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Summary: And So Begins Our Greatest Adventure...
Review: I can't claim to have seen or experienced every major artistic work we have in our world, but after having stared at Van Goghs and Picassos, gazed at Michaelangelo's "David" and read practically everything I could get my hands on I can honestly say that at this point in my life I feel J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy to be the single most creative thing to come out of a human being's mind, ever. It is more than a masterpiece. If you read one novel in your entire life, let it be this one. It has everything: Legends and monsters, kings and princesses, friendship, love, hate, gentle humor, huge battles, small heartbreaks, captures, escapes, life, death, heroes, heroines, a truly great villian and one ring to tie them all together. As I see it, there are three kinds of great books: First, the kind that enables you to visualize the people and places you are reading about, secondly, the kind that are so vivid you feel like you are watching a movie, and thirdly, the rarest and most special kind, where you are THERE, watching things happen to people you know and care about. "Lord of the Rings" is such a book. Due to the huge popularity of Peter Jackson's films, most of you already know the plot, so I won't bother with that. If you haven't read the book, well of course it is better than the movies (books almost always are) but more importantly it is essential, and absolute must. Buy it, take it home, lock yourself in a closet and prepare to be blown away.
GRADE: A+
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Summary: The best literary work ever!
Review: It's a literary masterpiece. You start out in a small village called Hobbitton, and follow the heroes to the rest of a prehistoric world. I felt like I was reading an unusually detailed and interesting piece of history, and going with the characters. It left me wondering, happy, and very entertained.
An ancient evil is bound to a ring, that can only be destroyed in the lava of the mountian it was made. The ring passed from one person to another, into the hands of a hobbit, Frodo Baggins. Hobbits are human like creatures with simple pleasures and brave hearts. Frodo was attacked and then a fellowship was formed to protect him. The fellowship broke into various groups, each having their own parts to play. They meet friends and enemies, travel various locations, learn songs and their world's history.
There's lots of war in this book. The characters are fun and real, dramatic and beautiful. There's a fair amount of humor for a war story. It's a bit confusing the first time you read it because it so intricate and complex. To better understand it, read "The Silmarillion": the history of Middle Earth. Enjoy!
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Summary: An Outstanding Edition of a Classic Work
Review: Tolkien's Lord of the Rings works are the unparalleled mantra of the fantasy genre, absolute must-read material. Persons desiring to just read and enjoy these volumes may get along fine with a paperback edition. However, those fans who desire a beautifully presented, quality hardcover version of the works can do no better than to acquire this particular edition. The Lord of The Rings is a work that defined the genre and set the stage for many, many other fantasy writers that followed. Dr. Tolkien's intent was to present the work not as an isolated telling of tales but rather as a historical recounting of events as they occurred within the context of his extensive mythological universe. Although such a statement may make one disposed to thinking the mateiral will be bland, it is in fact one of the most complex, colorful, engrossing fantasy journeys one can hope to find. Characters of diverse fantastical races with immense depth and personal motivations strive against an all-encompassing, ancient, and singular evil. Their efforts are painted against a world so resplendent in its detail and authenticity that readers cannot be blamed for becoming lost in its descriptions. No greater work of fantasy fiction can be found. The added appeal of this particular edition is the inclusion of fifty watercolor paintings from reknowned Tolkien artist Alan Lee. Though Tolkien's written words are more than enough to germinate the seed of imagination in any readers mind, it is interesting to see his world through Mr. Lee's brushstrokes particularly considering Alan's painintings and talents were used to great effect is bringing The Lord of The Rings to life in Peter Jackson's recent films. In one particular example, Alan's rendition of the valley of Rivendell is recreated in the film almost detail-for-detail, breathing three-dimensional life into his painted work, and it's very satisfying, certainly for fans of both artist and author. Again, for the discriminating fan, this is an exceptional volume to add to your Tolkien library, one that should bring a new element of enjoyment to your next reading of Dr. Tolkien's classic work.
