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Summary: Tolkien was deposed from his throne a long time ago.
Review: For his time, Tolkien was a great author.But that was a long time ago and things have changed.When I myself first read 'The Lord of the Rings' I had to literally drag myself through the first 150 or so pages, and only continued reading because of all the good coments I'd heard about the book.After these grueling first 150 pages, the story picked up a bit - although I still thought that it was just 'O.K'.Why people continue to rant and rave about Tolkien's 'great' read, I just do not know.New - and old author's are compared to Tolkien over how good they are, and these critics seem to think that Tolkien sits atop the throne of fantasy.I believe that Tolkien was deposed from his throne a long time ago by the likes of incredible authors such as Eddings, Fiest, Hobb, Jordan and others.If anyone should have the claim to the throne of fantasy I believe it would go to George R.R. Martin - the best fantasist to-date.His book 'A Game of Thrones' was purely riveting and an unbelievable read.This is merely the opinion of a 19 year old male uni student who has spent $1700 on novels in the last 6 years.
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Summary: The best book I've read
Review: Tolkien was rigth, this book is too short. He created a magnificent new world with it's history, mythology, characterers, etc. Still when yo finish reading this book you discover that the story is not finish. I have read many other Fantasy books, I found that they are all a copy of this Work of art. In conclussion I would like to recommend "The Lords of the Rings" to everyone who has the imagination to belive tha Tolkien's creation is real tha Middle-earth exists and that Frodo lives.
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Summary: How The Lord Of The Rings changed my vieuw on literature.
Review: I always was, and still am, addicted to reading. The bigger the, the better it was. But I never tried to read fairytales (at least, that was my prejudiced opinion about fantasy). A friend of mine, convinced me that fantasy really was written for adults, and he got me to read the book. Well, I read it. Twice. I read it in Dutch first, and the moment I finished it, I went to the library to get the English version. What became of me? Well, I love fantasy, but I must tell you, of all the fantasy novels I read, there are only very few that are as good as The Lord of the Rings. I would like to start reading The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan, but before I buy the series, I would like to know how experienced fantasy-readers think about it. Mail me: bpenders@sci.kun.nl PS: Read it!!
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Summary: Masterful piece of fiction and literature in general!
Review: I am so excited to be able to review the best fictional novel ever written that I am at a loss of words. All I have to say is 'Thank you John!' This amazing novel is a most worthy read and a great getaway to a world full of wonder and imagination.
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Summary: The best story ever written.
Review: I first read this book when I was thirteen years old. I have read thousands of books and nothing can come close to this story. I've read it over forty times. Of all the books I have read, if I could choose one book, this would be it! Give yourself a vacation and go to Middle Earth.
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Summary: THE FANTASY BIBLE!!!
Review: The Book That Spawned a Million Imitations. The Only Fantasy Book(s) You Can Read Again and Again, without going into a Coma. In Britain it was recently voted the Greatest Book of the 20th Century. Everybody must read this Book. It Has Everything you can wish for. The Quest,Battles,Humour,Wizards,Hobbits,The Ring, Evil Sorcerers and more Battles!! What more can you want? Its all here. The Template for all future Fantasy Adventure. The nearest SF equivelant is Frank Herbert's Dune.
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Summary: The Best Work Of Writing Ever
Review: This book is honestly a work of art. Tolkien writes about the world and characters as it they really existed leaving out not one detail. From the moment I started reading I could not stop. This book is truly the greatest ever written.
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Summary: A simple statement
Review: Only one thing need be said about THE LORD OR THE RINGS: what Homer's ILIAD and ODYSSEY were to the ancient world, LOTR is to our age -- the greatest epic of our time, a work that defies rational criticism and appeals to all people in a purely spiritual level. Those who resist...well, they would've probably called Homer's work "unrealistic garbage" back in the eight century B.C., so why let the small-minded bother us now? Utulíe'n Aurë! Aiya Eldalie ar Atanatari, utlíe'n aurë!
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Summary: THEY WALK. AND WALK. AND WALK. AND.....
Review: Oh, lord. There are some things that are so bad it makes you wonder how they got famous. This is one of those. I am absolutely baffled as to why this is considered to be one of the greatest books ever written. The problems are numerous. Firstly, it is just downright boring. While there are some wondrous, masterful parts of the story, they are few and far between. For every battle with Shelob, the Balrog, or the Nazgul, there are literally a hundred pages of nothing. I swear, parts of the story seem like: THEY TRAVELED TO THE INN AT BORONOR, THEN WALKED ON FOOT THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS, THEN RODE HORSES ALONG THE RIVERSIDE, THEN SLEPT IN THE ELVEN CAMP, THEN VISITED GENERIC KING #12. Now imagine that I'd taken 300 pages to tell you that. In THE HOBBIT, a similar story was told. The difference is that in each chapter the characters found something new and wonderful. Here they just find a new road to trundle down. Secondly, the characters are robots. Some are great, and do in fact deserve to outlive the series. Legolas and Tom Bombadil are both interesting, and entertaining. Gollum, one of my favorite characters from any book, is funny and sad and disgusting all at once. However these are the acceptions that prove the rule. Also, their seems to be no heart in the story. The characters and the events don't seem to matter; their just pieces of a huge, boring puzzle. The sub title of the book is THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE EARTH, and that's what it reads like. A history book. Just names, places and dates, but no real feeling. In fact, the story doesn't even give us the full story. The real end is tucked away into a corner of one of the many appendices. The idea that the story ends in a minor footnote and not the text is sickening. Perhaps I'm wrong. Perhaps I overlook the impact that was actually made by the book at the time. All I know is that this is one of the most overrated stories ever told.
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Summary: a lifetime in three books
Review: Before I entered this review, I read almost all of the others. Much of the negative criticism has lifted up other fantasy writers such as Terry Brooks and Robert Jordan above the works of Tolkien. What they fail to realize is that Brooks and Jordan would be the first people to admit that their work would never have existed in the form it is in without Tolkein. He was a pioneer. I have read all of Jordan's books (so far) and some of Brooks' and they are very good and have kept me up until all hours of the night, but Tolkein's work is truly rich and will make you a better person for reading it. It enhances your worldview, your imagination, your creativity, your wit, and your appreciation for the written word. I cannot say that for other fiction books. When I was younger I read the books in a hurry, and loved them, but now I realize reading them in one week causes me to miss out on so much of their beauty. Just remember, these books were written decades ago. It is not the "same old story". It is "the story". Almost all other fantasy builds from Tolkein. It is a masterpiece. Enjoy it!
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