Rating: 
Summary: A Modern Masterpiece
Review: J.R.R. Tolkein successfully molds literature and religion into this astounding opus. There is not a single series of books (apart from holy writ) that can compare with this series. Not only did Tolkein create a whole universe, but he influenced nearly every fantasy author since. His mastery of the English language and of that which inspires the human psyche are what places this series among the classics of all time. The Lord of the Rings is to literature what Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony is to classical music.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty amazing, actually
Review: ..the amazing part is when this was first written and published. What DID the reviewers first think of this book? I did find the book occasionally dragged, and that their where episodes that seemed to be digressions (like the Tom Bombadil episode). But all in all it was a great tale. Perhaps the best part, to me, was the geographical nature of the place, and the history. Tolkien really does bring Middle Earth to life with his descriptions and his maps and the 'historical' context of the tale (For those versed in geography and history its fun speculating if there are connections with real places and historical periods). Although Tolkien was a scholar of archaic language and myth the book has absolutly no feel of the antiquarian to it.I would recommend this book not so much as a fantasy but as something more akin to the sci-fi of Ursula Leguin in its ability to conjure a world.
Rating:
Summary: Confusing review
Review: cboerens@ford.com writes: Everyone survives in it. Excuse me? For one, Boromir, one of the Fellowship, dies, as does Frodo's foil, Gollum. Tolkien's opinion was that Good will conquer Evil, but always at heavy cost to Good. Frodo may not have died, but he is left stricken and pained -- and in the end, all of the Old leaves Middle-Earth -- Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, the Elves, and so on -- a spiritual death.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Tolkiens' book challenges the imagination of the reader to climb to the pinnacles of the Misty Mountains, to cross the Land of Shadow, to strive from Barrad-dur to Minas Tirith, and to delve into the very hearts of its many characters. A truly epic work is one that sucessfully combines high adventure, catharsis and dynamic characterization. Tolkien sets the standard with what C.S. Lewis called visions that "burn like fire or pierce like cold iron." Here are true heroes leaping from Tolkiens' mind and medieval Britain onto the page for the reader. A cunning linguist of such times, his passages flow like poetry, so that like a master's symphony, no word is out of place. The Oxford scholar has succeeded in writing the definitive fantasy novels that still stand as firm and brilliant today as when they were penned fifty years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Like something that fell through a wormhole
Review: That a gray Oxford don, a Professor of English, no less, could have such a rich inner life as to write Lord of the Rings is bewildering, befuddling. It would be no less surprising to learn than Margaret Thatcher writes funny childrens' books, or that Sly Stallone dresses like an Orthodox Jew and plays Grandmaster-level chess in Central Park now and then. There is no explanation, of course. Even Humphrey Carpenter, Tolkien's biographer, seemed adrift when he tried to penetrate past the outer veils of Tolkien's mines of the imagination. The book is too long. Whole chunks of it read like unconscious parody; other parts are altogether too priggish to please modern audiences. And yet the books still hold. Why? I like to think it's because of the fecundity of Tolkien's imagination. His prose may be purplish and precious, and his plotting may sometimes plod, but these books, to paraphrase Walt Whitman, contain multitudes -- multitudes of multitudes. Read them for that.
Rating: 
Summary: Where are the women?
Review: I read the book (only) twice at the age of 11 and 14, and thought it was the best book ever. But as I don't any longer think of "Bluesbrothers" as the best movie ever I must admit that even in the LoR there are simply too many things missing: 1) Where are the women? I have a little daughter (4month) and I will not give her the book, because all the heroes are male (see deserves more than beeing a princess) 2) Where is the loss of important people? Dead of people we love is an important part of our lifes. In the LoR all heroes survife: its a fairy tale nothing more. (As Tolkine says, too. 3) Where are the problems between the main charaters? Look at Star Trek TNG: The first episodes are terrible boring, because "we all love eachother" - Star Trek DS9, which had no such restrictions, is much better - right from the beginning. So it is truely a very good book, but only with respect to a very limmited part of human life.
Rating:
Summary: Nichtdestotrotz ein fabelhaftes Buch!
Review: Nach 278 Reviews was kann ich noch dazu sagen? An manche Stellen ist es ein bisschen langweilig, und das Ganze mit Tom Bombadil konnte man auslassen, aber im Allgemeinen ist es eine tolle, spannende, Geschichte mit viel Fantasie. Ich glaub' es ist fuenf Sternen wert. Die illustrierte Version ist uebrigens sehr schoen.
Rating:
Summary: Bury me with this book.
Review: ...No matter what my lawyers say
Rating:
Summary: Not a classic....The Classic Fantasy Book Of All Time
Review: I don't believe Tolkien wrote this book, no man could. The story is great, the world behind the the story is genius. A must read to anyone who can read. A warning to fantasy readers, this book my ruin every other fantasy book you'll ever read.
Rating:
Summary: the BBC audio version is lame
Review: this BBC dramatization of lord of the rings was in my opinion poorly done at best 1 star i listened to a few moments only and the voice for Gandalf was so far removed from what i know of/understand of him that i couldnt bear to listen to listen anymore..now if a truely fine actor read this part( lawerence olivier? sir john gilgud ?liam neeson? Richard burton? etc etc- [ugh all those misspelled] would be quite different story- this is my brief review i would give it one star,but suggest others enjoyed it it seems so this is my opinion only ,recomend look at some other reviews posted at that site for another more favorable opinion .i strongly suggest instead- you should get the recordings of Tolkien himself reading -they are wonderful treasures- provide new insight into the beauty of tolkiens language not to mention how to pronounce some of those words properly- 5 stars plus !!!
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