fyvel's Full Review: J. R. R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings
Wizards, elves, dwarves, halflings, dragons, magic, and of course the evil guy trying to conquer the world. The forces of good clashed with the forces of evil, in a battle that will determine the outcome of the world. Love, trust, hatred and betrayal.
...Or at least those are the things I think of when I think of what is involved in a good fantasy novel. And that's what you get from J.R.R. Tolkien. He's the guy that invented the fantasy novel as we know it today. He spent his whole life fabricating Middle-earth, the characters, the races, the magic, it's geography, and even it's history, all right down to the finest detail.
That's what makes a good fantasy novel; a world that is so detailed, it's history so airtight, that you can almost forget yourself and start thinking it is real.
So you think that as fantasy novels, Tolkien's books are too cliché? They weren't when they were published, beginning with The Hobbit in 1937, followed by The Lord of the Rings in 1954. In fact, the reason why they seems so cliché is due to the fact that they have been copied excessively by authors of fantasy novels since they were published. And when something is copied so much, it's a sure thing that there must be something good about it!
The Lord of the Rings trilogy consists of three books; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.
The Fellowship of the Ring
J.R.R. Tolkien pays great attention to detail in the making of his stories, and of course he shares this with his readers.
At the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, there is a prologue which gives the reader some background information on the lore of Middle-earth (and particularly the Shire, where the hobbits live). The prologue contains four sections:
1. Concerning Hobbits;
2. Concerning Pipe-weed;
3. Of the Ordering of the Shire;
4. Of the Finding of the Ring.
Also included in this book (as well as the other two books in this trilogy), you will find several pages of maps of Middle-earth. These help the reader follow the course of the travelers through Middle-earth during their adventures.
Cast of Characters
Bilbo Baggins - Hobbit, adventurer, and carrier of the Ring for many years. Frodo's uncle.
Frodo Baggins - Hobbit, nephew of Bilbo Baggins, new carrier of the Ring.
Gandalf the Grey - Wizard of great power, aids the others in their travels, and guides them with his wisdom.
Peregrin (Pippin) Took - Hobbit, friend of Frodo's, always manages to get into trouble by doing or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Samwise (Sam) Gamgee - Hobbit, gardener at Bag End, loyal friend and servant to Frodo.
Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck - Hobbit, friend of Frodo's.
Aragorn ("Strider") - Ranger, helps the hobbits along the way, turns out to be more than he first seems.
Gimli - Dwarf, son of Gloin, travels with the hobbits, good friends with Legolas.
Legolas - Elf, travels with the hobbits, good friends with Gimli, excellent archer.
Boromir - fighter from Minas Tirith who joins the fellowship of nine in order to help the others on their quest.
The Basic Plot
The book starts in the town of Hobbiton with the celebration of Bilbo Baggins' "eleventy-first" (111th) birthday. Bilbo plans to leave Hobbiton during the party, and he leaves all of his belongings to others. The most important object he leaves behind is his Ring (you can read how he gets the Ring in The Hobbit), which he leaves to his nephew Frodo. All Bilbo really knows about the Ring is that it is magical and causes the wearer to become invisible.
Some time after Bilbo leaves, Gandalf, being the wise wizard that he is, figures out that this Ring is actually the "One Ring", which is the most powerful of all the Rings of Power. If it were to get into the hands of the evil lord Sauron, then there would be no hope for the world. The Ring would have to be destroyed in order to prevent Sauron from getting his hands on it. Easier said than done, since the only way it can be destroyed is "to find the Cracks of Doom in the depth of Orodruin, the Fire-mountain and cast the Ring in there . . . to put it beyond the grasp of the Enemy for ever".
Gandalf advises Frodo not to spend too much more time in the Shire before he sets out on his journey. Frodo promises to leave after his birthday that autumn, Gandalf has to leave the Shire, but agrees to return and meet Frodo before he leaves.
When Frodo's birthday comes, Gandalf has not yet appeared, but he leaves anyway and takes Sam, Merry, and Pippin along with him.
Later on in the story, there is a council, where it is decided that a fellowship of nine shall be chosen to escort the Ring. Those chosen are Frodo the Ring-bearer, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir.
The travels of these companions are continued through the rest of this book, and in The Two towers and The Return of the King. Making their quest more difficult are the ever-present Ringwraiths, which are black shadows on horses, who are searching for the Ring to take back to Sauron. There are other dangers as well, including orcs, wolves, monsters off all sorts, and even the weather. This book follows their travels to elven cities, up mountains, through the mines of Moria, and down rivers.
This book is an absolute delight to read. The hobbits, despite their small size, are extremely brave and loyal. They are absolutely charming.
The writing style that Tolkien uses is nice for a change. The words he uses are sometimes different than what we are used to, but the style is interestingly unique.
My favorite character in this book would have to be Aragorn (even though I like almost everybody!). His commanding presence is a reassurance to the hobbits, and it's nice to know that at least somebody knows where they are going!
A last piece of advice - don't even think about reading this book unless you are going to follow up with the next two!
This book really should not be missed - it is considered a classic for a reason!
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I've also written reviews on the rest of the trilogy:
Its a treasure for Tolkien fans---The Lord of the Rings in a special commemorative edition with 50 inspired illustrations by artist Alan Lee, a noted ...More at Christianbook.com
The Fellowship of the Ring, part one of J. R. R. Tolkien's epic master-piece, first reached these shores on October 21, 1954, arriving, as C. S. Lewis...More at HotBookSale
For over fifty years, J.R.R. Tolkien s peerless fantasy has accumulated worldwide acclaim as the greatest adventure tale ever written. No other writer...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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