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Summary: :)
Review: I love the Lord of the Rings! It is the BEST 'series' ever! And in response to the guy from South Africa, or whatever, I wouldn't be compareing Orcs to Africans, or Asians, or whatever. I'm Chinese myself. If he wants to diss it because Oliphants look like Elephants, that's fine with me. I just love the books, especially The Return of the King!!! LONG LIVE TOLKIEN!
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Summary: EVERY TIME YOU REREAD IT (YOU WILL) YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW.
Review: I USED TO REREAD THE HOBBIT AND THE TRIOLGY EVERY YEAR FOR 10 YEARS. NOW 15 YEARS LATER I'M BUYING IT AGAIN. ENOUGH SAID
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Summary: Novels like this are a world of their own!
Review: My feelings are that this series of books takes on a life of its own. Stories like this are ageless in time. I have read some of the previous reviews posted here and the only people who do not like this series are people who compare this series to modern fantasy novels, or people who want to be too politically correct. In response to people who like other others books better, that may be true with your opinion, but these are MODERN novels. These books were written in the 1930's and 1940's and were probably the inspiration to the writers of the modern books. It was a different era when Tolkien wrote his series, it was during the dark years before and during WWII in Europe. This time is where Tolkien recieved some if his writing inspiration. My other point is one of political correctness. Tolkien may have lived in South Africa, if what was posted is true, but take a poll of an average reader and see if they become raciast after reading the series. I have read the Hobbit, LOR, Simmilarian, and Unfinished Tales many times, usually every 1-2 years and I do not feel that they make people any raciest by reading his books. In my family my brother, father, and uncles have read/or listened to it (Mind's Eye tapes) and they have never noticed a raciest thread in the masterpices. Fantansy books should be judged by the world you are taken to, and not by what is know of the author's lifestyle to make judgements about the books. In conclusion, everybody should buy and read these books many times. I started in 5th grade, now I about to graduate from college, and I think the books get better every time I read them.
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Summary: South African Racism Disguised as Childrens Fantasy
Review: For an Oxbridge Don, Tolkien sure borrowed a heck of a lotta ideas from Saturday matinees at the movies and did not acknowledge his debts. Note that each chapter ends on a cliff hanger and we switch to another group of travellers elsewhere to sustain the "drama". Once the world of Middle Earth is invented and mapped it does not take a huge amount of imagination to fill it with somewhat repetitive but different-each-time monsters and such. This is a tactic nowadays employed by the producers of virtual reality shoot-em-ups like Quake, unfortunately- these programmers are probably not Oxbridge so they don't count in the high-grade "literature" stakes.Tolkien, South African originally - allows his ugly ideas on race to permeate. Note that all the fair-skinned (White) species that live in the middle of middle Earth (Europe) are all decent, elegant, noble. Note also that the "swarthy" (darkies to you and me) hordes of faceless,charachterless evil people are all living to the East and the South where it is hot and they ride beasts with big ears (Asian and African Elephants). Those of the survivors that are considered worthy at the end, sail off across a great ocean to the West to live forever in Valhalla(USA). The goodies unfortunate enough to have lower class origins are left to wonder at their heroes and unquestionable wizard masters (Isrealis?)who leave them in this dull, spent land. DO NOT FUND RACISM. GIVE THIS BOOK A MISS. SPEND SIX MONTHS READING AN INFORMATIVE BOOK ABOUT COMPUTER PROGRAMMING OR SOUND INVESTMENT PRACTISE: THEN YOU TOO COULD GO OFF AND LIVE IN VALHALLA. ALternatively, Read Ursula Le-Guin's excellent A Wizard of Earthsea for a wise and intelligent tale that packs in more magic and drama in a single evening's read.
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Summary: For fantasy, these books can't be beaten!
