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Summary: Lord of The Rings - The King of Fantasy
Review: As a child, I grew up on the cartoons of 'The Hobbit' and the 'Lord of the Rings'. In middle school, I read Tolien's 'The Hobbit', but never delved into the trilogy that followed. Now, I am student teaching, as I am soon to graduate with a degree in Middle Grades Language Arts and Social Studies - I have awoken the sleeping Tolkien. I pulled out my dusty box set with the four books and began rereading them for my adolescent literature class. Here I quickly realized how timeless these tales are. When I found out the movies were coming out for 'Lord of The Rings', I picked up 'The Fellowship of the Ring' and could not set it down. I have since finished the trilogy only to be engulfed in a new and wonderful world. The story of good, evil, and innocence in their purest forms. It is entrancing, and I highly recommend these books to any fan of fantasy.
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Summary: CUPCAKES, cupcakses everwhere (I do mean EvErYwHeRe)!
Review: !!SPOILER FREE!!A worthy sequel to the highly acclaimed blockbuster hit to TFOTR and shot entirely on location in New Zealand, the beautiful cinematography and rich plot accentuates Peter Jackson's talent as a director. However, the shameless advertising throughout the film ruined the overall mystique of the classic work. When upon learning that Frodo's true passion in life is "The Joy of Pepsi" the viewer is left with suspicion as to the movies true subliminal motives. Conflict erupts, in later scenes when a revived Gandalf extols the virtues of Coca-Cola's crisp, sweet taste. Also, the viewer is left alienated when he discovers Frodo's awful drinking habit and racist attitudes toward the ethnic Hobbits in the Shire. Furthermore, the inexplicable pornographic cupcake scene was more than just a mild shock in this otherwise masterful work. Obvious casting problems between films included the replacement of Pip, who was replaced with Gary Coleman (who was oft to say "Whacha' talkin' about Frodo?!") and the mysterious appearance of a character deemed Gandalf XP (played by Bill Gates). Sadly, Gandalf XP is unable to aid his friends in their final quest after encountering a "fatal exception" and shutting down. Tolkein's original portrayal of the Orc's did not include a half-shell nor a penchant for pizza, or the final word "Cowabunga" exclaimed by the Orc leader Beanardo. The score was stellar, however Snoop Dogg's rendition of "Pimpin the ring in my '64!" seemed awkward during the final battle scene. And I am not any sort of literary expert, but I distinctly do not recall Tolkein's work to contain such a graphic and disturbing development surrounding Aragorn's methamphetamine habit. Hollywood's political influences were evident in Jackson's pro-war propaganda throughout the film, particularly striking was Merridoc's reference to the Orc's as "those damn rag-heads" and the ever-present threat of the "sandpeople". However, triumph reigns in the end when the evil Saruman (renamed Bin-Laden) meets with utter defeat.
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Summary: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
Review: I first read the Hobbit in 1963 and then the Lord of the Rings soon followed. I beleive that all fantasy books are to be compared to this collection. There are few if any that can even come close. Even at 51 years of age I still enjoy rereading them and discussing them with family ( my son and daughter love them as much as I do) and friends. I am sure if you once follow Bilbo and Frodo through Middle Earth you will want to go back again and again. They are almost impossible to put down once you get started. And when you do, they are on your mind until you pick them up again to find out what comes next. The conflict between good and evil is an old plot,but this story will live with you and become part of your pleasent thoughts forever.
IS THERE A BIT OF HOBBIT IN YOU?
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Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I had to read the Hobbit for a school assignment and simply hated the thought. I finished the book a week before i was supposed to and started the LOTR. I am crazy for more books. I feel a connection with the characters and am dying to see the next 2 movies. I have 3 words to say: Buy the books! I just can't blabber on and on, so I'll stop now, but buy them! they are worth it!
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Summary: Are you kidding!
Review: Buy this box set. I read almost NO fiction, I do read the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings over and over. Get it read it and re-read it until the pages fall out and then buy a new one. This is the best deal out there too. The books are individually marked on the spine at $6.99. WHAT A DEAL! This is some of the best fiction ever written. It is deep, but is totally removed from reality. If you need to get away from the real world for a couple of hours, just kick back and read this masterpiece.
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Summary: This started it all....
