Rating: 
Summary: I hope the movie does justice to this book
Review: This is an amazing book, telling of the War Of The Ring, in which Frodo, a hobbit, has inherited a terrible doom,the Ring of Sauron. He is then selected for the hopeless mission of destroying it by casting it into Mount Doom. Against horrible odds he does this, but for better or worse, the Third age is over, and the Fourth age, the Age of men, begins.
I vote this as one of the best books ever created, and a classic for all generations. Tolkien has created a whole other world for us to delight in.
Rating: 
Summary: A Classic? Hummm Let's review shall we.
Review: There is so much to be said against The Lord Of The Rings that it shouldn't be worth the effort. A book that, judged by conventional standards, contains so many appalling lapses of taste and so much coarse vulgarity really ought, by now, to have faded from sight.
From many points of view, it has dated badly, and its aesthetics and politics are now so odd that you might be forgiven for thinking, as Peter Jackson's new trilogy of movies rapidly approaches, that its appeal, after all, is one of a delicious period piece.
But all judgements have always been confounded by this extraordinary book. It ought to be too long, and too pointlessly abstruse, to command wide popularity; it is not a book for children, and yet not a book for adults either; its style is too elevated for popular literature, but too coarse for "high" literature. There is no reason on earth for anyone to like it, and there are plenty of readers who still think that the judgement of JRR Tolkien's first publisher - who was surprised when it started to look as if the book might make as much as £1,000 - was much sounder than the people who, in the past 50 years, have bought more than 100 million copies of the book.
However, by now, The Lord Of The Rings is unarguably a part of English literature. Contrary to popular belief, 100 million readers can perfectly well be wrong; but the continuing life of the book cannot just be ignored. It is just there, massively.
But, in many ways, it is just awful. It is amazingly humourless, and Tolkien knows it - over and over again, he writes " 'Come, master Pippin!' Gandalf laughed" - a very bad sign, all those laughing wizards. You don't have to be politically correct to be mildly alarmed by some aspects of it. Apart from Eowyn, the women in it are not madly significant, or allowed to do anything much. There is Galadriel, who stays at home being Wise; there are Goldberry or Rose, who stay at home being Patient Helpmeets; there are Lobelia Sackville Baggins and Shelob, who stay at home being completely ghastly.
It is an appallingly naïve fantasy of good and evil races; mostly, the good people are tall and blond and speak Nordic or Celtic languages, and the bad ones are dark and hairy and talk a sort of Persian - those guttural dwarves are allowed a sort of virtue, but it is rather grudging in tone. Sam Gamgee is a loyal retainer of the most frightful variety, still "Mr Frodo-ing" away and knowing his place 1,000 pages in; basically, he is Dickens's Sam Weller, and Tolkien couldn't even be bothered to change his name.
Tolkien probably knew as much about language as anyone, but it would be fair to say that his interest stopped at grammatical inflection. The Lord of the Rings, by ordinary standards, is just badly written. Great swathes of it are in a sort of Ben-Hur biblical: "And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed. And he sang to them... until their hearts, wounded with sweet words, overflowed, and their joy was like swords..."
There are endless mock subtleties of the "It seemed to Sam that he saw..." variety. And there is, too, that infallible sign of a really bad writer, the overuse of the word "suddenly". Everything in The Lord of the Rings happens suddenly, dozens of times a chapter. And yet it is one of those very rare books that confounds all objections, all standards, and which in the end may make its own standards. Nobody, I think, has ever produced anything with the imaginative density and intricacy of the book. The reviewer's cliché is, for once, apt here; he really created a world.
The power and resonance of the book come in part from an ethical debate that is much more adult than one remembers - it is haunted by the cruelty of its age, and is not, in fact, just about the alternative of Good and Evil, the elves and the orcs, but largely about the possibility of becoming evil through the best intentions. It is really about slow corruption, and is at its finest in the portraits of Saruman and Denethor, characters who it is not difficult to parallel in 20th-century history.
