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Summary: BEST FANTASY BOOK EVER!
Review: LOTR is the Best fantasy book ever written. Period.
Anyone who doesn't give this book 5 stars must be crazy (j/k)
but seriously, LOTR is THE fantasy book and imo maybe one of the best outside of fantasy too.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Book.
Review: This version of "The Lord of the Rings" is simply gorgeous. Alan Lee is one of my favorite artists.The book is a war story. Frodo, the most vital character, finds that the ring he inherited will bring the end of the world if he doesn't destroy it. The ring is the essence of the evil entity Sauron whose minions will stop at nothing to get it back. Frodo leaves his home with his friends and travels towards the volcano Mt. doom, where the ring was forged and the only way to destroy it. Frodo encounters wondrous places, peoples, cultures, and realizes his best friend, sam, will literally die for him. Their friendship is the only thing keeping Frodo from giving in to the addiction of the ring. War breaks out between Sauron the the free people of Middle Earth. Humanities' time for power or destruction depends on a small ordinary person, Frodo.
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Summary: Probably one of the greatest trilogies ever written!
Review: I saw the first two movies before I read the books, and having seen them, I knew I had to read the books, which I'm in the process of doing. No, I haven't finished the trilogy, but this is what I can tell you so far: Yes, the books are hard to read, at least, in the beginning. As you get more into the books, the action improves. Keep in mind, the books weren't intended for little kids or pure amusement. The books were intended to provoke thought on the triumph of good over evil and the sacrifices it entails.
Tolkien's works are nothing short of masterpieces and I fully intend to finish the complete series by the time The Return of the King hits the theaters!
Rating:
Summary: World of Tolkien
Review: It was C.S. Lewis who said:" Here are beauties which pierce like swords and burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your your heart... good beyond hope" and was completely correct, although if you cannot see what he means, once you read it will be clear. This book shows the divine line between good and evil and how evil can overcome good like a shadow. But shadows are only temporary and evil can only destroy itself. The Lord of the Rings is a book that will win your heart, mind, and soul . Tolkien has created a world so real ,loving, and terrible that you would wish it were like your own. The book is finely descriptioned and will make you think that you yourslef lived there. Tolkien puts it in words that should never be changed or revised becasue history should never be changed or revised. The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King is one novel consisting of three books containing two books in each. This story is about a Hobbit, a hairy footed stump high little man, who destiny was not intended on his own nor by the Ring of Power. On his mission to destroy which he grows to utterly love is a compelling story for the household and the mind.
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: Lord of the Rings is the best fantasy epic ever told. JRR Tolkien is a genius in the art of storytelling. If I had the money I, this box set would be on my bookshelves. Until I do it will stay in my wish list. This set has illustrations from Alan Lee. If you don't recognize the name, he is like the official artist of Middle-earth. He even did the concept art for the films. This is a hardcover set so you know it is a good investment for multiple readings over time. I've read The Lord of the Rings twice and plan to read it again next year before the final film is released. If you are a true fan, upgrade to a better set. This is my set of choice. When I get some cash set aside, I will purchase it, I think you should also.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Fantasy
Review: The genre of modern fantasy started here with Tolkein's epic. The Lord of the Rings is a vividly written story with an entangling plot, genuine and original characters, and the bewitching voice of J.R.R. Tolkein. Though at first glance many modern readers find the descriptions and dialogue overwrought, upon closer examination, nothing less could possibly do. Our impatience comes from our way of life, which must be utterly put aside to enjoy this book's breathtaking landscapes, enchanting cultures rich in songs and history, and a cast of both noble and despicable characters. Each development comes in its due time, accompanied by the laughter and tears of the irresistible connection between storyteller and audience.
Yet in these pages the reader will also find layers of symbolism, an almost unintentional social conscience, and a story of our world that makes these books frighteningly relevant today. There lies wisdom for the discovery of anyone who will listen.
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Summary: I'm turning into a hobbit...
