Rating: 
Summary: greatest work of fantasy ever
Review: forget harry poter, you may even want to put the mists of avalon on the side this book is without a doubt one of the greatest works of fantasy i can't even say anything about the plot for it may give away the book as 1 part of lord of the rings a continuation of the hobbit this is a must for fans of literature
Rating:
Summary: The Return of the Romance
Review: As LOTR regularly wins polls as the twentieth century's favorite work of fiction, it is now rather difficult to say anything new about it, except that professors of English who appear on highbrow chat shows to review literature rather reprehensibly still prefer 'realists' of the Thomas Hardy and George Eliot ilk. Chronologically (in Middlearth time and in order of publishing), 'The Fellowship of the Ring' is the first book of the great Lord of the Rings trilogy and follows 'The Hobbit'. Of course The Hobbit itself is largely aimed at children, although the themes mature as the story matures, whereas LOTR is four-squarely adult. However, it should be realised that Hobbit is essentially, as Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis put it, 'merely a fragment torn from the author's huge myth'. The inchoate romance of the whole of Middlearth and its inhabitants came into being over a very long period, and formed a superlatively coherent whole well before he thought of publishing.As an heroic romance, the book was launched into a post-war Britain that largely expected fiction to be a 'slice of reality', as in the Hardy/Eliot tradition. We had turned our back on books of this type. So far as romances of imagined worlds, real heroes, real villains, and epic themes went the science fiction sub-culture of dime novels and cheap comics was the brightest spot on the literary horizon! All the greater the shock then, when this luxuriously and profligately original masterwork, a veritable new Odyssey, re-established the genre at a stroke. The story starts quietly, and even a little childishly, in the Shire of the hobbits, who are quite English and very much the sort of creation that an Englishman of the Midlands would create, although they are not an allegory of the English (I speak as a Midlander). Events rapidly gather pace and the serious and high nature of the quest becomes apparent, the great master-ring created by Sauron being in the seemingly accidental possession of one Frodo Baggins, hobbit-at-large. The Ring is too terrible a weapon to be mastered for good and used against Sauron, yet the Lord of the Rings is utterly set on claiming it back. Therefore, hard though the thought is, the weapon that is the Ring must be destroyed. A trusty band, a fellowship, of adventurers must be assembled to carry out the quest. There are many subtleties in this book, and the characters are not all they seem. The heroes of the fellowship have mixed motives, Boromir especially. The climax of the Fellowship of the Ring largely revolves around the chaos caused by the Boromir's inner dilemma and his unwise actions. Even Gollum the sneak is not yet entirely bad and has the occasional good impulse. As if the Black Riders and hordes of orcs were not bad enough the story breaks off with a classical cliff-hanger, as the quest must go on even though the fellowship be riven by argument and conflict. As the plots and sub-plots multiply so does the tension. A must read?, to be sure. More than once, certainly. But not before the next two installments...
Rating:
Summary: The Fellowship of the Ring
Review: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, is a fantasy focusing on a hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins. Frodo is the favorite nephew of his Uncle Bilbo Baggins, the legendary hobbit who set foot upon the most storied journey of all hobbit folklore. Bilbo's story is told in The Hobbit, which is considered the prelude to this trilogy. Near the end of Bilbo's travels he came upon the most powerful ring in all of the land, known as the Ring of Power. Being Bilbo's favorite relative, Frodo inherited the Ring, among various other items, when Bilbo decided to "retire" and move to a different land after his 111th birthday. Frodo had known of the Ring through stories relayed by Bilbo, however he learned all that was to be known of the Ring from the mighty wizard, Gandalf the Grey. What Frodo discovered was that very little was known of the One and that its mystery was only exceeded by its power. Gandalf told of the very evil implications about the Ring and that the dark Sauron was in pursuit of the One. Frodo must set foot on a journey to dispose of the Ring in the only place which it can be destroyed at the very center of Sauron's evil kingdom in Mordor atop Mt. Doom. Frodo is joined initially by his faithful servant, Sam, along with Gandalf. Along the travels, the crew encounters several new characters and conquests, both advantageous and perilous and is continuously having new light shone on the mystery of the Ring and the true meanings of the journey. This book is the classic story of Good versus Evil. This book is a must-read to a fan of anything adventurous, classical, magical, mythological, or fantastical. The one aspect that really sets this book apart from the pack is Tolkien's excellent language and diction. His language is very descriptive, yet to-the-point. The reader can see what is happening without actually viewing the actions. Tolkien's language is very poetic and would be better served had the book been printed in calligraphy. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will hit the big screen in successive Christmases starting in 2001 with The Fellowship of the Ring. However, this story is sure to be far better using one's own imagination rather than the impressions of someone else. Read the book before seeing the movie.
