Rating: 
Summary: More than a Classic
Review: This book can be compared with no other book in existence, and I firmly believe that no book will ever parallel its uniqueness and greatness. A must read for any fantasy reader, or anyone else, for that matter.
Rating:
Summary: The book of Imagination
Review: This is the best book on fantasy, that I have had the pleasure to read. It has everything, from Wizards, Goblins, Trolls, Orcs. to the quest for the Three Rings its a good old fight of Evil and dark things against Justice and the Good. Never has a book gripped me so much, almost reading none stop, and actually reading into the wee small hours. I can't wait to see the new film that is being made at the moment. This book is a must for every household.
Rating:
Summary: Carefully, carefully, with the plates!
Review: I've been rereading the LOTR here and there for the first time in years. I had some unexpected emotional reactions to sections I well remembered, but in middle age they had a new impact on me. I see now why science fiction was such a disappointment to me that I gave up reading it. I no longer read fiction at all, but if all fiction were like this, odds are good that...I still love the old red and black covers of the Ballantine paperback edition from thirty years ago, along with that huge poster of the same images, but would read these books if they had no covers and the spines had let go of all the pages. These books are world famous and popular for good reason. Be sure to read all these before the movies start to come out starting this Christmas, because the books can only be better. I'm sure it will help to have some idea what is supposed to be going on in the movie. And of course, buying it now lets you say truthfully, "oh, in the book there was so much more," while acting as if you read them years before. Check out "The Elder Edda", one of the many medieval sources which contributed mythos to Tolkien's masterworks. There's a fairly new edition and translation available in paperback. Look up some of the dwarves' names and pretend to be surprised. Not only are all of Bilbo's companions found there, Gandalf's name, as well as three otherwise unknown dwarves mentioned in "Fellowship of the Ring", are found in the same passage of the Edda. Also worth reading, from the perspective of mythos, is the Ring of the Nibelungs saga (Siegfried); Orlando Furioso (a renaissance era parody of the epic poem genre); Beowulf (if you must); and Plato (the Greek philosopher), the dialogues "Timaeus" and "Critias" (the source of the Atlantis story). Tolkien was no plagiarist, however; "the Hobbit" and the LOTR trilogy are not merely original works, they may be the reason geeks play dungeons and dragons, computer games like Tombraider, and dress up for the Society for Creative Anachronism, as well as write thousands of pages of sword and sorcery and other fantasy fiction. Read these already, but no longer have your copies? Buy new ones and re-experience these masterpieces. Haven't read them? Know that I envy you the experience of reading them for the first time. Buy them, read them, enjoy them. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: An incredible read!!!
Review: I was floored by this book! For the longest time I was told to read this book, so I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm glad I did. This is a story of how a simple man becomes a hero. Meet Bilbo Baggins, a simple hobit who enjoys a simple life. He's never had an adventure, and never wanted to go on one. His life was changed when he met Gandalf, a great wizzard. Gandalf and his troops wisk Biblo off on a great adventure in order to find treasures....and a adventure he'll never forget. On his adventure, Biblo will come up aganist creature that nightmares are made from. In the process of his quest, he gets a ring of invisiblty. My favorite part of the book is when Bilbo was drawn into a contest of riddles. I also like the songs that the different people sang. It added so much to the book. Tolkien is a genius, pure and simple. He has a very unique writing styly. I look forward to reading The Lord of the Rings. I highly suggest you read this book. You won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: 2 words.
Review: Read it. I know its not for everyone, but the only way to find out for yourself is to read it. I really would suggest that you read these 4 books BEFORE you see the upcomming movies. Movies are good, but they cannot do full justice to Tolkien's work (Short of having someone sit on screen and read the books). I guess this was a few more than 2 words.
Rating:
Summary: doesn't get any better than this
Review: This is the best set of books i have read in my life. i am 16 and i have read them twice already. Tolkien is by far the best fantasy writer in the world. He's brilliant. How he came up with all this i don't know but he has a great imagination. I reccomend this set of books to any fantasy fan. No. I reccomend it to everyone. even if your not a fan of fantasy books after you read these you'll be hooked. After i read the hobbit i knew i had to read these books. And like others i have to say DO NOT read these books without reading the hobbit. if you do that chances are you won't understand some of the stuff that happens in LOTR. LOTR explains some of the stuff that happens in the hobbit. so get these books, read them, and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Influential Modern Novel
Review: Obviously, the upcoming release of the new Lord of the Rings movies is prompting a lot of interest in this series, but this is not the typical trashy hollywood hype. J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy ranks among the best works of literature ever produced. Although it might seem like fantasy, Tolkien's work is actually deeply remnisciant of miedieval literature. Tolkien himself spent his whole life as a respected scholar studying works such as "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." These were among the very first novels every concieved and they read like a explication of the early human intellectual mind. Although we, as a society, have progressed far beyond this early stage, the echos of the emotions that moved these people still reside strongly in us. Tolkien's genius was to isolate these emotions and exagurate them by adjusting what is primarilly an archetypical tale for a modern audience. The Lord of the Rings is a creative masterpiece, many of the elements of the story are brilliantly concieved by Tolkien to maintain a seamless narrative structure. But the component of the work that gives it it's greatest power is that delicate fragment, so meticulously preserved by Tolkien, that harkens back to the eve of humankind's intellectual development. In a sense, The Lord of the Rings, is itself, a vast scholarly paper that seeks to recreate the wonder that must have been felt by early civilizations as they sat around the hearth and recounted the tales of "Beowulf" and so many others. Tolkien's fantasy is indisputably the work of genius, but, contrary to most fantasy, it also contains a strong sense of compassion and understanding for the human condition. This is not a tale to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Why this is the best book ever!
Review: I have only read the first book so far but in reading the first few pages it became my favorite book. I love J.R.R. Tolkien books because when I read them im on an adventure through time and life. I'm only 14 and I don't really like to read. But when I read The Hobbit it made me want to read and theat's why i'm looking for the sequils at a reasonable price becuse I don't get a big allounce. If you choose to reed the hobbit I sugest that you buy them all together because you will find you can't put them down.
Rating:
Summary: THe Greatest Tale ever told
Review: The Lord of the rings is truly the greatest tale ever told. It is the basis for all other Fantasy Epic's ever written. I have never known a Greater character then Gandalf the Grey. The Ultimate good Guy, always trying to help out and a guy with an amazing knowledge. Also, this Book contains the Ultimate Bad Guy, Sauron, Who if he laid his hands on the one ring, could take over the whole world, meaning total Chaos for all the nice people such as the Small but strong Hobbits, The Great Riders of Rohan, and all the Kingdom of Gondor. This Truly Is A Must Read For Everybody.
Rating:
Summary: It sucks you in, but it still doesn't stop there.....
Review: I was never a fan of fantasy or make believe books, well i am now. Don't read LOTR before you read the Hobbit, because half the fun of reading LOTR is learning about what Bilbo really uncovered, and the background to some of the other things you read about. Trust me, you will love these books, and i still can's work out how the concept was thought of, it baffles me. Hands down, the best series of books that i have read.
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