Rating: Summary: A terrible audio play of a fantastic book Review: I love LOTR, and when I purchased this Audio Play I was Hoping t hear something a kin to the excellent Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back radio plays. Sadly, what I got was a lot of overblown and poorly composed music, abysmall acting and a complete lack of compotent direction. Do yourself a favour and get the BBC Radio Play instead, it's infinitely better in spite of its omissions.
Rating: Summary: Absolutely fantastic Review: How do you begin to review the ultimate fantasy-novel? LotR's position in the world of fantasy has never been challenged. The story is simply too great. Situated in a whole new world, with its own background, its own legends, history and culture, Tolkien tells about the escalation of the battle between good and evil. What started out as the simple discovery of the powers of an ancient artifact, owned by the unlikely heroes of the story, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, hobbits, finally results in an all-consuming war between the peoples of middle-earth. What made the story so rich, is that it's a legend containing other legends. While reading it you can't help but be overwhelmed by the complexity of middle-earth's history. While modern fantasy-stories tend to be superficial tales set in a stereotypical environment, presenting stereotypical heroes and bad-guys, LotR keeps a sense of historical realism. On the other hand, the story is quite old-fashioned in a way. Good is good and bad is bad. There's hardly any character development: heroes stay heroes, bad guys stay bad guys. There's no gray area. There's no real romance, besides the "hero meets royal girl and both instantly feel true love"-thing. The story itself is pretty straight-forward, and although the journey and battle are long, as a reader you never doubt a happy ending will follow. Humor is pretty scarce, which sometimes gives the story a dry flavour. But even with these minor points of criticism in mind, LotR is still by far the best fiction I've ever read.
Rating: Summary: Lord of the Rings Review: This is just piling on at this point, but let me just say seriously that remembering my father reading Hobbit and LOTR to me and my 4 siblings in front of a roaring fireplace night after night one winter when we were little brings tears to my eyes. Formative stuff in my life. Don't read it if you don't want yours changed too.
Rating: Summary: The Big Red Book Review: This book, in my opinion, is the Bible of fantasy. No one should ever be denied the chance to read it. The LOTR will pick you up and sweep you off your feet. Read it today and you'll discover what you've been missing all your life. You'll love it, just like I did.
Rating: Summary: Best Book Ever Written Review: This book is considered the number one book of the twentieth century, and after reading it I can see why. This book is simply amazing. I was encouraged to read it by a friend and did so reluctantly (at first). I am glad that I read this book, and will do so again in the future.
Rating: Summary: The Greatest Book Of The 20th Century Review: The Lord of the Rings is perhaps the best novel ever written in the history of the English language. Tolkien's genius lies in many places, not the least of which is in creating the most complete fantasy world I have ever heard of. It has its own history, mythology, and languages, and as you read the story you get the feeling that Middle-Earth actually exists. But Tolkien's true gift lies in the way in which he writes of human emotions, ironically by not using human characters. When one reads the story, one feels a greater connection to hobbits or elves then to men. And the character depth and complexety is unrivaled. Very few characters in the story have simplistic characterizations (i.e. are perfectly good or terribly bad). This is incredibly difficult to do, and it is very rare to find the author who can attempt this level of depth successfully. I sincerely doubt that I will ever read a book to match this one's greatness in my lifetime.
Rating: Summary: The Ultimate Novel Review: For lovers of Fantasy (i.e. magic, and sorcerers e.t.c) this book is a MUST READ. It deals with the genre in a mature, practical way. It is the greatest fantasy book ever written. For general readers, this book is a MUST READ too! As it says on the back cover: "The English-speaking world is divided into halves. Those who have read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and those who are going to." For Star Wars fans, this book is a must read too, because this is where George Lucas got his inspiration. Do not be daunted by the size of this story. It is one long story, but it keeps you hooked all the way. A person's life isn't complete without reading Lord of The Rings! Some people have made a few outrageous claims and said the book is racist/or male-chauvinistic. All I can say to these people is that they are looking to find the slightest pre-text to get offended. This book is a fantasy book, and as the writer himself mentions he just wanted to write a story, and there are no allegorical references of ANY KIND. Take this story for what it is. Just a story, and a FICTIONAL one at that. Happy Reading!
Rating: Summary: Excellent! Review: This book is my favorite, and I'm only a teen! The plot is amazing,and it combines a variety of action,suspense,comedy,and romance.Don't mind the length of the book,after reading it you'll see why! J.R.R. Tolkien's very best!
Rating: Summary: Brilliant...and that couldn't begin to give it justice Review: What can I say? This book is the work of one of the most creative, ingenious, and original minds of the century. Yes, Tolkien is up there with the greatest literary minds in history. Utterly astonishing, frequently incredible writing. Has the power to bring you to tears or make your heart leap with joy. As one critic put it, "Middle-earth is not created by Tolkien but merely described, for it has always existed in human consciousness." Flat-out and unquestionably the greatest (and most influential) work of fiction in history. 99.9% of the 'fantasy' books that have followed are completely embarassing, poorly written tripe, and deserve no comparison to this (which they rip off constantly. In fact, most fantasy books around nowadays are just Lord of the Rings without any of the redeeming qualities).
Rating: Summary: A Masterpiece Review: I was really disappointed when i had finished the Lord of the Rings. I had gotten so involved in the books that i was sorry that the adventure ended there. I could read it again, but it won't be the same. I am a 12-year-old. I have read the Harry Potter books. They were excellent, but the real masterpiece is the Lord of the Rings. None of my words could ever describe the greatness of this book. My only regret of reading this book is that since I finished it, I've never been able to read a book without thinking that it isn't as good as the Lord of the Rings.
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