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Summary: A small Hero on a quest of EPIC proportions.
Review: Frodo Baggins was a simple Hobbit with a normal life, until he was chosen to be the heir of Bilbo, a Hobbit with a long history, and inherits an evil ring that will send him on a quest that was started long ago. On his quest he faces many dangers and meets many friends that accompany him, including an old wizard named Gandalf who seems to have started the whole quest; Sam and Merry, two Hobbits with very little taste for adventure; Strider, a Ranger with an Elven lineage, and many more people whom he befriends. During the entire journey he travels out of the boundaries of his home, the Shire, and ends up in cursed forests, abondoned Orc camps, great Dwarven and Elven cities, and a dark kingdom where he must destroy the ring which could give the dark prince the power to bring all the other rings of power together and rule Middle-Earth, destroying all good with in it. This book is for only the most serious fantasy and adventure fans because you must understand a lot about fantasies, Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and Wizards. This book is the first in a three-part story that will leave you wanting to know what the author has in store for our heroes.
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Summary: A Great (if a tad slow) beginning to the best fantasy series
Review: Let's get one thing straight: Tolkien is the man, and Lord of the Rings will never be surpassed in the fantasy genre. That being said, if I had to pick the worst book in the trilogy, fellowship would be it. For me personally, I just felt that maybe Tolkien got a tad caught up in telling the adventure of Frodo and his companions on their way to Rivendell. It seemed to me that some of these passages (while well written) could have been left out without the overall story suffering. For example, Old Man Tree eating them, and the whole side tracked journey into the forest, things like that. Yes, I realize it was all done to build the suspense of the blackriders chasing them, but it just seemed too much to me, with two thirds of the book being devoted to it. All this said, Fellowship still excels when it comes to well-drawn characters and first-class world-building. And by the last hundred pages, it is clear that the reader has only just embarked on what will be a truly amazing adventure. Fellowship may be the slowest in the trilogy, but I'll take a slow Tolkien book over any book written by contemporary fantasy writers any day.
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Summary: good book for the most part
Review: For most of the book I greatly enjoyed it. There were times it made me feel like a kid again. Tolkien's characters are all well developed. ontop of that middle earth is very well mapped out. My problem with the book is it's more of one giant book broken down in to three parts. After reading the fellowship there is no resolution. the last 100 pages are fairly uneventful. The beginning of the two towers should have been the ending the fellowship. There could than have been a cliif-hanger ending. When the movie comes out the films visuals will no doubt be it's strong suit,but the ending is weak and will have trouble bringing back people to buy tickets.
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Summary: Where Tolkien led all other's have followed
Review: Obviously with Tolkien, it's all been said before, but having just re-read Lord of the Rings again I felt inspired to add my bit. I cannot think of another author in any genre who has put in the same about of work and passion into the background for his or her novel. Tolkien not only create a completely believable universe in the form of Middle-Eart, he create languages, a history, politics and religion unparalleled in complexity or scope. Lord of the Rings is the template from which almost all subsequent fantasy has been cut. It doesn't take a lot to see the parallels between Goodkind and Jordan's first novels and Tolkiens, the exhausting flight in the face of deadly and unexpected danger, the reluctant hero and even the black riders in the case of Jordan. So compelling and complete is Tolkien's dominance of this genre that it will take another genius of his calibre to truly innovate in every respect. With the film's of the same name fothcoming over the next three years I would recommend everyone get a copy a read or re-read what has to rank as one of the greatest works of literature produced in the last century to see if Peter Jackson can truly bring to life the majesty of Tolkien's world.
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Summary: I started reading the classics, tad disappointed, try Dune
Review: Last year, I thought I'd go through and read the top Sci Fi and Fantasy classics and compare. I started with Clarke's 2001 a Space Odessey, Asimov's Foundation, continued with the Tolkien's Hobbit and Herbert's Dune. Don't get me wrong, Tolkien is a master, and I loved this book, but I thought it was very slow, and very little action. The best book ever as some have said? I thought Dune by Frank Herbert was a much more intriguing read, with much more "depth" but still, I'm glad I read it as it was enjoyable and I want to read the other books. I just didn't "blow me away" as it did other readers. Maybe I'm shallow, but I failed to see the signifigance. Tolkien sometimes puts too much in the journey, and not enough problems for characters to deal with. I liked the Hobbit MUCH more, though I understand the series continues and isn't finished. I would still recommend you read it, but try your hand at Dune first.
