The Lord of the Rings

It's a good book. It is at heart a fantasy novel, not an action novel. Makes it better than the movies for that reason alone. I'm not sure if I misinterpreted it, but I got the feeling the book didn't take very strong opinionated sides for characters. The narrative is from the PoV of one side, but their opinions are captured in the dialogue, rather than author commentary. Makes it a very...more

It's a good book. It is at heart a fantasy novel, not an action novel. Makes it better than the movies for that reason alone. I'm not sure if I misinterpreted it, but I got the feeling the book didn't take very strong opinionated sides for characters. The narrative is from the PoV of one side, but their opinions are captured in the dialogue, rather than author commentary. Makes it a very interesting read since you're always wondering whether or not you have the complete picture.   hide

Oh my. What can I say about this wonderful, wonderful book. It's not for everyone, to be sure, and certainly not for the faint-hearted. Even I quailed when I saw the sheer bulk of it, and I'll need to read it again to fully understand it. There's just too much information to process at once. But it is truly worth it. Never have I see a world so fully detailed, and so lovingly crafted. The...more

Oh my. What can I say about this wonderful, wonderful book. It's not for everyone, to be sure, and certainly not for the faint-hearted. Even I quailed when I saw the sheer bulk of it, and I'll need to read it again to fully understand it. There's just too much information to process at once. But it is truly worth it. Never have I see a world so fully detailed, and so lovingly crafted. The languages deserve special mention, of course. The people, the places, and the atmosphere in general makes you feel you are reading an account of that world's history, instead of a fictional story. Patience is required, to be sure, and impatient person that I am, I felt like giving up on occasion. But I stuck with it, and the journey was truly rewarding.   hide

The greatest work of fantasy storytelling ever written...(next to it's prequel, the Hobbit, of course! ;)I'm not sure how it happened. One minute I saw Peter Jackson's movie The Fellowship of the Ring, the next minute I was buying the trilogy and reading it day and night, flipping page after page and appreciating the excellent adaptation of the film. The Two Towers and Return of the...more

The greatest work of fantasy storytelling ever written...(next to it's prequel, the Hobbit, of course! ;)I'm not sure how it happened. One minute I saw Peter Jackson's movie The Fellowship of the Ring, the next minute I was buying the trilogy and reading it day and night, flipping page after page and appreciating the excellent adaptation of the film. The Two Towers and Return of the King movies did not come out until long after I finished the novels, so much of the reading experience was filled with suspense for me. The bravery and faith of all the characters, despite the overwhelming and often horrifying odds against them, struck me deeply. When all was said and done and the story reached it's last page, I understood how a truly great work of literature can actually change a person's outlook on life, and his appreciation of power of story-telling.   hide

I first discovered Tolkien when I was 10 years old. I started with The Hobbit and quicky moved on to the LOTR trilogy. I loved them then and I love them now. I reread the series every so often - it's like visiting with old friends. What I loved most about the books was the idea that anyone, no matter how small and unimportant, could make a difference in the world. Though I agree...more

I first discovered Tolkien when I was 10 years old. I started with The Hobbit and quicky moved on to the LOTR trilogy. I loved them then and I love them now. I reread the series every so often - it's like visiting with old friends. What I loved most about the books was the idea that anyone, no matter how small and unimportant, could make a difference in the world. Though I agree with other reviewers that the descriptions can get a bit tedious at times, the sheer complexity of the world (not to mention the many languages) that Tolkien created is awe-inspiring. Anyone who loves fantasy has got to read these books. Tolkien is the author who started it all and this epic battle between good and evil is one for the ages.   hide

Lord of the Rings is a phenomenal blend of folk story, epic romanticism, and deep history. While most people regard the series as a trilogy it is in fact a single novel, a single story that takes readers across the vast world of Middle-Earth, from the comfortable abodes of the Hobbits in the Shire to the utmost pinnacle of Mount Doom in the dark and shadowed Land of Mordor far away. It is on...more

Lord of the Rings is a phenomenal blend of folk story, epic romanticism, and deep history. While most people regard the series as a trilogy it is in fact a single novel, a single story that takes readers across the vast world of Middle-Earth, from the comfortable abodes of the Hobbits in the Shire to the utmost pinnacle of Mount Doom in the dark and shadowed Land of Mordor far away. It is on this journey that one will experience loss and greater hope, honor sundered and regained, bitter darkness and mounting light, and love. Indeed one can even glimpse a deeper history than the history of the War of the Ring, which this book mostly concerns itself. And while the world of Middle-Earth is vast indeed, a wider world can be gleaned from the masterful prose and artful story-telling of Tolkien and, as a whole, captures the antiquity and loftiness of myths and legends of old. The Lord of the Rings is certainly the masterpiece of its century and deserves a place in every library, to be read by everyone young and old. And whether it is your first or tenth journey, Lord of the Rings will continue to amaze, charm, delight those who not only have the courage to traverse its pages but those who also have the heart to reach its end!   hide

