Rating: Summary: Being Part of a Great Quest Makes Frodo Immortal Review: I just finished reading "The Lord of the Rings" and am trying to gather my thoughts about it. It is long! And there are parts that are boring. But there are parts that are soaring and beautiful and bring tears to your eyes. Elves, dwarves, hobbits, wizards, and monsters of various sorts fill the pages as Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry wind their way to the Crack of Doom to rid the world of the ring that would give ultimate power to the evil lord. The creative imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien boggles the mind as the reader becomes involved in episode after episode of danger and intrigue, such as the attempts of Gollum to steal the ring, the giant spider that would crush the life out of Frodo, and the orcs and black riders and other strange enemies that are constantly appearing out of nowhere to threaten the hobbits' mission. Filled with folklore, magic and enchantment, "The Lord of the Rings" also speaks to the need we all have to participate in a great quest, to rise above our ordinary existence and do a great service for mankind. We identify with Frodo, an average middle-aged hobbit, who, like his Uncle Bilbo before him (in "The Hobbit"), enjoyed his peace and quiet and comforts, and yet, when he was selected to go on this amazing quest, through no choice of his own, rose to the occasion and became immortal.
Rating: Summary: Love it! Love it! Love It! Review: I had doubts about purchasing this 3-in-1 box set but as soon as I took it out of the box I was in LOVE. I'm so in love that I only glance through it to admire the artwork and feel of the book and nothing else; therefore, I had to buy the one volume paperback edition for my reading pleasures. Being newly introduced to the Lord of the Rings (thanks to the movies) I must say that has been well worth the money.
Rating: Summary: Lord of the Rings Review: I have read this book 3 times in my life and here I am age 60 ready to read it again and also buying the set for a friend. It is am amazing story of hobbits, elves, wizards, and many creatures of fantasy. A true classic in the finest sense. A tale that lights your imagination on fire! Forget your life and indulge your senses. The movies are not near to coming close to this epic tale.
Rating: Summary: A Brief Report Review: This is a sweeping work. Tolkien's elegant prose gives the reader a grand picture of a world as real as our own. While the events happen in a fantasy setting, there are many profound insights on the realities of life and human nature, as well as many religious insights that reflect upon Tolkien's Catholicism. While the trifold book is hardly light reading, it is well worth the time to read. I highly recommend it to anyone with a little patience.
Rating: Summary: A true masterpiece. Review: Given the fanaticism with which lovers of this book rave about it, one might be tempted to assume that it is overrated. This would be a mistake; it is one of the finest stories in literature, and well worth its reputation.Granted, it is not to everyone's taste; nothing is. Some may find it overly wordy or pretentious; this reviewer finds some of Tolkien's other works (notably his postumously published works, such as "The Silmarilien" and the "Books of Lost Tales") to fit that description, and granted, this book occasionally comes closer to that than its companion volume, "The Hobbit", which is told in a much more accessible, lighthearted style. (Others may not care for the heroic-fantasy genre at all; there's no accounting for taste.) This book, however, is intended to be a more serious tale, and its style reflects that. But it only rarely takes itself over-seriously, (at least until one finishes the actual story and reads the appendices, if one indeed bothers doing so) and is a story of much grander scope and accomplishment than "The Hobbit". This book is nothing less than THE seminal modern heroic fantasy story; everything that has come after it owes much to its influence. Just as there were vampire stories before Bram Stoker's "Dracula", there was heroic fantasy before Tolkien. And as there are modern vampire stories that diverge greatly from the concepts in "Dracula", so there are modern heroic fantasies that similarly diverge from the concepts in "Lord of the Rings". Yet just as "Dracula" is unquestionably a major influence on all vampire fiction that has come after, so with "Lord of the Rings" and heroic fantasy. If any author of heroic fantasy has not read this book (unlikely in and of itself) they still could not escape its influence, because WHATEVER stories they may have read that influenced their writings are guaranteed to have been influenced by Tolkien and this book. It is simply unavoidable. This is an absolute must-read for anyone with any interest at all in the heroic fantasy genre. If it were possible to rate any book higher than five stars, this would be one that rated at least six.