But its claim on real greatness comes from the sense of huge, half-glimpsed vistas of history and language, the illusion (which may not be an illusion) that its author knew exactly the languages each of its characters would have spoken and understood the events of ancient history that lead all of them to act as they do.
In a realistic novelist, writing about a real war, this would be a remarkable feat of intelligence; when you consider that Tolkien invented absolutely everything - the backstory, the languages, the geography - it quickly becomes almost incredible. At some point, the critics and the literati have to admit that they were just wrong, and, by now, it is probably time to start considering his extraordinary flight of imagination as one of the key works of modern literature.
Rating:
Summary: Good Set
Review: First - Ofcourse the story is superb, story gets full rating.
Second - Some people complain about the cheap manufacturing of this set. I really do question the reading methods used by these people. There is no reason for this set to split or break at any point, if read properly. I do not mean you can not enjoy these books, I am not the most careful reader, but I must draw the line somewhere, I treat all my books with respect, and they last a long time.
Third - The size of these volumes is excellant. They are perfect size for sticking in a coat pocket, or in a back-pack, or a travel bag. They are sturdy enough to hold up, and small enough to carry with ease.
Fourth - J.R.R. Tolkien wrote this series as six books, with appendices. Not as three volumes, not as one large book. Six books telling one big story. This style is hard to find, most are three volume, the remaining are one book. This part of this particular set I really enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Responding to "Annoying Drivel"
Review: There's not a time when I step into a woods that I don't think of Hobbits. J.R.R. Tolkien's command of the English language was so vivid that his works flash across the mind like a multi-million dollar movie epic. It's unfortunate that the simple prose and even simpler plots and characters of today's fantasy have jaded someone so much that they would write a review such as the "Annoying Drivel" review. The Lord of the Rings is truly literature, not material meant for the video game mentality. Perhaps the author of "Annoying Drivel" should take some advanced college level literature courses and then come back to the books. They have delighted me for more than 30 years, and I judge all other fantasy by its ability to live up to Tolkien's descriptive power, plot, and character development.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent rerelease of a classic
Review: This is a great rerelease of the books just in time for the movie. I love the covers -- they're probably the best shots of the characters. The box containing them has a great frozen action moment: Nazgul galloping through a river. FOTR's cover: Frodo, looking very concerned and intense in candlelight. Two Towers: Saruman, clutching his staff and looking suitably sinister. ROTK: Aragorn, looking grim, in woodland surroundings. The quality is pretty good -- it's a little too easy to get finger smudges on the shiny covers, but that's not a major pet peeve. This may also be a good buy for those of who annoyed by the boxed mass market paperback editions, which I am told are of lesser quality. The plot? Well, virtually everyone knows it anyway, so I shall not bother. One can only speculate on the tastes of "reader from Spokane," but I tend to think that low-grade D&D is about the extend of his attention span. As for Tolkien's reported "spelling changes," he was a British person in a different era -- not all the spelling will be similar. Ditto with the dialogue. And pardon me -- the whole point of having jolly, chubby "halflings" as heroes is to show that everyone has the capacity for heroism. Additionally, to dismiss it as being overly long and to judge EVERY character on Tom Bombadil is a simplistic judgement that ignores the mind-blowing scope and creativity of Tolkien's world. He created a religious pantheon of angels, an entire history of a world, and the rise and fall of several civilizations -- not to mention breathing life into multiple species like elves and dwarves. But even if you have not read the books on his invented languages or read the Silmarillion (the "Bible" of Middle-Earth), its still a pretty wild ride, complete with orcs, demonic Black Riders, enormous spiders, the beautifully ethereal elf Galadriel, exiled king Aragorn, the ghastly Gollum -- and a pair of friends who must fight against the worst thing in the world: The pure evil Ring that they have to lug with them. LOTR has a lot of valuable lessons, heroes, and stories. One person once speculated that Tolkien also gives us a few lessons on prejudice (Legolas and Gimli, best friends from antagonistic races), friendship (Sam and Frodo), and classes (Sam, the lowly gardener who eventually becomes... no, that's a spoiler!) Whether this is true, it nevertheless has good role models to follow. Some kids trained by TV and movies to have short attention spans will probably complain, but if you can get to the inn at Bree, then it shifts from "The Hobbit"-like lightness into a darker, faster-paced more adult story. A small note: Though Gandalf gives Frodo (and readers) the run-through in FOTR, you probably won't understand the stuff about Bilbo, Gollum and the Ring if you don't read the Hobbit. That book is not included in this boxed set. So I advise you get a nice copy of that, and read it too. And whether you have never read it before, or whether you have in the past: You must read this trilogy before the movies are released.
