The Lord of the Rings

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It's a hit!

I’ve just finished reading this (my third read-through), and I am overwhelmed by what an amazing story it is, as well as by how well Peter Jackson ... (show more)

I’ve just finished reading this (my third read-through), and I am overwhelmed by what an amazing story it is, as well as by how well Peter Jackson adapted it for his films. (I’m going to rewatch the extended editions of Jackson’s films, and then post some comments about the very few mistakes I think he made.)

I will venture a couple of comments about the book: The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the RIngs)/i> actually is a bit slow. There is a huge amount of background information and backstory to be communicated, and I don’t think LotR becomes a “page-turner” until The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, Book 2). Secondly, if you don’t read the appendices, especially the first one, you’re missing a huge amount of the story. You haven’t learned where Gimli and Legolas eventually traveled, how long Aragorn and Arwen lived, or what prohibition Aragorn made (and honored himself) for who was allowed to visit the Shire. You’d also miss Tolkien’s notes on languages and his translation strategies, which give a glimpse into his special areas of knowledge. (show less)

 

 

by Douglas Wilcox

No, it's a flop!

I thought that this book was okay. Okay, in that it was interesting enough, but not a book that I'll ever read again. In my opinion, Lord of the Ri... (show more)

I thought that this book was okay. Okay, in that it was interesting enough, but not a book that I'll ever read again. In my opinion, Lord of the Rings is just too longwinded. I think it's okay for books to be long if they need to be, but I think parts of this book were long, purely for the sake of being long. There was a lot of waffle inbetween the fighting and the war, things such as loads of songs that didn't really need to be included in the book and didn't help contribute to the story in any way. I think my other complaint would be that because the plotline is so "larger than life," the character development came in second during the book and I felt like a lot of the time I didn't really get to know a lot of the characters very well. I think the story could have been condensed down and still been a great story. But still....It was very cleverly written and clearly ahead of it's time, and you can really see the WWII influences during the battle moments. (show less)

 

 

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  Truly inspirational. My preacher compared it to the Bible once, and that makes one think. We are all supremely capable of identifying with each of the characters, transcending a world of mythos and rather interpreting the pure, raw message intended (probably) by the author.

  Every time I re-read this, I discover something new, something sincerely magical yet applicable here on Earth to a tee. Perhaps one of the greatest and influential writers of all time, Tolkien has managed to surpass the... (show more)

  Truly inspirational. My preacher compared it to the Bible once, and that makes one think. We are all supremely capable of identifying with each of the characters, transcending a world of mythos and rather interpreting the pure, raw message intended (probably) by the author.

  Every time I re-read this, I discover something new, something sincerely magical yet applicable here on Earth to a tee. Perhaps one of the greatest and influential writers of all time, Tolkien has managed to surpass the world of pure High Fantasy and link it to our very existence - together with The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings perhaps makes out one of the most profound pieces of modern literature to come out of the past 200 years. It has most assuredly made its mark on popular culture as well as on the inner workings of any analytical reader.

  Tolkien, we salute you - thank you for showing us how to dream :D (show less)

   

   

  by Marius Du Plessis on Feb 07, 2009 at 06:37AM

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  This was the first truly grown-up book series I ever read, and it spoiled me for just about anything else. Tolkien's characters have depth, the settings are not only described but maps are provided, and whole languages invented which the characters speak, together with their alphabets. Tolkien set as new standard for the creation of imaginary worlds, and one which has rarely if ever been equaled. Most objections I've encountered are to the lack of sex scenes, the minority of characters who ar... (show more)

  This was the first truly grown-up book series I ever read, and it spoiled me for just about anything else. Tolkien's characters have depth, the settings are not only described but maps are provided, and whole languages invented which the characters speak, together with their alphabets. Tolkien set as new standard for the creation of imaginary worlds, and one which has rarely if ever been equaled. Most objections I've encountered are to the lack of sex scenes, the minority of characters who are female (but they aren't ciphers for a minute), and the lack of US minorities in an imaginary world set maybe ten thousand years ago in the northwest of Europe, which is mostly a setting problem. These are fairly minor objections. There are also the sorts of objections made by the white-wine-black-turtleneck crowd at gallery openings; this isn't that kind of literature. It's the kind people actually read. This one's for the ages. (show less)

   

   

  by Lynn Elizabeth Lytton on Jul 15, 2009 at 09:03AM

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