Tolkien is brilliant when it comes to storytelling, but the story is ruined by his need to explain every detail to a t and literally pages of non-stop dialogue. This series had so much hype over the last few decades. It will always be a fantasy classic and it will forever remain a stepping stone to the fantasy genre. That being said, this series is utter rubbish. Tolkien uses description and...more

Tolkien is brilliant when it comes to storytelling, but the story is ruined by his need to explain every detail to a t and literally pages of non-stop dialogue. This series had so much hype over the last few decades. It will always be a fantasy classic and it will forever remain a stepping stone to the fantasy genre. That being said, this series is utter rubbish. Tolkien uses description and dialogue far too much. His love for scenery is admirable, but it does not make the story a good read at all. It makes it boring, slow, and dry. The characters do not have quite as much depth as the scenery and that is a shame. The tale itself is not as epic as people make it out to be. It is rather boring and very simplistic in its theme of good versus evil. The Hobbit was far superior to this book. To be blunt, this book was an absolute disappointment and a waste of money.   hide

¿Quién, a estas alturas, no lo conoce? Eso lo dice todo de él. Idolizado por unos, detestado por algunos (pocos), el mejor libro del siglo XX para los lectores ingleses es sin duda una de las obras más importantes de la literatura por su repercusión, su éxito y su influencia en autores y estilos posteriores.Su autor, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, nos cuenta cómo un pequeño...more

¿Quién, a estas alturas, no lo conoce? Eso lo dice todo de él. Idolizado por unos, detestado por algunos (pocos), el mejor libro del siglo XX para los lectores ingleses es sin duda una de las obras más importantes de la literatura por su repercusión, su éxito y su influencia en autores y estilos posteriores.Su autor, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, nos cuenta cómo un pequeño ser, un hobbit, se sobrepone a todas las dificultades imaginables para acabar con el anillo que contiene toda la maldad y el poder del Señor Oscuro, amenaza de las gentes de bien que habitan la Tierra Media.Para ello, Tolkien crea un mundo rico en culturas, personajes, razas e idiomas, consiguiendo que sus más de 1.000 páginas se hagan cortas, y que el lector descubra algo nuevo con cada relectura. Imprescindible para cualquier aficionado a la fantasía épica que se precie de serlo, y absolutamente recomendable para cualquier aficionado a la lectura que se precie de serlo.   hide

I loved it so much I gave my set away to a family to enjoy. After three readings I felt I have lived in middle Earth long enough and it was time to come back to this one! A long time before I could watch the film but was happy to listen to BBC radio dramatisation. First read this in 1960's when someone presented the set to my school library. It entranced me as much as C S Lewis had done at...more

I loved it so much I gave my set away to a family to enjoy. After three readings I felt I have lived in middle Earth long enough and it was time to come back to this one! A long time before I could watch the film but was happy to listen to BBC radio dramatisation. First read this in 1960's when someone presented the set to my school library. It entranced me as much as C S Lewis had done at an earlier age. So much that I couldn't watch the films for years - although had heard and recorded the BBC Radio version. No longer have my edition as passed it on after reading several times. Life is too short to keep re-reading such involved plots. Films sort of OK but I still prefer the version in my head.   hide

Yes, this is a very thick book with a story that's almost to long. Yes, the first chapters are very confusing with those numerous characters and their strange names (I had to reread the first chapters to understand who's who). Yes, JRR Tolkien gives detailed descriptions of a lot of things and events which may seem boring.But if you can go beyond that, you find a story that is exciting, romantic,...more

Yes, this is a very thick book with a story that's almost to long. Yes, the first chapters are very confusing with those numerous characters and their strange names (I had to reread the first chapters to understand who's who). Yes, JRR Tolkien gives detailed descriptions of a lot of things and events which may seem boring.But if you can go beyond that, you find a story that is exciting, romantic, serious, dark, full of hope, adventurous and so much more. After those first chapters I was hooked, wanting to know what would happen next, eager to learn more about the elves and the Dunédain, looking up all I could find about Middle Earth's history. And at the end of the book, I felt truly happy and sad. I wished it would go on beyond the Grey Havens but also knew that all was well. It was almost frustrating, so the only thing I could do was read it again and again and again. (And then read The Silmarillion and see the movies :-) )   hide