The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

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Summary: Book of the Century
Review: No modern fantasy has ever come close to capturing the epic feel of Lord of the Rings. It is a story full of great deeds and trials. The narrative is detailed and enjoyable. What else is there to say? Read it! By the way, to the reader who thinks that Tolkien is a South African racist, he was born there, but he moved to England when he was a young boy. And, incidentally, he was English. (Actually, his family came to England from Saxony two or three generations prior to his birth.)

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Summary: The end all greatest set of books in the Fantasy setting.
Review: If Tolkien had written in ancient times, his words would now be gospel. No way around it. The stories that he has come up with fill one with a sense of well being yet also lead you on a merry chase. Enjoy your reading.

Rating:
Summary: Simply The Best
Review: This set of books is simply the best reading I've ever undertaken, and I am pleased to announce that I've undertaken it over 20 times and can almost recite the first 2 and 1/2 books by memory. "Chapter 1: An Unexpected party. In a hole in the ground..." sorry. I also have the Audiotape for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: I spend most of my time reading fantasy books so therefor I've ready tones of them. However, I have to admit out of all the authors I've read (including Margaret Weis, R.L. Salvator, and Terry Brooks) I've never read a better set of books. I don't think anything can possibly even compare to these books. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy deserves 1000000 stars, but I can only put five (too bad)

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Summary: It's not just a book, its a world.
Review: I first read "Lord" in college (too long ago)and now I read it again every five years or so. Don't start it if you don't have time to devote to it. It is a winter book when its cold outside, the trees are bare and Rivendell seems far away. Start with the Hobbit for history purposes but know that it is a child's book and has none of the depth, character and prose of Lord of the Rings.

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Summary: These books are must-reads.
Review: I have read and reread these books many times. They are involved and interesting. One of the things that I like the most is the symbolism that can be very difficult to detect. I hardly noticed it the first time that I read these books.

J.R.R. Tolkien is good at creating characters that feel just as one of us might feel in their situation. He has a tremendous insight into the mind, heart, and spirit.

Tolkien's creativity also is deep. He has a talent in creating different characters and species. Each and every one are different and have their own customs, traditions, and languages.

Another thing that I enjoy in these books is the adventure and fantasy. They are so real. Even though we'll never see an elf or troll or dragon Tolkien paints a very beautiful picture of what he thinks that they would be like and shows that picture to his readers using vivid description.

He speaks with an honest voice. What he is telling in his books is important to him.

I would strongly suggest these books to anyone and everyone. Even if they do not particularly enjoy fantasy, these books speak to the heart and the soul and give insight on the subtleties of the human nature.

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Summary: one ring to rule them all
Review: I have read these books three times. They were what originally got me interested in mythology, Northern cultures, and the medieval period. Tolkien was a professor of philology (the study of the origins of words) and fascinated in his spare time by mythology and the early history of Northern cultures. These fascinations are what inform The Lord of the Rings and give it such resonance.

I read through the previous reviews that gave the trilogy low ratings. They were almost unanimous in their complaint that it was slow-moving, old-fashioned and overly detailed. Sorry, but their tastes have been (mal)formed by action movies. I would go so far as to suggest that the tastes of many modern fantasy writers have also been molded by the movies. Tolkien, who fought in WWI, the first modern war, is blessedly free of the crash and bang of the movie-version of fantasy.

One of the saddest messages in this book is that the Golden Age is past and that we are living in a fallen world. This was written long before anyone dreamed of nuclear holocaust. Instead it comes from the idea that humanity is simply winding down, succumbing to entropy. This message affected my outlook on life for years. I no longer believe it, but I still know what he means.

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Summary: Thou art the Greatest
Review: The feeling of being abandoned, alone... Without anyone helping you, a feeling of destiny that is so powerful that fleeing from it will not help you... The courage to face that destiny without blinking an eye... It is about making a stand... It is about following the path that always runs, on and on. Down from the door where everything began, now far ahead the road has gone and I must follow if I can...

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Summary: Tolkien's LotR is the best trilogy ever!!!
Review: I read The Hobbit and each book of "The Lord of The Rings" at least 16 times each - got lost at around 11 times through!

once i was done with the last book i started all over with The Hobbit

As you can imagine theyre in pretty bad condition by now, which is why im ordering a whole new set off Amazon!

Rating:
Summary: Please! Let me explain! It really deserves 100 stars.
Review: I just wanted to make you sit up, there are just too many reviews of this book and I can see why. There are not enough words in the vocabulary of the English language to describe the sheer excellence and majesty of the book. I am interested in history much, and one of the things I loved was how Tolkien created such a detailed world with immense histories and legends and tales. This series was simply the best I have ever read, and Im sure at least half the people in the world agree with me. A lot of history only alluded to in the Lord of the Rings is given in Appendix A(although I felt Tolkien could have written even more!). In fact, The Silmarillion does not have enough about the history of the rings and the races in the chapter - Of the third Age and the Rings of Power, and Appendix A in the return of the King does not have nearly enough pages about the history of all the peoples and such. I feel Prof. Tolkien has not given us more than a tantalizing glimpse of Middle Earth, and there are a lot of things I want to know such as where are the other lands in Arda, why the Valar took no interest in the rings and a lot of other things. If anyone has any answers, please email me! I really wish Tolkien had created at least two more books to decribe what happened after the War of the Rings, and about Moria and Mordor and other places. The series Was JUST LOVELY. I recommend it anyone who has enough patience to read a few pages and get hooked. There is absolutely no racism in the book except if you choose to make it up. This series is a definite read and reread and rereread. Also the Silmarillion is a must for people who get interested, and you have to read the hobbit to understand the series.