Rating: 
Summary: bad books
Review: I just cannot understand why so many people like this set of books! I read the first two and then read the last two so I could review this book set. This is the worse fantasy set I have ever read and I'm 54!
Rating: 
Summary: Great fiction reading
Review: Having read the books several years ago,I purchased the set hoping my daughter would be interested. Well the movies have created the interest for her . She has read the first three and is a bit hesitant to read the last one. She thinks seeing the movie first might be better. I thought reading the books first was better.I highly recomend it for the younger set that have seen the movies and especially for those that haven't.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding work of literature.
Review: Tolkien really knew what he was writing about. The world of the Middle-Earth is the perfect place, for those of us who want to live an adventure, to forget about our daily-lives and start living in a marvelous world full of mistery, danger and magic. I have heard very few bad comments about this books, but I, who have read them several times, completely disagree. I would dare to say that eventhough this is not the perfect masterpiece of the 20th century, it provides the reader a great balance of fantasy and adventure, of life and death, of friends and foes, and of loyalty and friendship. It is the perfect blend for those who love fiction, for those who can imagine themselves living an adventure along the various lands of a spectacular place.
In brief, if you have seen the movies and like them, you will love the books; and if you haven't, you have a new world ahead, full of what some people would call "magic", not it the sense of spells and enchantments, but in a sense of magnificent and vivid words that build the land that a man once had in his head.
Rating:
Summary: A Triumph of All Genres
Review: The simple fact is that The Lord of the Rings is an amazing acheivement. Tolkien is truly a visionary; his ability to weave such a tale with profound meaning is unparalled. Obviously the 35 year old from Chicago who wrote a previous review has no idea what true fantasy is, because this book is the root of all fantasy. Those that do not appreciate the incredible amount of work that Tolkien put into these books will undoubtedly find many parts of the book tedious and drawn-out. But for those that understand just what he created, every aspect of the book becomes more than a masterpiece. The first time I read the book, I was astounded by the epic battles and emotional story. Afterwards, I went on to read The Silmarillion and various other Tolkien-related books. When I went back and read The Lord of the Rings a second time, I found new meanings in every word that Tolkien wrote, ranging from the hidden meanings behind Frodo's dreams to the significance of destiny and free-will in Middle-Earth. I recommend that everyone give the book a try, and then, if you find the book appealing, explore Tolkien's creation in greater detial in the numerous other books on Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: I played Dungeons & Dragons as a kid. I watched Dr. Who. I was -- and still am -- a geek. But I definitely leaned toward the sci-fi side -- while everyone was reading LOTR, I was reading Dune and Foundation. So, at the ripe age of 35, I decided to fill in the gaps in my geek education, and finally read LOTR.I struggled through the Hobbit, a story of a fat, lazy little person who steals a ring from a gaunt, pathetic creature, and who only has adventures because he is forced to by a wizard with a misguided sense of generosity. Maybe LOTR would be better... Nope. The story is repetitive, overly expository, and just plain dull. Several fat, lazy little people who like to eat and sleep (and not much else) go galavanting in the woods, where they get into some sort of trouble, because they are, at the core, morons. They are then saved by benevolent and (almost) omnipotent powers. Then someone recites a bad poem, or talks of legends that sound like they have sprung forth from the mind of a schizophrenic, or, worse, we get a long-winded description of the terrain. Please, kill me. I will not be reading the Two Towers or the Return of the King. In fact, I couldn't care less if the king returns or not. If I find myself wracked by curiosity, I'll go see the movie. And the movies have been great...somehow Peter Jackson has created brilliance out of dullness. Good thing he didn't take Tolkein literally, though I can't help but wonder if his inspiration comes more from hours playing D&D than from reading this tripe.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible book/series
Review: This book (well, these three books) are probably the best I have ever read. I am 13 years old and first read it 7 months ago. Since I first read it, I have read it twice more. These are INCREDIBLE. They're kind of stiff reading, but very good once you get it. Every time you read it, you see something different. The basic plot is that, Frodo Baggins the hobbit has to destroy the Ring of Power (helped by his band of companions, the Fellowship of the ring)and keep it out of the Dark Lord Sauron's hands. The only trick is, that the only place the ring can be destroyed is the Crack of Doom in Mount Doom, which, Ohby the way, is in the center of Sauron's realm. Tolkien created some great characters like Gandalf, Aragorn, and Sam Gamgee and even created his own language. If you can read, you have to read these, it's as simple as that.
Rating:
Summary: Master of Fantasy
Review: I read The Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings series when I was about 14 and these are the books that inspired me to read fantasy. These are the books that probably inspired many authors to write fantasy. Tolkien's works are ingenious. Pulling from his education and his experiance as an Anglo-Saxon professor at Oxford, Tolkien created works created a story that as almost a myth in itself. His characters are believable, if not sometimes a little too good-hearted, i.e Strider, but his use of the myths of the Anglo-Saxon (Middle-earth or Midgard) culture are really awe-inspiring. Not to mention the fact that Tolkien created a language that can actually be learned! It has been nice to see Peter Jackson do such a fine job in bringing these books to life.
For anyone has seen the movies, but has not read the books, I highly, highly recommend them. Tolkien is the father of modern fantasy and I think I better understand books like the H.P. series or Wheel of Time series because I read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings...several times.
Rating: 
Summary: Video Shoot Out Tolkien Review
Review: I read the first two of these books and it nearly killed me. They are incredibly long and boring. Go see the movie, at least there you get realy tasty popcorn. :) Thanks Video Shoot Out!!!
Rating:
Summary: Snore
Review: What's so good about these books? The Hobbit is a likeable children's fairy tale, with some good characterization and entertaining scenes. But LOTR is just completely up itself. It could have been cut down to half its length and would still be dull. The plot is okay, and there are some decent scenes (like Weathertop, and the final ring-destroying scene) but the majority is simply boring. Not much of interest ever happens, and any big battles that take place are so badly written that they are completely boring. I did finish the books eventually, but I wish I hadn't. Yawn. Don't bother. (to all those who say Tolkein is a genius - get your head checked. He's an average author, and fantasy is easy to write)
Rating:
Summary: A Classic, Great Set of Books -- But Not Perfect
Review: These books should be read by anyone who enjoys fantasy. They are classics of the genre and probably will be for a very long time. The strength of these books are their detail, imagination, and realism. Tolkien's world seems absolutely convincing and comes with a history and a strong sense of the future. Tolkien admirably develops a sense of "abiding strangeness"--which was one of his goals. The things Tolkien does right are often very, very right. The language is sometimes beautiful as well. Having said that, you need to know that the pacing is sometimes slow and Tolkien did very little editing when he wrote these books. They are not the kinds of books in which every word is significant or always perfectly chosen. Even the best poems in the books will never be considered particularly great and some of the poems are abysmal doggerel. It seems that some people get a carried away by their love of these books into praising aspects that don't necessarily deserve high praise. So am I criticising The Lord of the Rings books? No, definitely not. They are great books because their imagination, strangeness, and beauty. Tolkien makes up for any weak points by being very strong in these areas. They beg to be read by people with imagination. It's a little misleading to compare Tolkien's writing with Shakespeare, Milton, or Keats--it's just not up to this par. Read these books and enjoy them for what they are. They are very good for a number of reasons that aren't always particularly "literary."
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