Rating:
Summary: A memorable marathon journey.
Review: "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is not for everyone. If you're used to a junk food diet of contemporary easy-to-read thrillers, you'll find "The Lord of the Rings" tough going. This is no bag of high-cholesterol potato chips to be consumed in five minutes - this is a sack of solid food to be enjoyed over several evenings! Unlike the brief attractions offered by a 100-meter sprint, "The Lord of the Rings" offers the scenic adventures of a 100-mile walk. Don't misunderstand this to mean that this journey is boring. Most 100-meter sprint type novels provide only momentary and fleeting pleasure, whereas the marathon journey of "The Lord of the Rings" provides an enduring and challenging journey, with a multitude of memorable pleasures. Whose journey is it? At the face of it, it is a journey undertaken by the hobbit Frodo and his companions. Frodo possesses a most powerful ring, and the only way to prevent this ring from ever falling into the hands of the powers of evil is to destroy it - in the very heart of the kingdom of evil. "The Lord of the Rings" describes the epic journey of the ring-bearer Frodo and his companions as they journey into the heart of enemy territory to do battle with the powers of evil. If they successfully accomplish their quest, they will assure the conquest of evil by good. But it is not just Frodo who makes this marathon journey. Tolkien has an uncanny ability to ensnare the reader, so that you will find yourself not just a spectator, but a participant in the marathon mission undertaken by Frodo and friends. As you travel the journey with the ring-bearer Frodo and his company, they will become more than mere travelling companions. They will become your friends. You will feel you know them, and you will grow to love them - their joys will excite you, their sorrows will hurt you, their conquests will delight you, their failures will grief you. And it will pain you to say goodbye to them all at the end. Like the journey itself, however, participating in the journey by reading the trilogy can be tough going. At times the travelling through the words is slow and tough going. But at other times the pages fly by fast and furious with high paced action. And precisely this makes the epic journey through the treasured pages of Tolkien so rewarding. As a reader, you find yourself sharing in a very fantastic and yet very real journey, one which encompasses all of real life's emotions and experiences: sorrow as well as joy, inactivity as well as action, pain as well as pleasure. While reading, you partake in the emotions and experiences of fantasy characters - hobbits, dwarves, elves, and the like - because these emotions and experiences are distinctly recognizable - morally these characters are so much like ourselves, and we recognize aspects of ourselves in them. What's more, in the course of this long journey, you will be presented with breath-taking scenery. Tolkien has a remarkable ability to describe scenery with colour, character and clarity, so that you will visualize every tree, rock and road. By the time you are done, the setting of Middle-Earth will be as real as any place you've visited. As such, "The Lord of the Rings" is not just about a story and a journey, it is about a place. This place, you will discover, is immense and grand, because Tolkien has created cultures, histories, and languages. The vast scope of the journey and place in "The Lord of the Rings" makes it a truly epic novel. In fact, "The Lord of the Rings" has all the qualities of an epic - an immense scope, combined with a heroic and grand style. Tolkien constantly displays a mastery of the English language - the word usage at times gloriously grand, at times passionately poetic, at times wonderfully descriptive, but always amazing. Together, the vast scope and elevated style combine to create a truly epic masterpiece, so that the three volumes of "The Lord of the Rings" read like three acts of tremendously immense play, with a global cast of characters, and a worldwide stage. And as you read, you are never quite sure whether this play is going to be a tragedy or triumph, as the powers of good seek to overcome the powers of evil. This struggle between good and evil that actually makes "The Lord of the Rings" a deeply religious book. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and although he adamantly maintained that it was written for pure entertainment and had no deeper meaning, he could not avoid being influenced by his religious background, as is evidenced by his sharp view on morality, where good and evil are viewed as moral absolutes. The epic struggle between good and evil occurs on a wider scale than in "The Hobbit", and this gives the "The Lord of the Rings" a much more serious tone, arising out of deeply rooted religious convictions. Yet the struggle of good against evil never becomes simplistic or shallow. As in real life, Tolkien's characters have weaknesses and flaws, and are affected by their experiences - some on the side of good even being corrupted by evil. And this makes the epic struggle for truth, freedom, justice and goodness all the more stimulating as you return to real life. One cannot be unaffected by the commitment and undying devotion towards the cause of good, even when it requires unselfish sacrifices to be made in the process. In this sense, those who share Tolkien's underlying Christian values will especially enjoy the epic journey he has created. But there are more ways in which Tolkien's religious insights implicitly shine through. Biblical imagery is discernible throughout, especially the king's final victory and eternal reign of peace and joy, and banishment of evil is reminiscent of the victory of Christ over the dragon in Revelation. For readers of Scripture, the images of light and happiness, the tree of life, and an eternal kingdom, will be strikingly familiar and recognizable. But you do not have to be a Christian to enjoy "The Lord of the Rings." There is nothing overtly religious about this trilogy, since the universe Tolkien creates and describes is a universe without God, where chance and fate are acknowledged as crucial players of the game, and where the conquest of evil is accomplished by the power of one's own will. This is probably exactly what we can expect from a Catholic writer. If you have never read "The Lord of Rings", you should read it if only for the fact that it is widely acclaimed as the greatest fantasy classic, equalled by none. Few have read it and failed to be affected by. If you have not yet read "The Lord of the Rings", a most distinct pleasure and experience awaits you. If you have already read "The Lord of the Rings", you likely have already been touched by it, and yet the captivation of the reading experience is far from over. That's the beauty of "The Lord of the Rings" - the epic scale of this book is so grand, that it begs to be read again and again. When you've read it once, you have the feeling that you have only just scratched the surface of something truly great. Like an amusement park with too many attractions to see in one day, "The Lord of the Rings" leaves you in constant wonder, and when you are done, you pledge to return again soon. It is this enduring quality of "The Lord of the Rings" that makes it a truly great read, a memorable and monumental marathon journey often to be repeated.
Rating:
Summary: Imagination
Review: This book does more than entertain, amuse or even move the reader. It opens the gate to there imagination. This is no cliche. Not many books can do this although so many have tried. The Lord of the Rings piants pictures of rolling green pastures, jagged, flame spewing mountains, hideous, gargolic creatures like the orc, the troll and other such widely mocked yet mysteriously inticing beings. The soothing writing spills over into the real world and when you look into corners you see the lurking shadows in a different light. For readers who want that edge to a book or believe books as only factual accounts this is most definatly your book. LOTR is a world. You have the key to open it.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritual Wisdom
Review: I found Lord of the Rings many years ago and I have read it countless times. It is, without a doubt, my favorite book in the world. It helps me to live! The characters are real, you suffer and rejoice with them. Their travels stay in your mind, and remind you to have courage in your own hard journey through life.It has always been to me a spiritual book, the hard fight of good vs evil. For those who really love this book, it is not that it is too long, but that it is too short. You won't want to leave Middle-Earth.
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Summary: James Yekrang Review
Review: This whole series of JRR is a must for everyone. Stimulate your mind and takes you away. You will not be able to put it down
Rating:
Summary: Lord of the Rings- the father of Fantasy.
Review: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhh, Lord of the rings. A celabrated book by a celabrated author. The 1000+ page, full volume leaves you spellbound, caught up in the mystical world of middle earth.It may be long but don't let that perturb you for every page is bursting at the seams with wonder. To boost my point a relative of mine read the whole thing over 2 days. Lord of the Rings is a brilliant book and I highly recommend it to any good reader.
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