apart from it's imitators is the author's knowledge of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon legends and language. There is also a warmth to the characters , the Hobbits in particular , that is missing in other fantasy works. Frodo and Samwise exhibit reservoirs of strength , determination , and courage that is unexpected. Altho' fantasy is not my favorite genre , I am rather fond of this particular work. It is exceedingly well-crafted and written by a master of his discipline. I rate this part of the trilogy 4 stars ; this is a comparative rating to the other two segements which I rate as 5 stars. I enjoyed it 25 years ago , and again recently ; recommended.
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Summary: Tolkien really knows how to bring a scene alive!
Review: I have never been a fan of the fantasy genre. My taste has always been of the classic, 18th and 19th century literature (i.e. Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Louisa May Alcott, Oscar Wilde and so on). I am proud to say that Tolkien has broadened my selection of stories from which I now choose to read. Tolkien has a way of bringing a scene alive like the greatest writers of all-time. While reading The Fellowship of the Ring I felt as though I were there with the Fellowship; fortunately I was not. Some may think he labors a scene with descriptions but I assure you he does not. Everything he writes is for a purpose at some point in the story. And I might add, the best stories are those that give the most background about characters and places. Nothing is worse than a flat character, except bad writing. To those who decide not to read this trilogy I say this: You are missing out on two things: first, one of the most fantastic stories told of all-time and second, on an exquisite piece of writing. Incidentally, if you do read this trilogy be sure not to miss The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. The former is what I'd call the "prologue" to the trilogy and the latter is considered the bible of Middle Earth. Enjoy!
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Summary: The Perfect Cure for Insomnia
Review: Never before have I encountered a wordier or more boring author than Tolkein. After three weeks of struggling through this book, I finally gave up a quarter of the way into Book II. How this book ever became a beloved classic is beyond me. Now, I have absolutely no desire to see the movie.
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Summary: The fellowship of the Rings
Review: Many a time I have struggled with this book. Just way to boring for me. I wanted to read this book to see if it gets any better. And it has. It has grown to win a special place in my heart. Not as big as the Oz series but a small place. It's compeling sad light hearted moving and has many other traits. At the beginning it is hard to understand and boring trying to figure out but it slowly get's better and better.
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Summary: So disappointed.
Review: First, a disclaimer to those of you who would attack me personally because I didn't like the book: I AM a very intelligent, bright person (straight As in college kind of bright.) I do not believe that (as some have said before in response to unfavorable reviews) any lack of intelligence on my part led to me disliking this particular book. Second, I have not seen the movie. It has been my goal for years now to read the Fellowship of the Ring. I have attempted it at least four times in the last five years, and I finally finished it this evening. The last book I read before this took less than 24 hours to read, and I have been stuggling for two months to read this. In the meantime, I read about 20 other books. I was bored. I understand the concept of world-building. And Tolkien has done a magnificent job of that, I agree. But I also think that world-building is just about the only thing that has gone on here. I was startled by the lack of depth of character. I wanted desperately to care about Frodo, and only in the last ten pages did we really understand that Frodo really has come to grips with his task. Before this moment, Frodo is purely reactionary. He sets off on a journey because he is told to, he eats when he's hungry, sleeps when he's tired. For the majority of the book, he makes no conscious decisions, he only REACTS. Of all of the characters, I felt that Sam was the only one who was remotely accessible. He was the only character whose motivations are clear and interesting. I agree that his loyalty is moving. The journey narrative is so very popular, but describing just about every day "they awoke early that morning" makes me just as tired as the poor pony they drag with them. I am a fan of sci-fi, fantasy and plain old great literature, and damnit, I just wanted something to HAPPEN. I wanted to believe that Tolkien cares what happens to them. I intend to read the next book, because if I don't this is a HUGE letdown. The plot didn't sweep me up at all. If I never read the Two Towers, I'll be just fine. You know it's a great book when you can't breathe until you have the sequel in your hands. This reminds me of Star Wars: Episode 1. This was a narrative so hung up on introducing all the major points, that it in itself doesn't go anywhere. It's the trilogy dilemma! Any author who plans three books from the get go better have a lot of action planned for the first one! But this has no purpose other that to set things up for book two! When Ep. 1 came out, I got so sick of hearing, "Well, they'll explain that in the next movie." Then why am I investing my time in something so wholly unsatisfying? Why don't I just wait for the next one? I'm also interested to know how many women enjoyed these books. I'm 24, and every man my age gets such a look of joy on his face at the mention of Frodo. I've never spoken to a girl who liked it that much. I wonder why that is? I personally would have enjoyed even a touch of the feminine in this book- I'm not talking romance. I may be a girl, but I normally hate romantic subplots. I just personally lose touch when the female presence is so absent. I think it's a hard book to identify with if you're female. I could be wrong. I just expected so much more in what is considered the greatest fantasy ever written. Maybe that's why I didn't like it- everyone says how great it is, puts it on such a pedestal, that it will never be as great as you all say it is- there's no way it could be. Here's hoping that something interesting happens in the next chapter.
