Rating: 
Summary: Tolkien Isn't For Everyone...
Review: As the title says, Tolkien really isn't for everyone.If you're picking up the books because you enjoyed the movies, I would advise you to be a bit wary. Be prepared to undergo a completely different experience. As much as I loved the movies, they were Hollywoodized. What does that mean? That means that they were created for the masses and with $$$ in mind. Most importantly, you have to have an interest in the world Tolkien created. If you couldn't care less about Middle-Earth and its history, then I would say that it's going to be a gruesome read with a lot of details you probably don't care about as well. Personally, I think it's amazing how in depth everything is. Every race has it's own culture, history, and heroes. (Just as they do in real life!) You hear one story in passing in the LOTR and, before you know it, you're dying to know more about those past "legends." It's like opening a can of worms and now that I've finished LOTR, I'm dying to read 'The Silmarillion.' The second thing that stood out in my mind was how Tolkien was able to keep me on the edge of my seat even though I knew what was going to happen. The 'Return of the King' movie does not do justice to the book and if there's any reason I would recommend reading LOTR at all, it would be to read 'Return of the King.' Finally, keep in mind that because the movies are Hollywoodized, many of the characters in the book will seem quite different from the way they are in the movies. First off, let's just say that Legolas in the book doesn't strut around with the I'm-so-hot attitude and he doesn't have as many "intelligent" lines. And I won't even bother talking about the way Faramir and Boromir were butchered in movies. It's easier to just think of them as different characters in the book all together. If you still want to read the books, go for it. It's well worth your time!
Rating:
Summary: Like art, it takes time to learn to appreciate.
Review: I read the Hobbit when I was young and thought it was OK. Later I tried to read the Lord of the Rings and couldn't. I didn't get it. It was boring.
Many years later, my older brother dragged me to see the movies, and my interest was sparked. As a fantasy reader, the Peter Jackson movies gave me something I'd never seen on a screen, and I loved it. When I got home, I couldn't wait to try the books again. With a little understanding of the story and a dedication to reading them and LIKING them, I plunged in again.
It wasn't immediate magic, but as I reread the books I learned to appreciate what Tolkien had done,and how he was the founder of the modern fantasy genre.
Tolkien's writing isn't what I'd call a good read. You have to think about it, savor it, chew it slowly. It's a different experience from the movies, but worth trying to see if you like it.
Tolkien's writing is not like Eddings, Jordan, Weis&Hickman, Brooks, and other fantasy writers that are so fun to read. Tolkien is an artist who writes with a very literary hand.
If you don't like it at first, try seeing the movies, waiting a bit, and trying again slowly. If you ever get into Tolkien, you won't want to ever come out.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful and Exciting book
Review: Simply putting it, this has to be one of the greatest stories of our time. It has to be my all-time favorite book. I've read it time and time again, and I'm never going to change my mind about this book.
Rating:
Summary: From someone who saw the movies first
Review: Okay, I have to admit, I didn't read these books growing up. I always heard about how good they were, but I was always intimidated by the implied complexity and length. But lately I have been reading alot more than I used to so I went ahead and ordered these. They are absolutely amazing. Better than most fiction written today. I actually like the books better than the movies. Anyway, these are essential reading for anybody looking to broaden their horizons who have not read them before. Amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the Movies
Review: This is my first read of the Tolkien series - and I really enjoyed it. I waited until I saw all the movies first. His descriptions are terrific, this can be seen in the movies, which match the books quite well. Ideal reading for anyone who enjoys fantasy reading.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful well written book
Review: I just want to say that Lord of the Rings are the best books ever written. Thank you Tolkien for writing these books.
