The Lord of the Rings

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: Changed my life
Review: This book changed my life. Before it I was a spotty 14 year old hooked on my science studies. Then I read LOTR, and, at the same time, discovered women existed and.....but thats enough of that. You want to hear about the book.

By now there are few people who haven't at least heard of LOTR, and most of them have an opinion. There are the fans, almost fanatics, and there are the people who have read fifty pages or so, sometimes five or six times, but just can't get it, and don't understand what the fuss is about. I might have been one of them, if it hadn't been for an accident.

I asked my local librarian to recommend a book for me as I had read all the Arthur C Clarke and Isaac Asimov works they had. She pointed me at LOTR, and handed me what she said was book 1 of 3. It was only when I got home I found I had book 2: The Two Towers.
I arrived in the story just at the point where the first film ends - The Fellowship is broken and Frodo and Sam are heading for Mordor.

I think that is what made me keep reading -I had started at a point of crisis and I needed to know what happened next. Of course I had a lot of blanks to fill in, but I managed to pick up most of them as I went along , and I caught up with the first book as soon as I'd finished the third. (I bought the big all-in-one paperback, the one with the yellow cover. If you were a student in the seventies it was obligatory to have one lying about, all battered and torn to show that it had been read several times. You used to see backpackers in their hundreds on the trains going south through Europe, all with this version of LOTR falling apart in their hands.)

As for starting at the begining, I believe the reason a lot of people give up is that they are expecting heroes, wizards and high magic. What they get is, in great detail, the rural goings-on of a bunch of small hairy creatures who eat and drink a lot and seem to live in an idealised version of the Home Counties. Anyone who has read "The Hobbit" will know that there is more to the Hobbits than that, but newcomers often feel cheated and give up.

They don't know what they're missing.

The story only picks up AFTER Bilbo's birthday party, and after the passing of his ring of invisibility to Frodo. Gandalf, a wizard, discovers the true nature of the ring. It is a magic item of great power, belonging to Sauron himself, a dark god intent on taking dominion over the world.

Gandalf tells Frodo that the ring must be taken to a place of safety, to Rivendell, where the high-elves hold out against Sauron.

And so the great journey starts, with Frodo and his friends, Sam, Merry and Pippin, taking the road to Rivendell. On the way they have many adventures, and the mood begins to darken with the appearance of the dark riders, servants of Sauron intent on finding the ring.

The travelling band is befriended by Strider, a ranger of the north, and he helps them get to Rivendell, but not before Frodo is wounded by the dark riders, and starts to understand the power of the ring.

At Rivendell, many things are revealed; the history of the ring is told, Strider is shown to be Aragon, the rightful heir to the kingdom of Middle-Earth, and a fellowship is forged, of wizards, elves, dwarves, men and hobbits. They form a band of nine who will try to take the ring to Mount Doom, a volcano where the ring was forged, and which is the only place where it can be destroyed.

And so the adventure truly begins. From here on we have battles in deep mountain mines, the loss of one of the Fellowship, encounters with elves in enchanted forests, treachery and betrayal leading to the breaking of the fellowship - and we're still in Book 1!

Books 2 and 3 deal with the fight for middle-Earth, with Aragon and his allies taking the battle to Sauron and his minions and Frodo and Sam trying to reach Mount Doom to destroy the ring. There are huge, stirring, battle scenes, moments of humour (especially when the younger hobbits meet the Ents), spectacular feats of high magic when the White Rider enters the battle scenes, and moments of great friendship and tenderness - I defy anyone to have a dry eye when Sam and Frodo are parted at Shelob's lair.

It all builds up to a terrific climax, and the story comes full circle back at Hobbitton where we see the effect the war has had on the rural life of the Hobbits.

And that is why the beginning is important - you might not see it till right at the end, but it is teaching us a lesson about the value of the simpler things in life - respect them or lose them.

Tolkein's genius lies in melding these simple aspects with world-shattering events, showing how even the "little people" have their part to play in the fight against the darkness.

And he also knows that the best villain is a mysterious one....Sauron hardly appears at all in the books, but his dark presence stretches over everything, and he's always there, his evil eye seeing everything.

I used to have nightmares about that large, red-rimmed eye, but that was before I discovered women, grew my hair, developed a liking for Hawkwind and Led Zeppelin, and started to write fantasy fiction. I've never been the same since...... but that's another long story.

