Rating: 
Summary: Wow!
Review: Just an average reader who loved the Lord of the Rings and then found this little wonder which explained and clarified lots of things I found confusing in Tolkien. It worked so well I went back and re-read Rings again, this time thoroughly enjoying and understanding everything. Highly recommended for both the curious as well as those who want to know more in a fun and interesting way.
Rating: 
Summary: Crib Notes for the Movie LOTR Fan
Review: Subtitled The Amazing Myths, Legends, and Facts Behind the Masterpiece, this book was obviously put together with the audience in mind that has been only now exposed to Tolkien's work through the latest film treatment. For instance, the final chapter discusses Frodo's actions in Mordor and since Peter Jackson, at least, has not put his vision of this on the silver screen, the chapter is segmented off as a "spoiler." Author David Colbert knows how to do these books, as he wrote the successful The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter. However, even the would-be Tolkien scholar and hardcore fan with well-worn and well-known copies of all the books will find this tome interesting. The index, bibliography and glossary make for handy entrances to the book, laid out like an encyclopedia. Colbert initially places the Tolkien mythology into the greater sphere of ancient European and Near Eastern mythology. This is pretty tenuous and could be good fodder for heated debate among those that appreciate Joseph Campbell as much as J. R. R. Tolkien. The inspiration from Tolkien's knowledge of ancient English and North European lore is well-trodden ground for the initiated, but this presents it in an easy to read manner with plenty of line drawings that will be entertaining for any reader, whether they just saw the movie or can quote Gandalf chapter and verse.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting "behind-the-pages" look at Lord of the Rings!"
Review: The Magical World of the Lord of the Rings reveals many of the inspirations and real-life stories behind Tolkien's trilogy. As with most contemporary sci-fi/fantasy movies or series, this trilogy was based on many different myths and legends that inspired Tolkien (many being of Scandinavian origin). Although it may be filled with info that hard-core fans already know of (most of the references are taken from other biographies of Tolkien and the trilogy), this book is likely suitable for fans who have become recently interested in the books and/or movies, or those long-terms fans who may not know as much of the trilogy's "story-behind-the-story" as they thought.Being a fan of these books since I was a kid, when I first picked this up at the airport I assumed it was likely loaded with background info that I already knew; and that only the casual "movie-going" fans weren't aware of. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the content and stories revealed about the series that I did not know - for instance, that the scene in "the Hobbit" concerning Bilbo's discovery of the Ring was originally different - before Tolkien decided to follow up "the Hobbit" (originally intended more as a children's book) with the more sophisticated LOTR trilogy. Tolkien came up with a creative and plausible reason for the modification to "the Hobbit" that fit into the overall storyline of LOTR. Overall, this should be an interesting and enjoyable read for fans of the series. Some readers may feel a bit cheated by a pretty quick-paced, large-worded, read for $13.00; however, I was personally surprised by the amount of content included within the pages. Though the chapters were short, they were concisely written, and seemed just about right for the subjects they dealt with. The author could have made the chapters longer to make the book seem more worth the money, but I don't think this would necessarily have made the book any better - just longer. I found this an entertaining and enjoyable read, and I recommend it. I also learned a lot more about the interesting legends and fables, themselves, that LOTR was based on. Further, I'll even admit that I liked the book well enough to consider buying the "behind-the-pages" book on Harry Potter; even though I have yet to read a single Harry Potter book or see the movies. Even though this isn't a classic (and I'm not sure I'd call it "amazing"), I give it 5 stars as I think it hits the mark on what it was shooting for - an interesting and even educational read (as well as an easy one) about one the most influential series out there.
Rating:
Summary: A real treat for fans and newcomers
Review: This put quite simply is a great book. It's easy to read, very user friendly, and don't be put off by the fact that it is just over 165 pages.
Fans of Tolkein (myself included) will enjoy this book tremendously for several reasons.
1) It's bang up to date, and incorporates comparisons between the new movies, and the original text
2) It's fairly chronological in helping even the newest visitor to Tolkeins World's, gain some understanding
3) It's unbiased, unopinionated, and objective in its explanations.
But above and beyond all of this it is one of the few recent books that has NOT fallen into what I refer to as "shameless commercialism". Whether you know all of Tolkeins works backwards, or have only seen the recent hit movies - this will help you enjoy one of the finest works of fiction of the 20th Century (and it was others far more eminent than me who said that). I first read the Hobbit in 1975 and have been a fan of Tolkein ever since, but since the enormous success of the wonderful recent and upcoming movies have been saddened by the seemingly endless line of "experts" offering in depth and (in their opinion) inciteful explanations as to the mind, the work, and the "hidden" messages of Tolkeins texts. There are a lot of worthless products out there at the moment simply trying to cash in and ride the gravy train - I'm happy to recommend this book, as NOT one of them. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Draws together insights from other works of fiction & fable
Review: Tolkien's epic fantasies deserve a strong reader's supplement, and David Colbert's Magical Worlds Of Lord Of The Rings will appeal to any teen interested in the folklore and legends behind his Middle Earth worlds. From Finnish sagas to Shakespeare and King Arthur, Magical Worlds Of Lord Of The Rings draws together insights from other works of fiction and fable to lend added depth to Tolkien's creation.
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