Rating: Summary: Perfect Box Set Review: I have wanted a complete hardcover box set of LOTR, illustrated by Alan Lee, all my life. Now at last I have it. These are beautiful books; as has too rarely been done, Tolkien's work has been given a binding and pictures worthy of the greatness of the story. I heartily recommend this edition; the only better one in existence is Houghton-Mifflin's old hardcover box set, in which Alan Lee's paintings were first featured (unfortunately I only have the second two volumes of that one). Buy this before it goes out of print; it's nice enough to be an heirloom.
Rating: Summary: Lord of the Books Review: I had heard of LOTR quite a few times over the last ten years or so, but never really thought about reading it, until The Two Towers came out. After seeing the two movies, I was mildly interested, so I read The Hobbit. After having read The Hobbit and then all three (well... six, actually) LOTR books, I was left at a loss for words. The world that is painted in the pages of the books is fascinating - truly, the movies do not do them justice (nor will any, ever, in all likelihood). There are hundreds of pages omitted from the book in the course of the movie, and quite a few plotlines are heavily modified (not always for the better). As great as Peter Jackson's efforts are, comparing the book to the film is like comparing living a life to watching a film. As an example, consider the road from Hobbiton to Bree - largely uneventful in the film, while it comprises a good half of the book, including an encounter with Tom Bombadil (entirely missing from the film) and a brush with Barrow wights, which is where the Hobbits obtain most of their swords (one of which Merry uses to ... well... I'd rather not ruin the _real_ story). It is often said that Tolkien describes things in extreme detail, and I don't disagree with that - he often goes on for a page or two describing history, lands, objects, etc... However, this only goes to show the rigor of Tolkien's efforts - one does not read LOTR so much as experience Middle Earth. Parts of it (history, geography) often appear within the story in various places, only increasing one's curiosity in what exactly happened before the War of the Ring. As for the fact that the songs and snatches are extraneous in the story - that's just silly. They're as big a part of LOTR as pretty much everything else. The third book contains a hefty set of appendices full of history, meanings of words, information on the origins of languages of Middle Earth and its people. In short, the amount of work and effort that has been spent on LOTR is obviously staggering. There are maps that one can follow as the story develops, and illustrations also go to a great extent in providing windows into Middle Earth through the eyes of Alan Lee. Having read the books has left me with a desire to go through appendices, perhaps re-read the book, and more importantly, read The Silmarillion, which describes the Middle Earth before the War of The Ring - history parts of which are described in LOTR in various places. In short, I can't recommend this book enough. I only wish I had read The Lord of the Rings when I was a kid - though perhaps having read it later in life has made me appreciate Tolkien's work all the more.
Rating: Summary: Best Book I've read Review: I love Lord of the Rings. I like how there is so many characters and it kinda relates to reality. I also like the adventures that the characters go through. The information that the book gives you let your imagination go. It the best book ever!
Rating: Summary: BeSt BooK!! Review: This the best book ever. It contains paintings inside the book and it's hardcover. What more could you ask for?
Rating: Summary: Lord of the Rings Rules!! Review: I am a huge fan of Tolkien's writing and I have always loved the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings." I am a person who doesn't like to follow the crowd and when a fair amount of boys in my grade started reading the trilogy, I noticed that no girls were interested in this story. So I went out and bought the books. At first it was just to show that I am not a follower I am a leader. I started to read it and immediately fell in love with Tokien's masterful writing. In this breathtaking tale of good versus evil one hobbit shows that no matter how small you are you can make a big difference in the world. If you think about it this relates with real life too because no matter how small your input in a cause is it can go a long way. Tolkien was indeed a genius. He created his own languages, made a whaole world of fantastical creatures, and thought up amazing landscapes. He is one of the most renowned writers of our age. You are sure to fall in love with the hobbits, elves, dwarves, and men in this story. And the villains are very impressive. From the white wizard Saruman to the most feared being in middle Earth, Sauron, you are sure to find these books enjoyable. Read one of the greatest works of the 20th century and live the excitement.
|