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.

Rating:
Summary: Words cannot describe LOTR
Review: How many of the so called great authors have created such a detailed and original world? Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and the rest of Tolkien's books based in Middle-Earth are without question the greatest story ever written. It's almost mind boggling of how a man can create a world in his mind, and then write a complete history of it. Who needs Shakespeare? What he wrote was all about finding "hidden meanings" and "reading between the lines". Tolkien was a true literary genius. Instead of writing a novel to be analyzed in a classroom, he created an imaginary universe that everyone can enjoy. No one can hope to ever write a story close to Lord of the Rings' greatness. I would recommend this book to any person in the world. If you havn't read Lord of the Rings, you are a deprived person.

I don't give this book five stars. Five stars is an insult to Tolkien. I give Lord of the Rings a 20 star rating, and even that is an understatement.

Other Recommendations: The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales of Middle-Earth, and the Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite book period.
Review: Tolkien creates a world and breathes so much life in it. These three books can not be separated. They are a trio. So much of the story is built in its characters and the plot is interesting. The main player Frodo has to take the One Ring and throw it into the pits of Mount Doom. Seems easy enough right. Oh yeah don't forget that Ringwraiths are after it, everyone who comes into contact with the ring wants to use it to control Middle Earth, you get separated from your best friend, a crazy split personality helps guide you along the way, and that Sauraman and Sauron are both trying to find you. A great story that weaves so much action and interesting characters (Gimli, Merry, Aragorn, Pippin, Treebeard, Gollum, Gandalf, Sauraman, Theoden, Samwise, and Legolas) together without missing a beat. These books are just plain awesome.

Rating:
Summary: Best available box set
Review: This review compares the new 3 book hardcover box set illustrated by Alan Lee (ISBN 0618260587, pub Nov 2002) to the single volume hardcover edition which also contains the Alan Lee illustrations (ISBN 0395595118, pub Nov 1991).
All of these books have the typical fabric covered cardboard dust jackets, and each jacket cover is emblazoned with a sample of the artists' work. The binding of the 3 book set seems superior to that of the single volume and will probably last longer, especially when you take into account the fact that with one book, there are 3 times more pages to be held together!
One of the biggest differences between these books is the quality of the paper. The paper in the single volume is white, non-gloss, and unsuitably thin; the text of an underlying page can easily be seen. On a positive note, the pages that contain the art work are thicker with a glossy finish; the art is on one side and the opposite side is blank. The paper in the 3 book set is white, semi-glossy, and fairly thick. Pages that have art work on one side have text on the back.
There are also differences to be found in the printed text. The single volume is bolder, coarser, and very easy to read. The 3 volume set employs a more delicate and elegant style of type, which makes it slightly harder to see from a distance, but nonetheless is easily read.
Both volumes do a good job of presenting Alan Lee's art. The pictures are placed to follow the story, and I think Mr. Lee does an excellent job of using Tolkiens words to create a visual presentation of the characters and locations. Some people have complained that the colors are a little drab, and in some cases I would agree, but I think that one of the reasons for this is the fact that all of these pictures were done in watercolor. One thing I noticed was that the colors in the one volume set seemed a little more vibrant and are probably truer to the original paintings than those in the box set, but this will not be noticeable unless you have them side by side. In addition, the maps in the single edition are all printed on the same thin paper as the rest of the text and are located in the back of the book. In the box set, the maps are printed on the inside covers of the dust jackets.
In summary, I feel that this box set is probably the best hardcover edition you can buy, illustrated or not. It is very well constructed and I think you are getting a lot of value for your money. I would also like to mention that there is an Alan Lee illustrated hardcover version of "The Hobbit" which is the same size as this boxed set and looks good on the bookshelf together. It is ISBN 0395873460, pub 1997. For anyone wishing to see the artwork contained in these books as well as other Tolkien inspired art,. John Howe is another well known artist of Middle Earth who, along with Alan Lee, served as a creative consultant for the current 'Lord of the Rings' movies. Ted Nasmith has also created some very nice interpretations of Tolkien's work. Keep in mind that some of the pictures are from books other than the 'Lord of the Rings' such as 'The Hobbit' and 'The Silmarillion'.