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Summary: Bored of the Rings??????? NEVER!
Review: This is one of those books which can be read time and time again.Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS (or perhaps better known by its separate titles The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King)is one of the greatest literary achievements of all time. For those who look upon this as a simple fantasy with elves, dwarves, goblins (a/k/a orcs)and of course hobbits, they miss the greatest part of the story. Tolkien has fashioned a timeless tale of humanity within a world of his own creation. LOTR is an epic, more telling, more indicative of human behavior than any of those epics which are considered part of serious literature. Richly detailed, the book evokes simple themes of bravery, good versus evil, love, magic, wonder and loss while treating the characters not as simple fantasy stereotypes, but as complex individuals. The struggle of good and evil, temptation, fall and redemption is presented marvelously throughout and Tolkien's keen abilities for both prosaic and poetic expression make this a story to remember. The final chapter of the book is one that will remain in thought for a long time. I have read LOTR many times and it is a treasure.
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Summary: Another Great By Tolkien
Review: If you love Tolkien's writing you have to read this book. If you haven't read The Hobbit I would highly reccomend it since it is the first book before The Lord Of The Rings. Tolkien gives great vivid description and great detail. Very exciting story and so beautifully written. Read this book if you are stuck on a deserted island.
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Summary: All other books bow to the Lord of the Rings!
Review: This whole review is going to be one of the most understated reviews ever written. First of all, this is my favorite book in the world, and I have read many books. Lord of the Rings, the sequel to The Hobbit, was hands-down the greatest work of fiction ever written, and I will read it again and again, and bless my children by reading it to them. I'm not kidding when I say, "You HAVE to read this book!"
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Summary: you haven't lived till you've read this
Review: This is the best book ever, on many levels. I first read it 5 years ago and have read 10 times since. It is one of those books that gets better with each read. The first time your read it, it may be boring in the beginning, although I thoroughly enjoyed characters like Bombadil and Butterbur. But whne you reach the last sentence, you will want to turn back tot eh first page and start all over again. After the first read, LOTR begins to take on many forms. It can be read for the story, for the writing style, for the characters, for the languages, for the love of Middle-earth and for Tolkien's genius in showing all these things to us. For me, most amazing thing about this book was the way in which Tolkien has made Middle-earth real to us. Although he was not the first to try and presnt fantasy as reality, no one has done it better. The appendixes wiht full dates and family trees are very impreswsive. The languages are definately real. In fact, I have found elements of Hebrew and Persian in the Dwarf-speech, with different spellings(Baruch has become Baruk). I have been entirely captivated by the reality of middle-earth, to the point of having LOTR dreams at night after reading it. To end this review I wish to present a quotation from Peter S, Beagle's review of this book:"For in the end it is middle-earth and its dwellers we love, not Tolkien's considerable gifts in showing it to us. I said once that the world he charts was there long before him, and I still beleive it. He is a great enough magician to tap our most common nightmares, daydreams and twilight fancies, but he never invented them either: he found them a place to live, a green alternative to each day's madness here in a poisoned world. We are raised to honor all the worng explorers and discoverers-thieves planting flags,murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams."
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Summary: Simply brilliant
Review: There is nothing I can say except of "read it, live through it and then read it again and again", because this is a tale of all tales and to read it is almost as important as to breath. Enjoy...
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Summary: Wonderful work, Poor Recording
Review: I bought this CD version of TLOTR in order to introduce the story to my wife as we went on a road trip from Texas to Colorado a few years ago. Although both this and The Hobbit were true to the original story, the dramatization (apparently done by the BBC) was poor and lacked emotion. The audio value is bad, with volume problems. The music was at best loud, at worse bothersome. Still, we listened to it, and my wife was introduced to two classics of literature. (this review is for the boxed, CD recording of the books)
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Summary: Whether or not you like fantasy...
Review: ...you'll love this set of books. LotR is what introduced myself and many others into the wonderful and imaginative (and at times clichéd) world of fantasy. But this is where it all began. LotR is somewhat of a followup to the children's book, the Hobbit. It talks of what happens after Bilbo finds his ring and returns to Bag End. Without going into too much detail to avoid spoiling something, Bilbo entrusts the ring to his heir, Frodo, who has to set out and destroy it. Of course, the actual story is much more descriptive, with elegant speech, realistic and vivid backdrops as well as surprises around every corner. Whether you don't like fantasy, have never tried it, or, and especially, if you're a huge fan of the genre, read this book. I guarantee, it will give you a new perspective of how you see literature.
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Summary: Give me a shovel somebody!
Review: I am sorry to have to write a slightly derogatory review, (not aimed at Tolkien's work, but to other reviewers) but I feel it must be done. I am not sure if some of you have actually read all the way through the LOTR. It seems obvious to me that several of you have not bothered to read Tolkien's forward, since if you would have, you would have noticed that he explicitly states that he intends NO connection between his book and WW2 or any other allegorical connection of the sort. I believe it is the reader's duty to keep the author's opinions in mind when dealing with his own work. Now to praise: From the crisp verdant hills of the West Farthing, to the fiery heights of Orodruin, the LOTR is a grand tale. Epic in scope, magic, and vision. Tolkien's literary style is on an adult level, contrary to the opinions of several other reviewers. His words carry feelings of lucidity, humor, weight, and knowledge all in one keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat package. Almost all fantasy authors today owe some aspect of their work to this, the greatest of Tolkien's work. I recommend that anyone remotely interested in fantasy read it. And by the way, O swarm of uninformed reviewers, the Lord of the Rings is one novel, consisting of six books. Most of you think it is a trilogy, even though Tolkien himself, in his apparently seldom-read foreword, said otherwise.
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Summary: Where it all began...
Review: Tolkien's Middle Earth has become a never-ending story for me. I casually read the one-volume paperback over the course of 3 to 4 months, then I start the adventure all over again. Each visit to the Shire and Gondor brings with it a unexpected surprise as I discover yet another subtle nuanced missed during my previous read. If you've only seen the classic VHS animated version of Lord of the Rings (or worse, only the muddled VHS Return of the King) you have no idea what you're missing. Likewise, if you have only read the oft described "charming" Hobbit, then a whole new world lays in wait for you. I invite you to make this classic a part of you life as it has become a part of mine. Then, if you think you've seen all the sites of LOTR's Middle Earth, get a copy of The Silmarillion and delve deeper into Tolkien's lush realm. This book is simply a MUST HAVE. Don't miss out!
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Summary: A Great Journey
Review: A great story from begining to end. From the Shire to Mordor and back. Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippin take you on an adventure to destroy the ONE RING. I recommend this book to any fantasy reader. If you haven't read "The Hobbit", I would recommend you read it before this to know the story of how the ring came into the Hobbit's possesion.
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