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Summary: --- A True Classic ---
Review: Tolkien's masterful writing not only tells you a story but also practically takes you to the world in which he created: Middle-earth. In exploring his first book of the LOR series, I really noticed how much care he put into creating his characters and blending them into the most realistic world I have ever seen in a fantasy novel. This book gave me many sleepless nights and had an end that made me itch to read the next book. It's no wonder why the LOR series has been a classic for many decades now.
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Summary: The best fantasy series, if not the best books, period
Review: Nobody has surpassed Lord of the Rings. Read it and you'll see. Tolkien spent decades creating the backdrop for the story, a tale that literally fills volumes and is also well worth reading (Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales I & II, Lost Tales (all volumes)). SF/fantasy writers today could learn something from this astounding amount of preparation. A true masterpiece.
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Summary: Transcending the Genre He Created
Review: to all who have never read this book, and to all who have found it boring, I am forced to tell you I couldn't care less. To those of you who find the books rich in symbolism, let me just say that Tolkien despised symbolism, and allegory, and other tricks writers use to inspire depth in their works. tolkien simply wrote and let his works stand for themselves. while current fantasy readers are inclined towards the "brute force" angles of fantasy, in which mighty wizards throw fireballs all day long and retire on dragonback at the end of the day(Jordan and Goodkind, I AM talking to you!), Tolkien created a world in which power is wielded with care, the meek overcome the mighty through humane virtue, and magic itself is falling into darkness. this is a parable of our times, fantasy or no, and it pains me that Tolkien's works have been relegated to the realm of Jordan and Terry Brooks: his place is in high literature. if you hate fantasy, it doesn't matter- savor his words, cry for the woes he shows you, marvel at the depth of his imagination. just don't dismiss his work as fantasy; he deserves better than that. as I said, the works stand for themselves.
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Summary: Just stick with it...
Review: One of the major comments you will hear about this book is that it is a bit slow getting started. But hang in there and get through the set up; its SO worth it! Even the parts of the book characterized as slow are useful; this exposition helps immerse you into Middle Earth, which is one of the more common positive comments you will read about here in the reviews. Reading LOTR is a commitment, treating it like a weekend novel will result in disappointment. But when you are on the edge of your seat as the fog closes in on the hobbits on the Barrow-Downs, or letting the phone ring off the hook, forgotten, as Glorfindel urges his horse to flee with Frodo on its back at the attack of the Ringwraiths at the Ford of Brunien, you will be glad you took the time to do it right. Enjoy!
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Summary: Tolkien IS the Master of High Fantasy
Review: He is the Shakespeare and Homer of the 20th century. He takes a genre once associated only with acne-faced teenage boys and elevates it to literary excellence. His selection as Writer of the Century was well-deserved to say the least. Written mostly during Europe's WWII years, the symbolism of that war lies heavily in his novels (See especially "The Scouring of the Shire" chapter in Vol. 3 "The Return of the King") His epic story has a background color and richness that rarely exists in today's literary works. He built his own languages from the syllables on up, his appendices and notes lend depth and history to his works, he is truly the only fantasy write to literally create a world. Every sentence that spills from the mouths of his characters hints at a world that we are only scratching the surface of. The poetry and lore that his characters express hint at the many volumes that Tolkien could have written if time would have allowed it. Rarely have I seen a fantasy writer who could put such a large amount of high quality verse and rhyme into their works. Almost every fantasy author of the last 30 years must tip their hat in Tolkien's direction. I have yet to find a noteable fantasy author who didn't mention Tolkien in their list of inspiring/influencing authors. I can only hope that on the eve of the long awaited Lord of the Rings movies that would-be Tolkien Cinema fans take the time to read the epic fantasy saga that made the movies possible.
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