The Bottom Line: If you enjoyed The Fellowship of the Ring, then I really cannot think of any earthly reason why you would not immediately want to read The Two Towers.
DavidK93's Full Review: J. R. R. Tolkien - The Two Towers
The Two Towers is the second book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. Because Tolkien was British, and he wrote his novels using British linguistic conventions, I will do the same in this review.
In keeping with my review last year of the first volume, The Fellowship of the Ring (http://www.epinions.com/content_52157517444), I will begin with a physical description of the book. This is from the Authorized Paperback Edition, which is a boxed set that includes The Hobbit as well as the three novels of The Lord of the Rings. I should mention that I find it quite difficult to get the books out of the cardboard case. It feels like the case is slightly too small. However, the book is very attractive. The cover is a glossy red, with Tolkien’s name printed in a large white font at the top, looking like it could have been done with a very wide quill or stylus. The title is smaller and at the bottom, in a normal typeset. On the back, near the top, is a brief teaser on the contents of the novel. Spanning the front and the back, across the middle, is a full colour illustration (The words “full colour” are used rather loosely, as the picture is dominated by greys.) by Ted Nasmith, showing what appears to be Sam and Frodo (two of the main characters) in the mountains above Mordor.
Several maps are included in the book, all drawn by Shelly Shapiro in 1988. Around that same time, Shapiro also drew a number of maps to accompany various works by David Eddings, including The Belgariad, The Malloreon, and The Elenium. Here, this is one map of central and western-central Middle-earth (That is, the map does not include the far north (Forodwaith), the far south (Haradwaith), or the far east), with an inset of the Shire. There is one of the southern portion of this region, that is, primarily Gondor and Mordor. Finally, and for no apparent reason (as it has nothing to do with the story at hand, and was destroyed more than three thousand years before it takes place), there is a map of the island of Númenor. The maps are stylistic and attractive, and I quite like them, as they are very useful when trying to follow the action of the story.
The book also includes the Peter S. Beagle introduction, and a synopsis of The Fellowship of the Ring. I believe those are all of the nitty-gritty edition details, so on to the story itself!
The plot setup is going to be a great deal easier than it was for Fellowship. The novel is divided into two “Books,” each of those with its own numbered chapters starting at 1. Fellowship also contained two Books, so these are 3 and 4. Book 3 is the story of Aragorn (a Man), Gimli (a Dwarf), and Legolas (an Elf) as they pursue their comrades Merry and Pippin (Hobbits, that is, “Halflings”) who have been abducted by Orcs. After being reunited with Gandalf (Oh, come on, you didn’t think he was really dead, did you? Even if you did, you find out he’s still alive, less than a third of the way through the book.), the go on to aid the nation of Rohan in making a final stand against the hordes of Saruman. This Book also follows Merry and Pippin as they escape captivity and encounter the Ents, ancient beings of untold power. Book 4 finds us catching up with Sam and Frodo, who left the Fellowship at the end of the first book. Now, they are seeking an entrance to Mordor in order to complete their mission, to destroy the One Ring. However, they are unable to access this well guarded realm on their own, and the only available guide is the devious and untrustable creature Gollum.
I would also like to point out that for most of the duration of Book 3, a given chapter is either a “Merry and Pippin” chapter, or an “Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli” chapter. This, combined with the separation of Books 3 and 4, makes it somewhat difficult to keep track of what the other characters are doing while we’re focused on one group, since the chapters and books overlap chronologically without really meshing. This isn’t a major problem, but it is something that Peter Jackson had to work around when adapting the novel for his movie (which I will be reviewing shortly).
The central characters are the eight surviving members of the original Fellowship. Aragorn son of Arathorn is the direct descendant of Isildur and the heir to the throne of Gondor. He is well known in Middle-Earth, and he has friends in many places. He is generally respected, and honoured by the monarchs of many nations. He is brave, noble, and determined. In addition, he evinces the same loyalty possessed by every member of the Fellowship. Gimli son of Glóin is a Dwarf of noble blood, while Legolas is a Elven prince from the forest kingdom of Mirkwood. Traditionally, Elves and Dwarves are sworn enemies, so the strong bonds of friendship that connect these two are all the more exceptional, as is Gimli’s title of elf-friend. I greatly enjoyed the merry banter between them as they competed for the most kills (Gimli with his axe, Legolas with his bow and arrow) at the battle of Helm’s Deep.