Review: This work is a monumental literary classic. Tolkein's influence on the fantasy genre is obvious. If you disagree, pick up and read almost any work of fantasy that has been published in the last 50 years. I bet that you can find something there that resembles a part of Lord of the Rings. I'm not trying to say that everyone out there writing fantasy today is just ripping Tolkein off, rather that he has served as an inspiration and a model for generations of writers. The Hobbit is aptly described as a prologue to LOTR. Tolkein was writing for a younger crowd for the most part here, so the writing style is different than in LOTR. The story chronicles the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a homebody who is mostly concerned with enjoying the quiet life, and his unexpected adventure with twelve dwarves and Gandalf the Wizard on their quest to reclaim their "kingdom under the Mountain" and slay the evil dragon Smaug. The essential plot point that connects the two stories is Bilbo's finding of a (seemingly) innocent ring and his encounter with the ring's former owner, the nasty creature Gollum. The Hobbit is an enjoyable tale by itself, but it is not on the same level as LOTR, and it is not strictly essential reading to understand the plot of LOTR. The story of the finding of the Ring is recounted briefly in the prologue to Fellowship of the Ring. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first section of the LOTR "trilogy" (Tolkein always considered it a single, long, novel instead). In it, we find that the ring found by Bilbo and later inherited by his young cousin, Frodo, is not so innocent after all. It is, rather, the One Ring of Power, created millenia ago by the evil Dark Lord Sauron and subsequently taken from him during his previous defeat, and lost for three thousand years before Bilbo found it. Sauron is again rising to power, and he wants his ring back. The Ring is both Sauron's great hope and his great peril, for if the Ring can be destroyed, Sauron too will be destroyed forever. Problem is, the only place where the Ring can be destroyed is in the volcano Mount Doom, where it was originally made. Mount Doom is in the heart of Suaron's realm of Mordor, so the quest to destroy it will be extremely dangerous. Frodo undertakes the quest, accompanied by his faithful servant Samwise, his friends Merry and Pippin, the wizard Gandalf, the mysterious wanderer Strider, the proud warrior Boromir, the elf Legolas, and the dwarf Gimli. Fellowship of the Ring follows the quest most of the distance to Mordor, and ends with the (mostly) involuntary splitting up of the Company. The Two Towers is two separate tales. The first half of the book follows everyone except Frodo and Sam as they become involved in what is essentialy the opening phase of the great War of the Ring. This War has been launched by Sauron in hopes of getting the Ring back. Assisting Sauron is the evil wizard Saruman, once considered a great and wise wizard, but now a black traitor. The second half of the book follows Frodo and Sam as they complete the journey to Mordor, with the help of an unlikely guide. Return of the King is divided into two parts, much like the first two books in the trilogy, but it falls more naturally into three parts. The first part returns to the War of the Ring, in which a great battle is fought over the proud fortress of Minas Tirith. The forces of good win the day (naturally), but not without sacrifice. They realize, however, that if Frodo does not succeed in his quest, then all is lost. Therefore, in an attempt to distract Sauron and make him think the Ring is somewhere other than with Frodo, they go on the offensive... Next, we return to Frodo and Samwise, who have managed (barely) to get into Mordor undetected despite betrayal and temporary capture. They must then make the hardest part of the whole journey - through the heart of Sauron's realm to Mount Doom. Without betraying the climax, the quest succeeds, Sauron is destroyed, and everyone on the side of good lives happily ever after (or so it would seem). Return of the King concludes with the aftermath - the return home of Frodo and his friends, and their discovery that victory is not without its price. Overall, there just aren't enough good things to say about this trilogy. It's got everything - action, romance, dark danger, heroism, sacrifice, redemption. Although there are a few parts where things slow down a little, this is more than redeemed in the action scenes. If you love reading, you truly owe it to yourself to check this work out. As literature goes, it's still a fairly young work, but someday I truly believe Tolkein's name will be right up there next to such names as Dumas, Tolstoy, Hugo, Melville and other giants of literature.
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Summary: "Book of the Century" - Well-deserved
Review: It was voted overwhelmingly the "Book of the Century" by numerous groups. That should be worth the read right there. But more than that, it is one of the, if not the most immersive believable, thorough, epic stories imaginable. On top of that, it's entertaining! It is one of the few books that I have read, that at the end I nearly wept to have to say goodbye to Middle-Earth, and all the people that I met when I was there for a time.
Oh, that we could travel to that place again for the first time . . .
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Summary: What can you say about a classic...
Review: It is very nearly superfluous to comment on The Lord of the Rings. No other work of fantasy fiction comes close to the depth and breadth realized by Tolkien in this master work. Yes, it's about the age-old conflict between good and evil set in a world populated by men, elves, dwarves, hobbits, wizards, and orcs. But at the heart of The Lord of the Rings is a moving tale of loyalty and friendship that reminds us how the relationships we forge in life can sustain us through our darkest hours. This is fiction at its finest -- fiction meant to savor and to return to again and again. It has the power to frighten, to uplift, and to break your heart.
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Summary: Another World
Review: As an avid reader of fantasy books (Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, J.k Rowling, Countless others) I was looking for a good tale and some nice "by the fire" reading. What I got was "another world", in truth I finished the whole series + The Hobbit in little more than 5 days. J.R.R Tolkien is simply insane, insane as in amazingly imaginative and GOOD. J.R.R Tolkien has created a complex world of many facets. The interesting details and the strong characterization, conflicts all drew me in right into the story. I left the book five days after I started with hatred for Sauron, contempt for Saruman, disgust for Gollum, peace for Frodo and fright for the One Ring. The detailed world that J.R.R Tolkien created has left me impacted. As a normal guy though I say to you really, don't be dismayed at the slow start, as past the first few chapters the book becomes packed with action. Conflicts of the mind, sacrifice, sorrow, greed, envy, mercy, treachery, giant battles, victories, losses all jam packed into this series of wonderful books by J.R.R Tolkien. I definitely recommend this book to everyone, and I know it will remain in my heart and I will read it over and over again.
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Summary: Better Than I Imagined
Review: When my mother told me about The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, I was a bit reluctant to read it, but when my friends nagged be about it, I picked up The Hobbit. I read it in a flash before picking up my one-volume set of Lord of the Rings. I became fascinated by the creatures he had created with his own vision, and the creatures he imagined different than I ever would. His words paint pictures in your mind of a wonderful place slowly going bad. The Lord of the Rings had everything in it, goodbyes, friendships, deaths, and even a bit of love. No description can do justice to this wonderful fantasy. It picks you up and carries you to a land long before us, The Hobbit brings you along with Bilbo on his journey to the Lonely Mountain to help the dwarves with the evil dragon Smaug, and takes him home just in time. The Lord of the Rings takes you along with Frodo and Sam to Mordor, with Merry and Pippin with the orcs, with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli to Minas Tirith and Isengard, and Gandalf wherever he wishes to go, and ends with a sad goodbye to characters you have learned to love. It has real emotion, and with Tolkien's unpredictable way of writing, you never know what happens next, keeping you spellbound. It looked painstakingly long, at 1,008 pages + appendices, but when the story is over, you wish it were longer. I recommended it to all of my friends, and they too have fallen in love with the characters we so often discuss. It is a fairy tale for all ages, and The Hobbit is a story all can appreciate.
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