Rating: 
Summary: A Dreadful Waste of Trees
Review: If this book were boring it would be an improvement. It's close to 400 pages of Frodo et al walking, being cold, encountering danger, getting rescued, walking, being frightened, being cold, getting lost, getting rescued, etc.For those of us sturdy enough to make it through the first part of the book, we are rewarded by the epic Council. Like the rest of the tale, the Council could have been dispensed with quickly and with relevance. Instead, we get numerous paragraphs on the lineage of everyone present, as well as those who are to be discussed. It is a terrible reading experience. Interestingly, after the Coucil, Tolkien's characters adopt an Olde English manner of speech, which only adds more weight to an already suffocatingly heavy load. Is Tolkien clever? Yes. Is he creative? Absolutely. Is Middle Earth a wonderfully imaginative effort? Quite. But all of this fails to make the story compelling and readable and fun. I'll admit I've been spoiled by Harry Potter. The difference in eras notwithstanding, J.K. Rowling is a fun read, not a chore. I still do want to see the film version of this tale, but I'll not be reading the subsequent installments. No, not a chance!
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Summary: A Classical,Exciting Story
Review: I just read this,yes yes, I know I'm late..er...50 years or something, but as a twelve-year old, I adore this story and I cried, yes, *unshamefully* cried when I found out that the story was going to be continued and that 'The Two Towers' were not in my reach just then. This story is the best, read it, its not a waste of money.
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Summary: Lynea's Opinions on The Fellowship of the Ring
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring is an excellent book. It is full of action and suspense with a little humor. In the land of Middle Earth, where hobbits, elves, dwarfs, wizards, evil kings, warriors, and a few strange marsh creatures live, why wouldn't it be enjoyable. The story is about a group that is sent on a dangerous mission to the dark land of Mordor to destroy the Ring of Power before it falls into the hands of Sauron.
Rating: 
Summary: Plodding
Review: "In the South the realm of Gondor long endured; and for a while its splendour grew, recalling somewhat of the might of Numenor, ere it fell." This is the archaic tone you will need to endure to enjoy this book. This; the endless mentions of places, people, and things that have nothing to do whatsoever with the central plot; the mind-boggling barrage of songs and poems; and the book's drudging pace curbed all of the enthusiasm I had going into reading this epic story. The story itself is creative and wonderful; of course, how couldn't it be and be so popular. "The Hobbit," though, was a much better reading experience in both style and pace. It had a clear beginning, middle and ending. "The Fellowship of the Ring" seems from the beginning to concentrate so much on laying down the foundation for the trilogy, that it really doesn't move. The ending is not an ending at all, but the most blatant lead-in to a sequel you could imagine. I expected a lead-in, but I didn't expect that this book would end completely unresolved in every way. Also, so many of the character's physical descriptions are so vague that I still can't really say what the difference between a dwarf and an elf is. What does an orc look like? I'm not too sure, yet the geography is often described in painful detail. Now I understand all the dubious remarks about this book that have kept me from reading it over the years. It's good and agonizing to read at the same time. In my case, the agony wins out.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad if you Skip the Songs
Review: (...)The first 200 pages or so are tough going--a leaf by leaf description of the landscape as Frodo and his pals walk and walk and walk (I think I got aerobic benefit just from reading!). It really helps to skip all of the awful songs and poetry (even Kahlil Gibrain seems inspired compared to Tolkien), which are totally superfluous. When the action gets going, it's good. The characters are a mixed bag (or baggins, I suppose). The hobbits are really engaging: lazy, overeating, territorial little critters who are very human and lots of fun. Gimli the dwarf is okay, too--he's got a huge grudge against almost everybody and thinks that subterranean cities are fun. The human warriors are fatuous and dull, though Aragorn (Strider) earns some sympathy because, despite his strength and lineage (he's the scion of kings), he manages to screw up constantly. The tendency of the warriors to recite 600 generations of their ancestry at the drop of a spear gets old quickly. The elves are the most insufferable creatures in fiction--impossibly beautiful, immortal, and do they ever know it! They also deal some drugs, but don't ever have any fun. The loopiest character by far is Tom Bombadil, an old geezer who can talk cranky elm trees out of devouring hobbits. This bizarre proto-hippie sings godawful songs and seems to have eaten too many forest mushrooms. He also appears to be shacked up with a teenage forest nymph. I think Tolkien means us to take him seriously, but it's just not possible. Gandalf is a hoot--a wizard with a sense of humor, the inspiration, I guess, for Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series (which are much more fun to read than Tolkien). The best villain so far is not Sauron (who is just a yellow eye, anyway), but a character who appears for only three paragraphs or so--Bill Ferny, a stinky mortal who inspires more loathing than all the orcs and Gollums put together (I'd bet he was based on some Oxford colleague of Tolkien's) But with all the laborious description and with the tedious pastiche of mythology (some Celtic, some Germanic, a soupcon of Christian, etc.), the story is a good one, and you pull for the good guys. I had fun with it this time around. (...)
