Rating: 
Summary: I can't believe I never read this book
Review: I recently finished The Hobbit, and to my surprise, found it to be rather good. I had heard about the books, but never really wanted to read them, assuming they were like the Narnia series and the Redwall series that I could never get into. I also watched the cartoon version of The Hobbit a few years ago, and was even more so discouraged from reading the books by its utter stupidity and failure to draw one's attention. The actual real reason I decided to read The Hobbit is because I heard that J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series (being a fan) had a spider scene in its 4th volume reminiscent of Tolkien's Hobbit. So I picked up the book, and almost put it down halfway through the first chapter; I was so disturbed by the dwarves' rude behavior towards Bilbo Baggins (I certainly wouldn't want to feed 14 seemingly ungrateful people my good food without a thorough explanation of why they were there!). I decided to continue though, anyway, and was glad I did, for it got better and better as the story progressed. I was amazed by Tolkien's ability to dish out a large number of words on such a small subject (such as Mirkwood forest, since surely it must have been hard to think of all the details put into it for the reader to understand its mysteriousness) and not make it boring or pointless. Personally, I really didn't have a favorite part, since the book was equally good throughout. Although, I was a little disappointed with the end; I expected it to be somewhat different from how it turned out. I've found, though, that the best books are the ones that stray from your expectations of the conclusion. I can definitely see why this book -and all the others- are loved by so many. The old style of writing is very appealing and friendly, drawing you right in from the beginning. I really liked this book, and plan to read the rest in hopes they are as good, or better. I recommend anyone that hasn't read it to read it now, no matter how biased their opinion. ~ A 14 year old from Louisiana ~
Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest fantasy books of all time.
Review: This book is amazing! It's a must read to all who love magical, mystical characters which live basically in a mezmerizing fantasy world. I have to owe soo much thanks to Tolkein for his incredible creativity that no one could've imagined that it would become one of the greatest books of the 20th Century and beyond! This book was made in the 1940's i think, but yet when i read it, it seems that the literature is perfect for me. (And trust me, i hate reading novels!) Did you know that this book was inspired by the creator of the Final Fantasy series? If you love the Final Fantasy series, and if you love any type of fantasy, then you have to get this book! It's soo incredibly well done that i would've given this book 10 stars.
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Summary: Tolkien "Rings" the bell...Classically!
Review: I must admit, I've never been a great fan of Sci-Fi. Not a Trekkie, Star Wars was good but not great, but I was impressed with the "Ender" series from Orson Scott Card. With disclosures out of the way, I decided to read Tolkien for their classical value. I had never read The Hobbit or the "Lord of the Rings" (LoR) series growing up but with all the hype associated with the movie and few well placed recommendations, I opted to give it a lash. I'm thrilled I did. This is truly a novel of great breadth blending action, drama and romance. Don't be fooled into the believing the classical classification of sci-fi. In researching the history behind the books, I found LoR described as one of the best works of fiction by a multitude of reviewers while many went as far as to describe it as the book of the century. This reviewer can only describe LoR as a rapturously exciting adventure through the "World of Middle-Earth." The story's foundation is built around the incessant battle of Good verus Evil but is much, much more than a match of wits. The lore associated with the characters brings to life classical heroic romance. The first book in the trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring," picks up some decades after "Hobbit" left off and begins in much the same style: something of a children's tale. This tale is set in the Shire, the home of the hobbits. Frodo, the hero of our story, moves away from The Shire with his companions, Pippin, Merry and Sam thus marking the beginning of his journey through Middle-Earth. Its at this point (yes, this early in the multi-booked tome) that Tolkien brings us the sense and presence of danger which becomes ubiquitous throughout the tale. This, somehow, transforms the storyline from one of children's tale to serious drama (action and adventure)...it grasps the reader. As mentioned, the plot of LOR centers on the ever-present theme found in many of our great novels: good vs. evil. Concurrent with this theme, the reader will join Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring to prevent it from being returned to the Dark Lord Sauron of Mordor who, with the Ring, would have unlimited power. The idea of hope, strength and perserverance is wonderfully illustrated in LoR. Even in the most desperate circumstances, when surrounded by chaos and destruction, the characters never give up hope of surviving. This indeed is Tolkien's grasp on the reader. You actually want to "help" the characters in their battle against evil. This can only be described as inspiring.
While complex to the point of intimidation, the reader is rewarded for his perserverance in traveling with the members of the Fellowship through the final page of this classical piece of history. This particular version of LOR is a four volume, boxed set containings "The Hobbit," and the LOR series, "The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King." Alan Lee adds masterful maps and illustrations intertwined throughout. What a treat! Don't miss out.
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Summary: BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT......
Review: and discover a complex world that you will believe must be real somewhere. It will not seem possible that all this history, magic, language, and geography coulb be imaginary. Tolkien must have been there and is just letting us in on the secret. The story revolves around a gold ring created to let the wearer rule the world. It comes into the possesion of a little unassuming hobbit named Bilbo Baggins (THE HOBBIT) and later to his nephew, Frodo (THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy). With a band of elves, dwarves, humans and a wizard they must trqvel to destroy the ring. This probably sounds like Dungeons and Dragons stuff, but it is so much more. Just read it and be amazed.
