Title: Lord of
the Rings (sort of three books, sort of one. The three are Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Return of the King)
Author: J. R. R.
Tolkien
Book blurb: Through
the urgings of the enigmatic wizard Gandalf, young hobbit Frodo Baggins embarks
on an urgent, incredibly treacherous journey to destroy the One Ring. This ring
-- created and then lost by the Dark Lord, Sauron, centuries earlier -- is a
weapon of evil, one that Sauron desperately wants returned to him. With the
power of the ring once again his own, the Dark Lord will unleash his wrath upon
all of Middle-earth. The only way to prevent this horrible fate from becoming
reality is to return the Ring to Mordor, the only place it can be destroyed.
Unfortunately for our heroes, Mordor is also Sauron's lair. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is
essential reading not only for fans of fantasy but for lovers of classic
literature as well.
Quick endorsement: These
books are epic, and if you read them all in one, they’re gonna seem huge. But
in reality, they aren’t a hard read! It’s true that Hobbit is even easier, but these are usually pretty fast-moving and
very interesting. Classics that you need to read!
Link to review: I
chose instead to link each individual title in the title section above.
Ah! Excellent read! I've read through the entire series about 4 times now, and love it better each time! Tolkien does tend to get a bit wordy at times, but don't let that deter you! These books are swell!! :D
ReplyDeleteKiri Liz, I suppose I must acknowledge that he is occasionally wordy...but I love it. :) I read these aloud to myself about a year ago and learned SO much! I'm wanting to read them again...maybe I will sometime soon. I just ordered Tolkien's "History of Middle-Earth" (a five volume set, but there are more books I believe) from Barnes and Noble -- excited to read them, but I think it'll be a challenge with his writing! I love his wordiness in LOTR, but didn't enjoy Silmarillion so much. This comment has gotten way too long...I'll stop. :) Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteFor five or six years, I read through the whole trilogy every January and February. Then I had kids, alas. Maybe next year I'll reread them again!
ReplyDeleteEvery year, I would use a different color pen to make notes, underline favorite bits, etc. Interesting to see what resonated with me each reading. I also started cross-referencing recurring lines, themes, references, and so forth. Such a layered, lovely world!
Hamlette, that's so cool! I read them aloud to myself last January and February, and enjoyed it so much. I love the whole cross-referencing idea too! Tolkien's layers of story are absolutely amazing. I actually did that a bit myself when I went through...kept a notebook full of page numbers for each (almost) character and place. I meant to type them up and have them as my personal index (with page numbers that work with my books), but haven't gotten around to it yet -- big project. :) I love that you do that marking up though! Super cool. :)
ReplyDeleteawwww...these pictures made me smile. :) I have that set too...right next to my "John Howe" art covered ones. LOTR...always a favorite in my mind...
ReplyDeleteawwww...these pictures made me smile. :) I have that set too...right next to my "John Howe" art covered ones. LOTR...always a favorite in my mind...
ReplyDeleteBrielle, those covers always make me smile! :) I'm jealous that you have the John Howe ones too...he's a great artist. I loved Alan Lee's work in "Children of Hurin," which I once borrowed from our library. Both amazingly skilled men! :)
ReplyDeleteTolkien is one of my favorite authors! We have one edition of LOTR combined into one book, with pictures drawn by Alan Lee. So very awesome. Some people say he is wordy, but I personally enjoy reading about the details.
ReplyDeleteI need to read LOTR- especially considering how JRR Tolkien was a Professor of Medieval History and I am a student of such. Almost shameful to admit that as a Medievalist I have not read it, as there is a lot of Medieval history in it!
ReplyDeleteKatelyn, Alan Lee is an amazing artist! :) I do enjoy the details a lot, though I understand how they make slow reading for people who are not die-hard fans. ;)
ReplyDeleteMedieval Girl, yes, you simply must read these! They are really terrific and a must-read for EVERYONE. :)
This one is a DUH for me. :P Obviously. The first book(s) I would recommend to anyone. ;)
ReplyDelete