Rating: 
Summary: Not All Classics Are Good
Review: Get this into your head, all you detail-loving syphilis infected fiends: NOT ALL CLASSICS ARE GOOD. Just because this is a "timeless classic", doesn't mean you have to enjoy it. I started this book, and I couldn't stand it. I stopped on about page forty...which, in my version, was about page 10. Way too much detail. This book is lugubrious and boring. I can't stand it; I tried to enjoy it. I even started reading it again a few months ago. But it's just too damn detailed. I can't stand it. Remember: NOT ALL CLASSICS ARE GOOD. I can't believe this was rated with 4.5 stars. NO disrepected to JRR, but...too much detail. This book could have easily been 100 pages long.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I guess a little over two years ago I saw the Fellowship movie, and I was blown away and went out the next day to buy the boxed set...I mean, if the movie was that good, the book must be ten times better right? WRONG! The Hobbit was pretty decent; I finished that in a few days. Then I started Fellowship. After 150 pages I couldn't take it anymore! I put it back in the box and forgot about it. I made a second attempt a year later, but only made it to page 50. I am now on my third attempt and I am GOING to finish it this time because it's driving me MAD. Now, it's not that it's not a good story. I respect Tolkien for his imagination and creativity. You can tell that he put his whole soul into this book and you can't bash someone's soul (reason for the 3 stars...), but clearly, not everybody's souls match up, so to speak. Personally, I like to feel a certain degree of empathy for characters in a story. I don't care how many leaves the 52nd tree to the north has, but I would like care about the characters. This book leaves you identifying more with topography and three page long descriptions of sunsets and such than with the characters. And I don't understand what the deal with the songs are. I hope they aren't that important because I just skip them. Derry dol, Merry dol, who cares? Jeez. Obviously, there are people who like this book, and if you're the type of person who likes to be given vast descriptions of things for the neurons in your brain to construct, then you should get this. Maybe you will even feel something for the characters. Everyone's different, otherwise this book would be as beloved as it is. If you would rather read something that moves you and stirs empathy, then go for something else. I haven't said anything new, but I need to suggestion this: I made assumptions and wasted $30 on a boxed set that I will probably never finish. PLEASE don't buy the boxed set! Just buy the first book to see if you like it, and then if you don't, you won't feel OBLIGED to read them like I do. (I guess I just have OCD or something. LOL I feel like I can't buy any other books til I read these.)
Rating:
Summary: Details, details...
Review: I searched high and low for depth in this book. I looked in the dialogue between characters, naively thinking that sooner or later they had to betray something profound in their speech, something to intellectually justify this work's existence. I looked in the actions, the adventures, the songs - and I have concluded that Tolkien's epic, while engrossing and undoubtedly creative, lacks any real substance. When I read a piece of literature, I look for richness both in detail and in relevance to the human struggle. And though a central focus of this book and The Lord of the Rings in general is the ancient struggle between good and evil, this struggle is too often lost in Tolkien's obsessive detail. For instance, the second chapter of the first book and its significance is the reason I rated this book 3 of 5; it chronicles the struggle between good and evil, and for a moment drew me in, as though I was vested in Frodo's dire business. But soon after, the narrative of the book becomes overburdened with elf-chants and adventures that are compounded by Tolkien's linguistically savvy but stylistically flawed prose. The narrative maintained my interest, but barely. I prefer literature that makes me think; but Fellowship of the Ring does not make me think - everything I would possibly need to know about it is immediately obvious at a glance.
Rating: 
Summary: Often Imitated, but never duplicated
Review: Before I start I have to say that this series has to be the best, and most imaginative ever written. Tolkien's storyline is rich, his characters are deep, and his world incredibly detailed. Therein lies the problem. While I do love the story, the books tend to drag. Tolkien had a great fondness for convoluted stories, thus you have a great amount of extraneous information. There are characters that have no real plot value (which is fine as long as you don't spend much time on them). He also spends too much time on character development at times. I don't like to spend so much time singing songs, reading poems, or perusing the menu...bring on the Nazgul!!! I think this book should be required reading for school writing courses however. At the very least it must be respected as the prototype work for the entire fantasy genre. As much as I love the story however, (I read the series at least once a year) this is one of the rare occations where I feel the movie was more entertaining than the book. Sorry to all of the die hard Tolkien fans out there, but it does tend to get tedious in places...
