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Summary: Similar to Beowulf.
Review: J. R. R. Tolkien did his homework before writing these books. One of the Poems he studied was [Beowulf ISBN: 0374111197]. He even wrote a book on the subject [Beowulf: the monsters and the critics ASIN: 0849226090]These stories can be read on many levels. They are no more children's stories than Alice in Wonderland is. However children can read these stories and enjoy them. They contain a lot of symbolism and if it is not evident then you may want to obtain [J.R.R. Tolkien's the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings (Barrons Book Notes) ISBN: 0812035232.] There is a definite style change between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I found that due to the more simplistic form of the Hobbit and the fact that the stories are not as fleshed out, that it worked out better for me to read The Lord of the Rings first. Then when the mysterious creatures came to tea in The Hobbit, I could better understand who they were and why they were there. The only real drawback to this set is that there isn't more. Where do you go from here?
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Summary: Fantasy
Review: In the book "The Lord of the Rings" a Hobbit named Frodo sets out on a quest of extreme imprtance. He is to destroy the master ring, the ring that could give one man all the power of Middle-Earth. He leaves with his Friends (Merry,Pippin, Samwise and meets his friend Gandalf along the way) No other Writer could have put more detail into this book than J.R.R. Tolkien. He makes the Characters come alive! This book is the First book i have ever been Sad to be over. When you finish reading the Lord of the Rings you will be wishing that J.R.R. Tolkien had made another!
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Summary: The Lord Of The Rings
Review: OK, this is a rewrite of a review that I posted a few years ago. With two of the three movies now in the mainstream, i figured the time was ripe for a rewrite. I must say, seeing the movies has given me an even greater appreciation for the books. The rich, evocative, and well thought out writing never fails to please, especially in the case of The Hobbit. While the actual trilogy is sometimes emotionally burdened by death, darkness, and destruction, The Hobbit is, by comparision light, carefree, and altogether wonderful. This is not to say that the trilogy itself is a bad piece of writing. Far from it. It is a piece of writing that does not try to "drive a message home" but rather a piece of writing that fulfils a very simple, yet very noble function: to tell a very touching story. While some would call it "escapist literature," I would call it one of the few truly original pieces of writing still available to the masses. Pick these books up. Read them. I promise that once you get through the first few chapters (which are, admittedly, a bit long winded) you'll never look back Enjoy the Ride
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Summary: Read These Before You See The Movies
Review: I saw the Hobbit cartoon when I was a kid, and although it has been at least twenty years since I saw it, the images in my head were still distracting from the book when I finally got around to reading it this year. I would recommend that anyone interested in the stories should read the books before seeing the movies, so that your impression will not be tainted by someone else's interpretation. After having read all four books, I am now REALLY looking forward to the movies! In general, the stories are great, although they can get bogged down in detail at times. The beginning of The Hobbit as well as the beginning of The Fellowship of the Rings both seemed ploddingly slow to my anxious mind. If you have any interest in the genre, and occasional patience, then these books will satisfy you greatly.
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Summary: The Lord of te Rings
Review: The Lord of the Rings is a great Fantasy tale! No other Fantasy story can even compare to compete with J.R.R Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings. This story is about A Hobbit named Frodo, he bears a Magical ring that the Lord Sauron Desires above all mortal things. With this "Fellowship of the Ring" goes Aragorn, Gandalf, Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Gimli and Sam. There Journey begins in the all to familiar land of the Shire. Gandalf sets the stage for Frodo to take the ring into a Dreaded place on Middle-Earth called Mordor. This is conciderded a Trilogy by some, but others it is a Novel of Great leangth, but whatever Tolkien intened it to be it turned out a Great book! If you havent read this book it is a must read for all ages.