Merry and Pippin are a bit more prominent in this novel as opposed to the first, but they are still barely differentiated from one another. Even so, they are an extremely resourceful pair. While in the midst of the Orcish horde, Pippin has the presence of mind to leave deliberate marks of his passage for his friends to follow. They represent their race quite well to the Ents, and earn the Hobbits a place in the Old Lists of the tree-shepherds (see below). In addition, they serve quite well in the duties that they are assigned by the Ents at Isengard.
Gandalf has undergone a transformation. No longer Gandalf the Grey, he is now Gandalf the White. His body was broken by the encounter with Durin’s Bane, the Balrog of Moria, but he was sent back (better, stronger, faster than before)--presumably by the Valar (gods)--to finish his task. Because Saruman has renounced his white robes and Gandalf has taken them up, it means that the latter is now also the leader of the White Council, that is, the order of Wizards and Elves that stands athwart Sauron. Gandalf is known in circles wider, even, than those of Aragorn. He has friends among many mysterious and forgotten races, and they are instrumental in the continued success of his various missions.
Sam and Frodo share a deep and abiding love. No, seriously, I’m not making it up. Whether or not you want to put a homosexual slant on it (And for the record, I do.), it’s undeniable that the two men do feel love for one another. As Frodo’s servant, Sam is exceedingly loyal to Frodo, and puts his master’s safety above his own. When speaking to Frodo, Sam often refers to himself as “your Sam,” showing how close he feels to Frodo. Sam is also extremely tender in his physical contact with Frodo. In addition, Sam is the main viewpoint character for most of the Hobbits’ journey into Mordor, because the weight of the Ring has weakened Frodo significantly. Both Sam and Frodo are very brave, particularly Sam during the climactic scene in the final chapter of the book. Sam is also decisive in a crisis situation, and his actions may have saved the world as he knows it. Of course, we won’t know for sure until the next book...
There are several additional characters who are introduced in The Two Towers. Chief among them is the slinking wraith-creative Gollum, so named for the croaking sound he makes in the back of his throat. He was once a Hobbit-like creature named Sméagol, but he was corrupted by half a millennium in possession of the Ring, which he calls the “precious.” Gollum’s cooperation is vital to Sam and Frodo, because he is the only being (other than Sauron’s own servants) who has passed freely into and out of Mordor. However, Sam and Frodo also know that Gollum wants nothing more than to reclaim the Ring for himself, and that he will betray them at his first opportunity. In actuality, though, Gollum’s emaciated body is the setting for a fierce battle between the twisted Gollum and the last shred of is original Sméagol personality. But the Ring’s hold on him is strong, as evidenced by his constant references to himself as “us,” indicating himself and the Ring. In one particularly well crafted scene in the book, we see that Sméagol is truly a broken being, and is very, very tired. However, I have to point out that this is somewhat not in keeping with what we know of Sméagol when he first came into contact with the Ring. The One Ring was originally found by Sméagol’s friend Déagol, but Sméagol immediately killed him in order to claim it for his own. Considering that Bilbo and Frodo each merely snarled at their friends when they tried to withhold or take the Ring from them, after each had borne it for several decades, it seems unlikely that the Ring could have motivated Sméagol to murder mere moments after he first saw it. Unless, of course, the germ of such violence was already within him. So, as well as Tolkien has written it, I find the “softer side of Gollum” to be a little hard to swallow.