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Summary: Never Wanting to Leave
Review: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy are the best works of fantasy liturature I have ever encountered. I couldn't believe how captivating these stories were. It created a place in my imagination that I did not want to leave. I was constantly in awe of Tolkien's depth of detail and creativity. I can definitely see this work as something that I will reread regularly, and pass on to my children. This set is more than just entertaining, there are powerful lessons about friendship, prejudices, the dangers of power, and the strength of goodness.
Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT RECCOMEND IT TO ANYONE !!!
Review: This trilogy amazes me. I will not talk about THE HOBBIT, but just about the trilogy. I think people get so amazed that someone could write almost 1500 pages of boring fantasy, that TolkienÂ's work became some sort of "trash cult"... My God, he just canÂ't seem to know how to tell a history in a moving, spirited and dynamic way!!
1) The characters are awful, their dialogues a joke. They seem all to be machines;
2) The environment descriptions are all over the history, suffocating it (and the reader) due to its sheer boredom.
3) The forces of good and evil are clearly divided. The good guys are perfect, even when they slash enemies and take delight in counting the number of bodies at their feet;
4) The dreadful songs are a joke. After trying to read some of them, I skipped them all all the way until the end of this nightmare of a trilogy.
5) IÂ'm out of words to say how much overrated this book is. I realize the book has enough ingredients to make for a sucessfull movie, adn to have launched the RPG genre of games. I was player myself, once. BUt to read this trilogy is another totally different matter. ItÂ's a tour de force of your inner determination to not to put the book down to rest forever!!
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Summary: On the Wings of Eagles....
Review: Taken as a single work (which they should be) The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy are the masterwork not only of J.R.R. Tolkien but of literature as a whole. Despite the recent glut of works in the fantasy genre, there is still only one master that all others are compared to, J.R.R. Tolkien. Nearly every reader of nd many readers of any genre will have wonderful memories of the first time they picked up a book purporting to tell the adventures of a round little hobbit who lived in a round little hole with a round little door in the side of a round little hill. This hobbit lived a quiet little life mostly concerned with his garden, his pipe, and the stock level in his pantries (just wouldn't do to run out of sweetcakes or ale) until he got a visit from a mysterious old man named Gandalf. After that, his life is never going to be the same. We follow poor old Bilbo through a raucous party with 13 dwarves, battles with trolls, battles with spiders, and finally a battle with old Smaug himself. But we then go on to the first book of the Trilogy and find that a somewhat out of place encounter with a strange little fellow that made a strange noise turns out to be the single most important event of the Third Age! Isn't that the way history seems to work. Now, in the Trilogy, we follow another Baggins as Frodo, and his faithful friend Samwise (a play on words here, in Anglo-Saxon "Samwise" means the same as "half-wit", but we see that Mr. Gamgee is anything but a half-wit), take part in a doomed fellowship, travel through 2 towers, and wend their way to Mount Doom in Mordor for the final confrontation. But the story isn't over there. Written by a masterful craftsman of the English language, Tolkien draws us into this world of Middle-earth and makes these fantastic peoples and creatures as real as the chair you're sitting in. A very rewarding way to share this gift from Mr. Tolkien is to read it aloud to your children and watch the glow on their faces as they imagine the world for the first time, just as you did the first time you read it. Trust me, you will never have a better time. Worth reading again and again, because you will find new nuances and points that you have never seen before. There just aren't words to adequately describe the impact this work of one man can have on the imagination.
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Summary: Tolkien's Vision
Review: In The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien succeeds in giving the world a new vision of itself and its destiny. The characters in The Lord of the Rings tell us so much about ourselves because Tolkien almost clairvoyantly expresses human nature now through the dwarves.
Who can convey the fun of those dwarves and their draggled beards quite like Tolkien?
Every human being needs to be given the opportunity to read the books.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible work from an incredible mind!
Review: At 31, I thought it was time to read the Lord of the Rings, especially with the movie coming soon. It's been awhile since I read fantasy (I'm more into ancient history books). One things for sure... I'm glad I read it. The writing is a mark of a genius. The characters are touching and really are alive in your mind while you read.
In addition, this edition comes in a very cool box-set with great cover arts.
My advice... if you've not read it yet. DO SO NOW!
Rating: 
Summary: Dude....Tolkien fans are to hyped up and in DENIAL.
Review: Dont get me wrong this is a pretty good series but you guys need to calm down. How is this series so great. Ill give you two reasons....alright maybe one. Its origional, its the first of its kind. Tolkien actually did a very good job and started a whole new genra of books. But now that its a movie (which looks pretty good) its getting to much hype.(...). Man, hopefuly the movie will be better than the lord of the rings cartoon, which by the way got very high ratings too, and which by the way is the worst cartoon/movie ive ever seen. The best book in the series is the hobbit, which I rate as a five, while the next three are in the 3 range. The books seem so artificial and predictable, the plots are really unbelievable and i actually got really board trying to read the fellow ship of the rings for the second time, I didnt even finish it. I think LOTR fans are in denial and instead of reading the same book over and over they need to expand their fantasy horizon and read some quality writers like......well anyone else.
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