Review: I resisted reading Tolkien's The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy since high school, I never could understand what all the fuss was about but I am totally hooked after seeing the LOTR Fellowship of the Ring film. I had to read the book and compare/contrast and I love the books and am so glad I bought this deluxe edition. Lee's illustrations are just as I would have imagined them (although I do love Tolkien's illustrations for The Hobbit - not part of this set) and bring so many of the characters to life. The type is easy to read, and the books are very well made and it's handy having the box so that they all sit on the shelf nicely. A must-have for Tolkien fans and book collectors.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but hard to read
Review: I believe this book is the best seller book of all England (behind The Bible). But I bet half of the people that bought the book did not finish it. It's hard reading all the way, because Tolkien was really eager to develop a credible and whole new world to be like a mithology, so he spent pages and pages describing the ground around the characters. Also, justo one question: WHY THOSE RIDICULOUS SONGS???!! Also, it's alittle bit too hard to like characters that eat so much and sleep so much (hobbits)
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Summary: A Great Fiction!
Review: A Great Fiction!
J. R. R. Tolkien enlightens you of what is going to happen in the edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The book gives good description of what happens to the ring and who the dark lord is. Two books are in one book telling you what happens to the land Mordor and what good forces can break Sauron's forces.
The Two Towers has two dark towers, Isengard and Mordor, going against Middle Earth. The books are the rising action of how the ring survives and what happens to the people of Gondor and Isengard. This thriller is full of action and excitement.
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Summary: Doesn't live up to its rep.
Review: Lord of the Rings is possibly the most popular book ever written - but I'm not sure why. LOTR is a poorly-structured, poorly-edited, and unrefined piece of fiction that fritters away the fascinating imaginary landscapes and characters with poor storytelling technique and lack of description. If you've seen the movies, you're likely to be disappointed in the hazy, undetailed rendering of the same events in the books. (For example, Tolkien is incapable of describing the battle between Saruman and the Ents - perhaps the most brilliant scene in the movies to date - and so merely references it in a flashback.) LOTR never describes what Orcs, balrogs, trolls, or any other creature look like - all those fascinating movie scenes were created in toto by Peter Jackson and were barely even suggested in Tolkien's text. LOTR is a far-less moving book than the movies; none of the characters displayed the emotional warmth shown by their on-screen counterparts, and each character seems to be interchangeable with any other member of his race. For example, all the humans are stoic Viking types (Aragon, Boromir, Theodon, etc. are all cardboard cutouts of the same character), the elves are all regal, the dwarves are all greedy, etc. It's enough for Tolkien to merely label a character "elf" or "dwarf" and you know the character's personality. (While I don't think Tolkien was a racist, the description of the "goblin men" that Saruman crossed with orcs to produce the Uruk-Hai sounded a lot like Negroes; they were "southrons" with "black skin" and "red tongues.") That said, Tolkien has a way of creating a story that's a perfect ink-blot. All of the symbolism and images in the novel tend to suggest an allegory, but it's anyone's guess what the story really means. Everyone from environmental activists to traditionalist Catholics think that LOTR is a parable about their beliefs, and something about the story naturally lends itself to speculation. Tolkien clearly had a fertile imagination (too bad he lacked the skill with words to adequately describe what he saw in his mind), and the books are among the densest I've ever read. LOTR is not a trilogy, but a 1500-page novel with a laboriously complicated plot. The pot isn't helped by the fact that Tolkien has the compulsive need to name all of his bad guys with names that begin in "S." (Sauron, Saruman, Smeagol, etc.) Worst of all, the book betrays us at the end. When we finally expect to see the dark lord in the open, braced for a shocking revelation of the nature of Evil, the hobbits toss the ring into the volcano and Sauron disappears. In the end, I think LOTR would've been a much better book if Tolkien had collaborated with his drinking buddy, C.S. Lewis (writer of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Lewis was a much better writer and probably could've channeled Tolkien's superior imagination toward a higher quality literary work. If LOTR really has subtle Christian or even sectarian Catholic themes, as some contend, then Lewis would've brought them out much better.
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