Fangorn, or Treebeard in the elf-tongue, is an ancient creature called an Ent. The Ents are tall creatures who resemble trees, and in fact have served for millennia as the shepherds of the trees; that is, they tell them were to grow and where to move. Yes, move. Trees can move. Accept it. Treebeard is the oldest and wisest of the Ents, and like all Ents he speaks, thinks, and moves slowly. However, their slow movement is only relative to their size; an Ent stalking leisurely across a plain is a match for a running Orc any day. Ents are also exceptionally strong, and their fingers are able to shatter stone just as a tree’s roots can break apart a sidewalk. Treebeard is a keeper of vast knowledge and ancient lore, and the fate of Middle-Earth may well depend on whether or not Treebeard sends the Ents to war against Saruman.
Saruman, incidentally, finally makes a firsthand appearance in The Two Towers, rather than being present only in Gandalf’s account of his imprisonment in The Fellowship of the Ring. Saruman is little more than a bully, with vast resources at his disposal in order to further his goals of domination. However, he has grossly misjudged his opponents (Gandalf, the Ents, and the Rohirrim). And, like most bullies confronted by firepower greater than their own, Saruman reveals himself to be really quite pathetic. Still, his Voice does pack quite a punch.
Faramir is the brother of Boromir, and the son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. He is also chief of the Rangers of Ithilien, the narrow strip of arable land on the western fringe of Mordor, not yet corrupted by Sauron’s poisonous influence. Faramir is extremely different from his deceased brother. While Boromir was driven mad by the Ring, and nearly killed Frodo in his efforts to claim it for himself, Faramir sees it for the perilous temptation that it is. Thus, Faramir is shown to be nobler, wiser, and stronger than Boromir.
Several characters are also introduced at Edoras, the capital city of the Rohirrim, that is, the Riders of Rohan. Théoden King is, as his title implies, the King of Rohan (In formal address, his title always follows his name.). He has been placed under the malicious spell of Saruman, through his agent Gríma Wormtongue who has been serving as Théoden’s steward. Gandalf, however, is able to break the spell and restores Théoden to vitality, rousing him to war against Saruman. However, Wormtongue runs to Saruman and makes ready to cause more trouble for our protagonists. Meanwhile, Théoden sets to strategizing with his niece and nephew, Éomer and Éowyn. Truth be told, neither of them does very much in this book. But Éowyn is going to be important later on, so I thought I’d at least mention her.
Tolkien is a fantastic writer. I already gushed at length about his style in my previous review (again, http://www.epinions.com/content_52157517444), and truth be told I really don’t relish the idea of paraphrasing all of it. Nor do I feel comfortable cutting and pasting such a large section of text from the other review. So, instead, I will significantly abridge my earlier comments and restate them here. Tolkien’s narrative is lushly descriptive and extraordinarily rich in detail. Countrysides and ancient edifices are created down to the minutiae, as are genealogies and historical references. In point of fact, this can make the narration seem to drag somewhat for those who are not at least slightly scholarly in nature. Personally, I found it greatly enjoyable. For those who are interested in following up on references you have spotted in Tolkien’s works, I continue to recommend The Encyclopedia of Arda (www.glyphweb.com/arda), although I have been having trouble this week with page downloads from there. But this might be nothing more than a problem with my mother’s old computer.
Here are some fun, random facts about Middle-Earth. The Mearas, the noble horses from whom Shadowfax is descended, were brought into Middle-Earth from the West by the Vala Oromë and befriended by Léord of the Éothéod and his son Eorl who founded Rohan. The tower of Orthanc was built by the men of Gondor near the end of the Second Age. Finally, Shelob’s dam, Ungoliant, was herself a particularly ancient Maia (the same race to which Gandalf, Sauron, and the Balrog all belong) who was the accomplice of Melkor, the first enemy of the Valar. I hope you found that interesting.
It doesn’t seem likely that anyone would even consider picking up The Two Towers without first having read The Fellowship of the Ring, but in case you are, let me urge you not to. This is very much the middle of a story, and you will be quite confused if you have not first read the beginning. On the other hand, if you are somebody who enjoyed reading The Fellowship of the Ring, then I really cannot think of any earthly reason why you would not immediately read The Two Towers.
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