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Summary: amazing
Review: The way that J.R.R. Tolkien can create the entire world of Middle Earth in your mind is breath-taking. So far, I am reading the Two Towers and I cannot put the book down. I recommend that you read the Hobbit (also by J.R.R. Tolkien) to understand things. For example, it would help you understand how Bilbo acquired the ring and how Sauron, the evil lord of Mordor, created the ring of power. READ THE HOBBIT OR YOU WILL BE COMPLETELY LOST IN THE BOOKS. This book is meant to distinguish good between evil, so read it to your children and let them read it. No harm will be done. I believe it is 1,008 pages, but well worth the time and trouble. If it is confusing I recommend you read it over again. The Lord of the Rings is most likely the best trilogy written in the world. I hope you enjoy and I hope you have fun.
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Summary: Still the best fantasy novel to date
Review: Reading Tolkien's fantasy novel is not only imaginative, but also very well written. All his words flow in a smooth, simple way and the book never gets boring. What I really loved about this novel was the characters. Gandalf the wizard seems to be, not only my favorite, but the most well devoloped character in the whole entire trilogy. He's very wise and always expresses his ideas and opinions on certain problems happening around the company. He's not your typical wizard though. There's something about Gandalf that intruges me. Well one thing is for sure, a psychologist would love to analyze this guy's personality. He seems to have a personality "too real" for a fantasy novel. And that's probably one of the many reasons why I consider this fantasy novel to be the best to date.
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Summary: This audio versions (isn't good)!
Review: My husband and I took this audio version (Amazon calls it the Minds Eye, but the publisher is Soundelux) of LOTR with us on a long road trip and had to stop listening to it before long, because it was so annoying. I love the books and the movies, but do yourself a favor and buy a different version. Frodo and Bilbo voices sound reasonable, but most of the other characters have weird voices. For example Sam sounds like a little boy (although, maybe his part is read by a woman?), Strider has the voice of an old time radio hero (you know that "hear I come to to save the day type voice"). Actually, the whole thing sounds like an old radio version, which wouldn't have been bad, if it was done better. Plus the actors aren't really that good, so the mood isn't conveyed properly.
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Summary: Excellent edition
Review: We recently built very nice maple bookshelves for our living-room and I just couldn't bring myself to put my 20+ year old paper-back copies of The Lord of Rings on the new shelves, so I purchsed this handsom edition along with a copy of the Hobbit, both in artificial leather. After receiving them, I decided I couldn't just put them on the self like some show trinkets and started to read them (for the ninth time). Overall, this is a great edition. The paper feels good and it's great having all six books in one volume. There were some inking errors but they were minor. I also found that the size of the volume definitely makes it a book to be enjoyed at home (in a living-room with new book shelves and a warm fire is perfect); I have to admit, whenever I wanted to read outside of the house, I took my old paerbacks with the torn covers - they're simply more portable. For all Tolkien fans (and there are now more than ever) who want an edition worth keeping for years, this is it.
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Summary: LOTR
Review: This is a wonderful book, and is advised to readers, as bed times stories, to serious studies. I highly recommend this book to readers who like adventers and fantasy
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Summary: Perfection in Leather Bindings
Review: JRR Tolkien has managed to set the standard for perfection in storytelling. This is the best story I have ever read. I highly recommend this to all readers. Read it yourself, read it to your children, use any reason to read it, but read it. Even if you have seen the films, you should still read the books. They can't match the skill and art put into the written form. This edition is in the higher price range because it is a leather bound edition. This is for the bigger Tolkien fans. I know it is in my wish list.
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Summary: Lord of The Rings - Audio version
Review: This audio version is TERRIBLE. The narrator sounds like a failed game show host. Frodo is flat, lifeless and reminds one of limp lettuce that has been in the fridge for too long. Very dissapointing after hearing the BBC version of "The Hobbit". This doesn't even come close to quality entertainment.
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