Rating:
Summary: Very good...
Review: I haven't actually finished reading this book but so far it is a great book. I like the way there is so much fantasy and magical beings in here, as of that my favortie type of literature is fantasy books. I tried reading The Hobbit when i was in 4th grade or something but I couldn't get interested in it because I thought it was boring. Now that I am reading the Lord Of The Rings series, I knew why I thought that this is boring.It is because I was a little kid and didn't understand it very well. What I am saying is that I think that this should be a book for kids that are in middle school or higher because it has easy understanding but you have to concentrate more on this book than other books (for me at least).I am not saying that little kids shouldn't read this, but I am recommending it to an older audience because it is a little more complex than other books. It is still one of the greatest books I have ever read (so far that is) and one of the greatest books ever written. I can't wait for the movie to come out.
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Summary: Exciting, unique, fasinating, the greatest adventure...
Review: Mr. Tolkien has created a truly fascinating world, of a variety of characters drawn from the well of time. It is truly a fine example of a modern epic adventure. I truly felt the sting of cold iron, and the burns of Frodo’s cuts as I the magic of his words were casted upon me.
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Summary: Simply the Best That Ever Was...
Review: This is the book that begins the best fantasy adventure ever written. Period. Lord of the Rings was the series that started it all. if it were not for Lord of the Rings we would not have many things that we have today. We would not have Dungeains & Dragons, we would not have Robert Jordan. Tolkien was the one who perfected the fantasy epic, and these books are just as good now as they were when they were published. Someone posted a review that said the characters had no depth, they didn't like the poems, and they didn't understand why it spent a lot of time talking about Hobbit families. Well....someone obviously doesn't really understand what these books are all about. They complaied that the orcs were just evil and and that there were no twists. Well...Tolkien INVENTED Orcs...whay should he HAVE to twist them? And as for the characters having no depth.....that simply isn't true. Anyone with an imagination will enjoy this books. Anyone expecting a book to create an imagination for them needs to go study accounting and never have anything to do with art or fiction. This is a timeless tale that will stay with you forever....and you usually don't just read it once. Every couple of years you'll pick it up again and read it. Wonderful story and great fun.
Rating:
Summary: Overhype? No way
Review: I resisted reading this trilogy, felt above fantasy type genre. This is great stuff. There is really little else to say.
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Summary: An Amazing Beginning to a Series
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's novel titled, "The Fellowship of the Ring," is the first book of the, "Lord of the Rings," trilogy. The trilogy picks up where Tolkien's novel, "The Hobbit," left off. Tolkein has a great imagination that is evident in his writing. He creates the fictional land called Middle Earth. The land is filled with dwarves, elves, humans, and hobbits. Hobbits are hairy creatures about half the size of humans. Hobbits enjoy simple lives but are capable of great feats and courage if they are pushed to it. "The Fellowship of the Ring," tells the story of some extraordinary hobbits. Frodo is hobbit that lives in Hobbiton. Gandalf, an important and powerful wizard, gives Frodo the responsibility of caring for a special ring. The ring makes the wearer invisible, but it seems to have an evil affect on people. After many years, Gandalf discovers the true power of the ring. Gandalf tells Frodo that the ring is called the, "One Ring." The ring was created long ago and holds much power. Gandalf has also learned of an evil force trying to retrieve the ring. Sauron, the Dark Lord, is searching for the ring. If Sauron reaches the ring, he will control the Middle Earth. Gandalf tells Frodo that the the ring must be destroyed, and it can only be destroyed at the Mountain of Fire. Frodo decides to make the lengthy journey along with three other hobbit friends to destroy the ring. Along the journey, the hobbits come across many different people and dangers. Middle Earth is filled with many different types of creatures. Some are good, and some are evil. It is clear that Tolkien spent much time thinking about the land called Middle Earth. The characters are well developed and are easy to relate with. It is interesting to read about all the cities, creatures, and people in Middle Land. I am a slow reader, and I usually get aggrivated with books over 400 pages. However, I really enjoyed this book, and I plan to finish the trilogy when I get the time.
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