Rating:
Summary: The best fantasy novel ever.
Review: I'm really tired of the Fellowship getting a bad rap, even by Tolkien enthusiasts. "Too slow and not enough action", I've heard, "the weakest book in the trilogy". Huh? What about the pursuit of the hobbits by the Nazgul, the Flight to the Ford, the tentacled monster at the gates to Moria and the battle at the bridge with an army of orcs and the Balrog? That's NOT action?!? And the so-called "slow parts" happen to be the most magical moments in the history of English literature. The pastoral beauty of Hobbiton, the House of Tom Bombadil, Lothlorien...people are actually COMPLAINING about these!?!? Being an English major, I've read a lot of so-called 'classics' and nothing, save Shakespeare has ever come close to Tolkien's powers of imagination.
Rating:
Summary: I take back my words!
Review: My old review: I tried to read this book. But it was just too boring. This is too lighthearted and childish for my taste. But I honestly tried to read the book that everyone calls a classic. Maybe I've been spoiled by George RR Martin and Dorothy Dunnett, but I can't take this. I read the books again, and I love them.
Rating:
Summary: A magical journey
Review: As a lover of Science Fiction and a moderate consumer of fantasy, this book easily ranks up there with the best either has to offer. Dune and Ender's Game being personal favorites, this book offers elements that were never attained in either of the aforementioned. In particular, the details with which Tolkein encapsulated the true settings and feelings of places and characters is unmatched. Like another reviewer remarked, I have to agree that this novel was not written to give the reader a symbolic hidden message underneath the beauty of his writing, but rather entertain the reader with a land of magic and fantastical delight. I have yet to read a novel where i thought it would be astonishing to see how a movie could be made based on this. I am afraid that there is no way possible a movie will encompass what Tolkein has created and that those who fall victim to exchanging the reading for the viewing of the movie will be at a loss. Simply wonderful.
Rating:
Summary: The Fellowship of the Ring
Review: I was never into the sci fi, fantisy types of books so I thought I would try something different. Im glad I did, I feel that most avid readers should at least give the fellowship of the ring a try, it may not be for everyone but once you get into the world of Tolkien it is very hard to let go. I felt that I lived inside the book and I never wanted to leave. I have started The Two Towers (Part 2 of the lord of the rings) and it is even better. I dont know what I will do when I am finished the third book I dont think I will ever want the journey to end. Give the fellowship of the rings a chance even if you think you dont like this type of writing but im sure you will!!
Rating:
Summary: Not Harrry Potter
Review: I would just like to say I resent the Harry Potter books being called Tolkeinesque because they're completely different. My three favorite book series are all fantasy- The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Prydain Chronicles. The Lord of the rings is an amazing saga of good and evil. Harry Potter is a great lighthearted and witty mystery series set in a 'modern' wizard school. The Prydain Chronicles (the best books ever written) use wisdom, ideals, attitudes, and witty dialogue while at the same time completely but perfectly believably changing the main character from reckless boy to wise man as he discovers the truth about himself and being a hero. No one is the same as the others. Never, ever, say that Harry Potter is Tolkeinesque again!
Rating:
Summary: The adventure begins.
Review: Beginning where the Hobbit left off, The Fellowship of the Ring begins the Lord of the Rings adventure by having the true nature of Gollum's ring revealed. Frodo must leave the Shire, his quiet life disrupted by the agents of Sauron. No matter how many times I read this book, I am never bored and never tired of it. A fantasy/adventured unparalleled in its mixture of high adventure and personal moments.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: My entire life I had a set of Tolkien books sitting on a book shelf in my house. This set contained 4 books: "The Hobbit", and the three books of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. On a few occassions I told myself that I had to read these books, since I knew that they were known as the best fantasy books ever. I started "The Hobbit" on a few occasions but never could get past the first chapter because it starts quite slow. However, once you get into that book you will not be able to put it down. The same is true for "The Fellowship of the Ring", the first book of the trilogy. I would suggest reading "The Hobbit" first so that you know the background. This book is the greatest book that I have ever read, and I feel quite confident that the next installment (I just started it) will be even better. This book is simply amazing. If you like fantasy or you are a Star Wars fan or you just like to be inspired, this is the book for you. This book takes you into a dream world, yet the world is not unlike the world we know. There are many similarities. Please read it...and enjoy!!!
|