Review: Yes, I agree with some people that the The Hobbit starts off childishly, and unfortunately, that causes a number of people to put the book down, not read the rest and draw premature conclusions about it. I almost did so. But...if one reads past a certain point, it starts to attract the reader's attention, and, in my opinion, gets better all the way to the end. As good as this book is, it's nothing compared to the three books which follow it (The Fellowship of The Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of The King). These books portray life itself, the best and worse of it, and this adds to the allure. There's no cutting corners here, as far as detail goes, and the imagination of Tolkien is second to none. These aren't child's books, they're adult fantasy books which are second to none in this genre.
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Summary: classic
Review: What can I say? These are among the only fantasy novels I was ever able to stomach... And they went down very well. The whole tale is epic. One can say little more than epic, for no word is fit to describe it other than that. Is it an adventure? No. An adventure is something which leads you on a new trail. The climax is ultimately predictable...we know how the quest will end. The real substance here is not the plotline but the details themselves. Tolkien creates a whole world and inhabits it. The journey itself, and the battles towards the end, are in fact quite boring. It's seeing the sights, hearing the snippets of history, and ultimately HOW everything happens, and not what happens, that is important. Enough praise. Why four stars? The first book of LotR (specifically, the first half of Fellowship of the Ring) is uneven. In tone, it begins much like The Hobbit. Midway-through, it begins to become serious, and the consequences of various actions, i.e. those of Boromir, become much more serious in feel than, say, Gandalf's arriving in The Shire too late. Admitedly, this is understandable, considering the Tolkien spent so long writing this tale, but still...more consistent tone would probably turn less readers away from it. Oh, and Robert Jordan's a bore compared to JRRT. :)
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Summary: The only thing wrong with it: it's too short!
Review: Tolkien has refined the art of fantasy, and this book is a long draught of it. Overall, it is a classic epic of good versus evil, but it is steeped in the mythology of Middle Earth as well as the beautiful songs of the different races of the lands. The story is about the quest to destroy the one ring of power which has fallen into the hands of the hobbit, Frodo. Unfortunately the only place it can be destroyed is in the very heart of the enemy's land: Mordor. A classic, I'm telling you!
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Summary: Best there is, was, and ever will be.
Review: There is nothing I can think of to say about these four books that hasn't already been said by millions of others throughout the years, so why am I writting this? Well, it's my favorite story of all time, and I guess I just felt like adding my voice to the chorus. Despite what some may say, there is a lot of good fantasy out there these days. But no matter how hard they try, I don't think any author will ever create a world so vividly rich and wondorous and majestic and mythical as Middle-Earth.
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Summary: Finest fantasy/adventure series ever written, classic.
Review: This is a must read (and re-read and re-read) for anyone who enjoys riveting, can't-put-it-down reading enjoyment. The first third of the introductory volume, The Hobbit, is a bit difficult to wade through. Lots of detail, setting up the story. But anyone who perseveres will be richly rewarded with a story that unfolds through the remainder of that volume and is continued in the incredibly rich tapestry of the triology that follows. These 4 books, along with Frank Herbert's Dune series and most of Robert Ludlum's works, are the finest fiction works I have ever read. Even after reading the Tolkien series more than a dozen times, it's still enjoyable...every time. There is so much detail, more is gleaned with each journey through Tolkein's carefully crafted world of Middle Earth. Extraordinary literature. Highly recommended. Buy a set for yourself and give a set to a friend who appreciates a good story, you won't regret it.
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Summary: now this is epic fantasy
Review: I first encountered lotr when I was nine years old...it awakened in me a love of reading that has never died! I am now 21 and still think this is the best fantasy series ever written (followed closely by Robert Jordan's books.) I don't understand why some people who enjoy fantasy dislike Tolkien so much! Unlike many modern fantasy authors, Tolkien has taken time to develope a rich history of the people and lands of Middle Earth. He also pays sharp attention to detail when describing places that are traversed in the tale. I must agree with one of the other reviewers though: had the characters been developed more, this story would be even better!
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