Rating:
Summary: Great book of the century
Review: Plain and simple, this is one of the greatest masterpieces of literature on the planet. No author has gone to so much work to creat a practical world, 5+ languages, histories of characters, and many maps for this world. Tolkien provides a thrilling story to read. Although the detail is often boring it is worth reading for the rest of the book is exciting and interesting. It also helps reading the book before the movie, you'll appreciate the movie alot more. Characters are so detailed and lovable (or hateable) that you love to read about them. Again the detail is worth it, it lets you believe you are in this created world and that it does truly exist. All in all, the book is in the top 10 of fantasy books written and should be in the top 50 of books of all time. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: Jud's Review on the Fellowship
Review: The Dark Lord has returned. He seeks the Ring he forged 2,000 years ago, holding within the small golden band the power to enslave the world. All he must do is find it. This is the precise situation that the people of Middle Earth had to go through in the Fellowship of the Ring the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is one of the best books I have ever read. In this epic fantasy, the reader will experience breathtaking danger, overwhelming suspense, and beautifully created worlds. From the dark halls of Moria, to the Enchanted Golden Woods of Lothlorien, the reader watches Frodo Baggins and eight companions, on their journey to destroy the one ring. This can only be accomplished by throwing it into the fires of Mount. Doom, located at the heart of the Dark Lord's territory. The Fellowship of the Ring has exceptional fighting skills, and a strong will, but neither of these are enough to ward off the evil amongst them, and it won't be long until the lust for the Ring is so great, that the members of the Fellowship cannot resist it, and crave it for themselves. What will Frodo do when this happens? The answer to this question, and the fate of Middle Earth will be revealed in the next books, The Two Towers, and finally, The Return of the King. By: Jud
Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Review: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a very good book. It starts out in Hobbiton of the Shire, where Frodo lives. His uncle, Bilbo, who just turned 111, tells him to go on a quest to destroy the ring of power. This is the ring that gives the dark lord all of the power to rule all of the middle earth. He is sent off, with a few companions, to bring it to the same place it was made, Mt. Doom of Mordor. Along the way he encounters many obstacles, sometimes almost killing frodo. The ring has much power, one power being when the bearer puts it on he will become invisible. Frodo
is very tempted to use this power, but he later decides not to use it because when the ring is on, the enemy can sense where he is and find him and take the ring back. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who likes to read Fantasy/Adventure books.
Rating:
Summary: Frodos Long Journey to the Fire of the Ring
Review: The lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Rings by j. r .r . Tolkein. It is an awesome story about a hobbit that receives a ring from his Uncle Bilbo Baggins and has to leave the village because the ringwraiths are after a hobbit and especially the ring.
As Frodo is on his journey he brings along other hobbits. After Frodo is attacked he has help and is taken somewhere. Before he goes any further, more people come along and helps him out. As they are traveling they go in a cave and fight all these goblins to get out. Now they are out on the field fighting and almost everyone dies for Frodo so he can get to the fire then travels down into the land of Shadow.
The book is very long but is so exiting and fun to read. I think this because I can read this particular book without going away and not reading it again. It was hard to read were there was a lot going on but the book is so interesting it makes you want to read it.
My favorite part of the book is were there is war in the beginning was started by a king who made the best ring out of the fire and people were fighting for it because it had power over all. When the war started there was a whole lot of rings that only the most powerful of all held. About 15 rings were on the earth. Before this time there was a story of Frodos uncle of how he got the ring. He passed it down to Frodo because his days were almost gone and he couldn't live with it because soon or later someone would find him and kill him.
I found something very interesting about the book but I must not say. It happens all in just one day. I convince you to read this book, one, it would give you something to do and you can do all your project off of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Obsession Started
Review: I read this book after its first movie installment. Movie is not my passion and usually I watch movies after its peak period (when the price is slightly lower). This time the wave of The Fellowship of the Ring was taking the world like a hurricane. After deep thought, I made some seriously weird attempt. Read the books first then buy the DVD.
The first chapter is very inviting. The Long Expected Party is sure a very delightful time for both the characters and readers. The songs are simple yet charming. Then the journeys began and I was drifted inside the Tolkein's fantasy. Long and breath-taking.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible fantasy
Review: This book takes you and keeps you in untill you put it down. It's a awsome story of friendship and adventure. J.R.R. Tolken does a beautiful job in describing Middle Earth and in devolping the characters in this book. When i read this book i couldn't put it down for hours. It's exciting and a great way to pass time.
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