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Summary: Another way to explore Middle Earth!
Review: I have read the Lord of the Rings trilogy several times over the years, and find new things every time. Listening to this unabridged rendition of the story added yet more insight into an amazing epic tale. Robert Inglis reads so very well, characterizing the voices enough to tell the difference between characters, but not overdoing. I also love that he actually sings the many songs in the book. He sings unaccompanied by music, just as the character in the story would, and the melodies fit the setting very well. When reading, I tended to skip the songs - especially the long ones. Hearing them as they would have been done by the characters added depth to the story that is missed in just reading. I would recommend this rendtion to anyone who loves Middle Earth and is looking for new ways to experience it.
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Summary: Listen to the Fellowship
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's epic novel "The Lord of the Rings," and the mythical, mystical world of Middle Earth in which it takes place, have enthralled millions of readers. This book, "The Fellowship of the Ring," is the first part of that legendary saga, which tells of the discovery that the magic ring given to Frodo Baggins by his uncle Bilbo is indeed the One Ring, forged by the dark lord Saroun, which would give him unstopable distructive power if he reclaims it. Therefore, it is decided that Frodo should embark on a perilous quest to destroy the evil, corruptive ring by casting it back in the Cracks of Doom where it was originally forged - in the very center of Saroun's stronghold, the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie - resulting in the ultumate good-versus-evil struggle - one which will captivate you, shock you, thrill you, scare you, and, yes, deeply move you. This first part will leave you breathless. If it is possible to improve upon Tolkien's already perfect text, Rob Inglis has done so in this complete and unabriged audiobook performance. From the moment he begins to read the story to you, you are totally immersed in the world and the peoples - both good and evil - that inhabit it. Each character is given a distinctive voice that perfectly suits his or her personality as described by Tolkien in the novel. He shifts from character to character flawlessly, perfectly balancing them all, almost making the listener believe that the real character, not just an actor, is providing their lines. During the passages where Inglis simply acts as narrator and not as any perticular character, he proves himself the perfect person to guide the listener through Middle Earth. He embraces the diversity of the story, and uses just the right tones to set the mood for the scene and to get his audience truly involved in the groundbraking epic. This performance - like the book - is flawless, and is a true listening experience. Pick this title up; no matter if you have loved Middle Earth for a lifetime or are just a kindly newcomer seeking to immerse yourself in the exciting, perilous world, you won't regret it.
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Summary: Before you read this book...
Review: George R.R. Martin
David Eddings
Robert Jordan
Terry Brooks
Robin Hobb All the above authors far exceed anything Tolkien has ever written. Please check them out before wasting your time on the Lord of the Rings. Cheers.
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Summary: The Master-Piece
Review: Having seen the movie adaptation twice, and looking forward with great eagerness to the next installment, I decided it was time to re-read the novel. I used to read it twice a year, religiously, starting from when I was in grade school---third or fourth grade, I think---and even now I pick it up at least a three or four times every decade. I can still write my name in Elf-runes... I was (and am) fascinated by Tolkien's world-building, so desperately imitated by so many neophyte fantasy writers. This world-building is a good portion of the attraction of the book, for me. It feels so complete. As a kid, I wanted so much to believe that it was true (not, at that point, being able or willing to differentiate between the truth of art-making and the truth of history). It resonates at a very deep level for me, all those Jungian archetypes and half-remembered myths. At a time when I was becoming aware (and frightened) of my own adolescent mortality, I wanted desperately to believe in the immortality of the Elves...And every time I go back to it, I am surprised all over again at how grand the story-telling is---I tend to remember the writing as beautiful but lugubrious, but Tolkien actually evokes places and personalities swiftly and skillfully. I read a lot of schlock in the early 70's which featured large ad-copy: "Not since Tolkien has an author blah blah, blah..." but there are very few who work satisfied me as his did (and still does). Ursula K. LeGuin. Octavia Butler, Sheri Tepper, Orson Scott Card. Sharon Shinn. Ray Bradbury when he's not overdosing on lyricism. But Tolkien is the Master, the one to go back to. I'm not as fond of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, but I can gladly recommend Smith of Wootten Major and Farmer Giles of Ham---both terrific little books with deep resonance.
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