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Summary: Fantastic
Review: Tolkien's world is one which continues to inspire, educate, and touch people all over the world. It is a most unusual piece of work. What I have cherished most over the years from Tolkien's works is the understanding it gives of the human spirit. People who have dismissed it as "idle fantasy", as "useless" and/or "boring", really miss the point. It is about the very depths of our existance, our yearnings, our dreams, and our deep-seated fantasies. And it is also about our character, both good and evil."Dreaming" is not an idle waste of time, nor is an understanding of our nature "boring". A mythical/fantasy world reveals much about our own, real world, and often gives us new meaning about what it means to live, to experience, to feel, to laugh, to lose, and to die. These are the very purposes and nature of myth and fantasy. Many ancient cultures have myths or "dreaming" as a very important part of their existance, and Tolkiens world fulfils much the same role. It will continue to educate, to fulfill, and inspire new dreams and new hopes for some time to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Read it again for the first time
Review: These books just keep getting better with age. If you haven't read this series for awhile, read them again. You won't be dissapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing! * * * * *
Review: The English-speaking population is divided into those who have read "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings and those who are going to read them.
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Summary: Epic battle between good & evil - myth making at its finest!
Review: I first read the Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit in 1969 at age 21. It helped to form my pattern of basic reading interest for years; I've re-read it aloud to my teenage daughters & son. (I've since gone on to complete a Masters in Education, and still find it marvelous reading!) My children loved it, of course! In reviewing some other readers' comments, I must say, it never occurred to me that Tolkien might be racist. I think THAT reader needs to get a grip and stop feeling sorry for him/herself because of his/her ethnicity! There are more races portrayed in the Trilogy than I believe that reader probably could conceive -- many of them very positively represented. Sauron, himself, wasn't human -- and physically, not a LIVING being at all. The characters are VERY well developed, along with their histories, their cultural background and the World of Middle Earth, generally. The reader who cast aspertions on Tolkien, lumping him in with Eddings, etc., apparently doesn't value fantasy writing as a genre. Eddings is a very fine writer also. I believe it helps to be in touch with your own youthful spirit, and have some inclination toward the pursuit of spiritual growth to appreciate to scope of this myth. Tolkien spoke to the heart, as much as, perhaps more than simply spinning a good adventure yarn -- altho' the Trilogy is certainly that, as well. To get at the kernal of Tolkien's truth, you MUST read The Silmarllion, which contains the ontological basis of the entire Rings works. His creation myth in The Silmarillion clarifies the basis for the conflict between Sauron and Gandalf (who are, not surprisingly, equals of the same race of beings -- not human at all), and the seeds for the entire epic battle. Some readers may feel the ending was inadequate, as if "They all lived happily ever after" is not an end worth striving for. I think Tolkien, like many of us, hoped for the triumph of Good over Evil -- the hope of humankind. Evil is anti-life. The triumph of evil presupposes the end of all life. An epic myth such as Lord of the Rings can only stand for all time, as this one surely must, if it speaks to that glimmer of hope that Good (and Life generally) can and will triumph over Evil (and the grave). No sensible person, surely, would recommend all his children (much less his friends or other strangers) read a book which speaks only to the darkest side of ourselves, which concludes -- as the sign over the door to Hell warns, "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here". Tolkien's trilogy is a timeless masterpiece. EVERYONE, I believe, can benefit by reading it, many times over (even those cynical or foolish enough to find its ending insipid, its characters inadequately developed and its development "racist")!
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Summary: Unbelievable
Review: It starts off with the Hobbit, a basically care free fantasy story that, despite it's complexity, is very easy reading. Then hits the Lord of the Rings, an unfaultering sea of excitment and wonder. Unbeatable.
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Summary: Bed time stories
Review: The first time I read these books I was approximatly 6 to 8. Well I didn't actually read them my father did. It was and still is my foundest memories of childhood. They were his choice for bed time reading. He's read them more times than I can count and is actually some what of a Middle Earth buff, if there is such a thing. I my self have read them 3 times since then. I normally hate to jump on the band wagon but these books are with out a doubt the best books I have ever read. There's a line in the bible that says some thing to the affect that god created man in his own likeness. I always took that to mean that unlike all other living things he gave us the power of creation, and in J.R.R Tolkin's case he was given an extra helping. I hope to some day be able to pass on what has sort of become a famly tradition in my mind to my children.
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Summary: Awesome book
Review: I couldn't put the book down all of the series is awesome i strongly urge you to read the books i'd tell you more about the book but if you havn't read it i'll give away he great finle ending you'll love this book i sure did!
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Summary: beautiful
Review: this is by far the most beautiful epic in the english language. cs lewis put it the best: "here are beauties that pierce like spears and burn like cold iron"
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Summary: Someone called it "poorly made? "
Review: These books are of course, literary classics. No one really disputes this, nor should they. I did have a bit of a chuckle at this reader above who reviewed the books and called them "a bit long" and "poorly made." It kind of reminded me of the comedian who said he went to see the movie Schindler's List but was dissappointed because the movie just wasn't funny, and he only laughed 5 times through the whole thing. In other words, I think the reader really kind of missed the point a little bit. Tragedies tend not to be funny in much the same way that epics seem not to be short! Tolkien demonstrates his genius by the intricate detail he incorporates into his stories. This isn't just some fun romping-around adventure. Reading this trilogy is as much like reading a history book -- the history of an entire world that came of the the mind of the author. Not only is it incredible and the author a genius, but almost every other modern fantasy writer roughly uses the "world" and parameters that Tolkien established. I realize that Tolkien does not need to be defended, but I was laughing so hard at this persons post I had to say something. Calling this epic classic a bit long and poorly made is about the equivalent of saying that the Bible is a pretty good book until it gets sidtracked in the middle with this "Jesus" character, and the book would have been a lot more well done if the author(s) would have avoided that tangent. Or it is like saying The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would have been a good book, if the author would have been more educated and learned how to speak proper english before writing it. Both the previous senteces are about as absurd as calling Tolkien "poorly made." So, if you have yet to experience The Lord of the Rings, be prepared for an epic work that will take you some time, but be also prepared for one of the most rewarding experiences of your life!
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Summary: The Best Books of All time
Review: This is surely the best book of all time it always will be. No one shall surpass tolkiens masterpiece. The only thing i would have suggested is that the ending not be so longe and boring. I would select the sword of shanara for those of you who have finished the lord of the rings and are looking for more. what has roots as nobody sees is taller then trees yet up up it go's but never snows. - J.R.R Tolkien A masterpiece!
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