Rating:
Summary: "the history of western civilization"
Review: Tolkien was a professional scholar of ancient European languages and literatures at Oxford. He loved the way people create self-identity through the myths about heroes and wars between good and evil. Tolkien disliked modern world's materialistic attitude towards a human mind which gave rise to horrible inhuman ideologies such as Nazism and COmmunism and provoked two World Wars. Tolkien was a kind-hearted man who saw so much suffering in his life that he finally desided to write a popular book, based on his researches in Nordic and Celtic mythology and art to help people in the West understand the roots of their spirituality and culture to help them appreciate each other as fellow human beings. And this book is awesome!!! "Lord of the Rings" is written in beautiful, colorful English language unlike most other popular fantasy books. It has a great story, it is full of detail, poetry, adventure, emotion and wisdom. Characters who represent the Good are real, lovable and memorable not cheesy and stereotypical. Evil is really Evil, it cant be seen as cool, it is disguisting and ultimately miserable. Besides providing the great entertainment and fun as a story, "Lord of the Rings" is a really serious book. It is full of sadness and beauty. It is infused by religious Biblical mythologies, which are cleverly hidden and not forced upon the reader at all. It is also a book about the way in which we should appreciate people around us and world we live in and oppose destructive and hateful tendencies. It is a book wonderful because of its healthy simple, but at the same time deeply profound message about being good and honest and life affirming believer. This book is indeed based on simple beliefs, common to all people: the belief of the child in the beautiful fairy tale, the belief in just heroes and wonderful stories. The aim of Tolkien was "to write a history of Western world" - not the real history, but the mythical history dreamed by people themselves, who believed in this history and its values wholeheartedly during the centuries of misery and hardship and this belief kept them going. This ancient mythical history was taken from us by modernity, so Tolkien tries to give it back to mankind to prevent us from losing our humanity in the age of cynicism.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional
Review: I need not retell the story. It is so well known. But I would like to pass comment on this particular set. It is well bound on good paper and is beautifully presented. The box will last, and looks very very good. The cover and box artwork is fantastic. This is in fact one of the best affordable Tolkien sets ever made. Great value for high quality.
Rating: 
Summary: one star to show them all....
Review: I personally do not rate Tolkien as a writer. When reading The Lord of the Rings, I found Tolkien's writing style to be a great source of irritation, as in my opinion the books were written in too jovial a manner. I found this a great shame, as the characters as a result were not believable to me - their thoughts, action and speech often did not convey the seriousness of a given situation to me. I am not one to shy away from complex plots, but I did eventually give up on looking up every single minor historical character mentioned. Far from enriching the plot with history as was intended I found this constant referral to the history of Middle Earth to be confusing and irritating. Each time a character of historical note was mentioned, little or no helpful context was given, and I found that, upon researching, most tended to be very similar and one-dimensional. Any context given was expected to be remembered along with a myriad of other, very similar characers with very similar names and purposes - at any time during the story they may be mentioned again, and woe betide if you have forgetten their relevance, because it won't be explained again. Due to these points, I could not find myself drawn into the story and I found it laborious to finish. I do not mean to simply rubbish the books in this comment, I have genuine reasons for personally disliking these books. It is not that I did not understand the plot, or found it too complicated, or too descriptive (quite the converse in this case). I found it simply a chore to read. Other books I have read have filled me with magic and excitement, or at least a pleasure at the quatilty of the writing and subtle weaving of the story. Not so with The Lord of The Rings, which completely failed to seize my imagination. I have awarded one star, however as the vast scope of the ideas of Tolkien are plain to see when reading the books and appendicies, however mostly this again served to annoy me as the way in which these are communicated does not agree with me personally. Many people accredit Tolkien as the inventor of a whole world with all its species. Of course, no-one had ever thought of Elves and Dwarves before. Of course not. I suppose I am one of a minority in disliking The Lord Of The Rings, but I refuse to pander to the current craze and try to fit in by singing this story's praises.
Rating:
Summary: The Lord of the Rings
Review: These books totally took me away from the long tedious life of high school. I was transported from life in rural Kansas to a world of human nature mixed with an unnameable magic. I could forget my social troubles and follow Aragorn in his struggle to become king and Frodo's battle with himself and how the ring has changed him. Everytime I thought about it there was a wonderful feeling in my chest. I was amazed on how human the character were and how much I would wanted to be struggling with them. I wanted to be right there with them and fear with them. Most of all I wanted the friendship that they shared and the knowledge that helped change history with my friends. This book is a magical journey that makes you want to be a in a time without modern-day technology and where the weapon of the day was a sword and women were still respected. I short this book is long but way worth the time.
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