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Summary: Thank you Uncle
Review: My Uncle [who shall remain anonymous] first recommended The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings about 1 & 1/2 years ago during one of my 'book slumps' as I call them, [that's when the same author is getting boring and I have little to no idea what else I should read]. I though 'ya ya ooo a classic no thanks' I moved on to other books and came out of my 'slump' then maybe 2 or 3 months ago I thought 'hey why not? I'm running out of books again and every one says there good so I'll give them a try'. Keep in mind my taste in books has almost completely changed from 1 & 1/2 years ago, I went from [what I now consider cheesy] vampire books, to, sci-fi and/or fantasy books through people saying "just read it and if you don't like it I'll leave you alone about it.". Any way [you really don't care about that] but I, as a person who doesn't really like the library, bought them, and I'm definitely not sorry. I wont give away any of the story [read the back of the book or some one else's review] but I LOVE IT. And call me odd but one of the pluses is that if you open it on a flat surface, after about 50 - 75 pages the book lies flat! It stays open! Ok I'm sorry but I hate books that flip shut and then you loose your place so I HIGHLY recommend these ... not only for the story but for the durability [been to school and back you cant even tell] and that fact that it lies flat. well that's all you can decide for yourself if you like them or not. p.s. THANKS UNCLE!!!!
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Summary: The Finest Work of Fiction from the Last Century
Review: I was disappointed to see only two reviews....Tolkien's work is arguably the finest work of fiction, in any language, of the twentieth century. It is and will continue and enduring classic rrad fifty and probably five hundred and fifty years from now....and, it is also a wonderful, fun , inspiring read. I named my first racing bike after a great sword (Anduril), i can recite some of Tolkien's poetry by heart and I captivate my nine year old twin boys with anecdots and stories from the books. Please be aware that if you read The Hobbit first, which you should, it is a children's book, while the Lord Of The Rings is an adult epic. Do not measure your potential enjoyment of the Lord of the Rings by the tone and tenor of The Hobbit, which is a wonderful book all to itself. Think about it - Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, men, goblins, Nazgul, sorcerers, wizards, talking eagles....all credible characters written with such style and ease that it takes no effort to suspend disbelief. Middle Earth is as it is -- not work required. Miore than anything, I love the work for it is pure....heorism, evil, everything and all things are white and black except the main plot line -- Frodo and the Quest. Here the grey that is the inner soul, weakness and strength, is illustrated and it is here Tolkien is a master writer, not just a master story teller. The greatest book ever written? That may be Bleak House. But this is a close second. Michael Shulman MichShul@aol.com
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Summary: unbelievable
Review: wow. how else to describe the greatest book I have ever read (and that's saying something). I love fantasy, and every book I have ever read in the genre, I have been almost unconciously biased against because I read this book first. It's imperative that you read The Hobbit first because it gives you a lot of background information and makes you feel familiar with Tolkien's world (and it is a world indeed, the amount of work he put into creating it and the history that it has is staggering). He descibes it so vividly that you can almost see the golden trees of lothlorien, and the open fields of Rohan. But this is all a backdrop for the true wonder of the books. Tolkien writes his characters incredibly realistically, they behave as many of us would were we to embark on a journey (excitement that turns to dismay when we learn it isn't all fun and games). The characters change over the course of the story, and for the better, and we change with them. You cannot describe how great and author Tolkien is with words, you simply must read the book and see for yourself. This is the book which I have based all other books on, and none other have come close.
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Summary: The Bible of Fantasy
Review: This collection, starting with the Hobbit, is the blueprint of modern day fantasy. Thanks to my older brother whom I developed my love and appreciation for science fiction/fantacy, I started reading this masterpiece while still in grade school. I must have read the Hobbit ten times before starting TLOTR, and finished that trilogy within a week--not bad for a pre-teen. The Hobbit was just the crack in the door to an adventure filled world that will last me a lifetime. I can not imagine having to wait to read each part of TLOTR as each edition was released. The only problem after reading it, is the challenge of enjoying anything closely related to the subject. Nothing can even come close to the detail, imagination and creativity not to mention the all too real characters that inhabit the realm Middle-Earth. For those of us who have read this classic(and not for the last time) you know how special this work is. For those who have not, join the rest of us who have and experience the joy, sorrow and triumph of a world that will exist once you turn that first page.
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Summary: My First Big Book
Review: This was my first big book.I read the Hobbit then I heard about the Lord of the Rings. I bought the Lord of the Rings it went from there.I hope you dont want me to tell you about the book beause im not. I would ask you to read the hobbit before you read this book it will help clear up a few problems.If you dont want to read this book just get it on tape or CD,when you do you will find your self taking the book with you every where you go just to see what will happen next. Also if your just starting fantasy books this would be a great choice.10th grader Steve
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