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Middle Earth is a truly a wonderful world. When you start on the novels, you embark in a small town where the Hobbits live, called Hobbiton, which is in an area called the shire. When Tolkien describes the Shire, he uses great detail as they move from town to town. Just the Shire itself is so well done that Middle Earth is a truly a wonderful world. When you start on the novels, you embark in a small town where the Hobbits live, called Hobbiton, which is in an area called the shire. When Tolkien describes the Shire, he uses great detail as they move from town to town. Just the Shire itself is so well done that Tolkien could have written a book just focused on that area...(oh wait, he did, and it’s called The Hobbit.) After you leave the Shire, the full world opens up to you, almost like a child discovering the world is bigger than his backyard. The book is essentially just one huge road trip, which brings you from town to town. The journey is quite believable, and so you can understand the expedition more so, Tolkien created a map of Middle Earth, which is included with the books. Many modern fantasy novels had tried this approach, but they do not compare to the immense detail of Middle Earth. The characters are so strongly described that you will either love or hate their distingue personalities. The storyline is based upon Frodo traveling to Mt. Doom to destroy "The one ring", which leads into countless subplots, which add to the texture of the novels. The focal plot of the story could have been finished in one book, but Tolkien actually spent an immense amount of time creating subplots that smoothly slide in with the main plot to create a much better book. I believe this is the best storyline for a fantasy novel ever written. Concluding, J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic trilogy The Lord of the Rings is a wonder to the imagination. The books are great in every aspect and could not be improved upon in any way. If there is only one fantasy book you read, make it Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. PLOT In "The Hobbit", Bilbo Baggins found a magic ring that turns its wearer invisible. He has kept the ring for many years, strangely not growing any older. The wizard Gandalf arrives with information that this ring is the "One Ring" -- the Ring of Power forged by Sauron, the biggest evil in the East, who is building his power once more. Sauron's forces have discovered that the Ring is in the hobbits' quaint homeland in the possession of a hobbit called Baggins. Bilbo leaves the Ring to his nephew Frodo. Gandalf knows that the Ring has the evil essence of Sauron, and it slowly corrupts anybody who possesses it. Sauron must not get hold of the Ring, but neither must any good person, as it would corrupt them into using it for evil too. Frodo leaves his homeland to take the Ring away, accompanied by three other hobbits. When reaching Rivendell, a Fellowship is formed to go on a mission to enter the heart of Sauron's land and throw the Ring into the Cracks of Doom -- the only place the Ring can be destroyed. The Fellowship is made up of: Frodo (the Ringbearer, the only one trusted to carry the ring without being corrupted by it); the other hobbits Sam, Merry and Pippin; Aragorn (a Ranger, descendant of the man who defeated Sauron last time round), Boromir (a warrior of Gondor), Gimli (a Dwarf), Legolas (an Elf), and Gandalf. Their quest takes them through the Mines of Moria where a fearsome Balrog resides, then into the Elf land Lothlorien where they meet the Lady Galadriel. The fellowship splits up, with Frodo and Sam continuing to Sauron's evil land of Mordor to complete the mission; and the rest of them journeying West, where they get involved with the various countries going to war against the evil forces building up on Middle-earth. The second and third books split their time between these two main plots. Sauron is merely a spiritual force, a flaming eyeball that looks into the hearts of people, commanding his servants -- his nine Ringwraiths and legions of Orcs and corrupted men. The other main nemesis in the story is Saruman, a wizard more powerful than Gandalf, who wishes to possess the ring, and has formed his own army of orcs from his home at Isengard. Following Frodo and Sam is Gollum, the poor evil wretch who possessed the Ring for hundreds of years until it was taken from him by Bilbo Baggins. He has been mutated and corrupted and turned evil by owning the Ring for so long, and he will do whatever it takes to get his "precious" back. INSPIRED CHARACTERS Every character any species is detailed very well, and although you are never really shown much character development, they all have a history and a motive and a personality. The Hobbits are an inspired race, reflecting the simple rural Englishman. I was especially touched by the friendship between Frodo and Sam. The main "hero" of the story is Aragorn, and he fulfils this role brilliantly. Boromir represents a flawed hero, a reflection of Aragorn but with a weakness for the Ring. I liked the friendship between Legolas and Gimli -- in Tolkien's Middle-earth, Elves and Dwarves do not like each other, but this Elf and Dwarf form a strong bond, and also provide a lot of the humour. Yes, that's right -- humour. People say LOTR is dry and humourless, and this is often true. But there is some humour, especially with Gimli (having a contest with Legolas to see how many Orcs they can kill, threatening to kill someone for saying Galadriel isn't the most beautiful woman who ever lived). All the characters they meet on their travels are interesting, though you will connect with some more than others. There is Tom Bombadil, Treebeard and the Ents, Galadriel, and many others. There are also monsters that can be genuinely frightening! The Ringwraiths track Frodo during the first book, and you can really feel the fear of being chased by them. In the third book they return, flying on winged creatures. You can also expect to see a spider monster, and the infamous Balrog. PLOT Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is a hobbit, a creature approximately four feet in height (the actors were digitally, flawlessly shrunk) who lives in the ever-flowering Shire's bucolic Hobbiton. On the occasion of his uncle Bilbo's (Ian Holm) 111th birthday, Frodo is given a mysterious ring as his birthright. The wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) suspects something infernal of the ring when the otherwise honest Bilbo lies to hold onto it. A quick study reveals that it belongs to a dark lord now seeking, through a steady rebuilding of his armies, to regain the ring and with it his corporeal form. The malevolent warlord (named "Sauron") dispatches nine wraiths: hooded avatars riding midnight steeds whose voices sound like screaming children. Frodo is forced to leave his beloved Shire on a journey in which he enlists allies (the titular Fellowship) to destroy the ring in the fires of a volcano at the heart of the enemy's realm. Middle Earth is a truly a wonderful world. When you start on the novels, you embark in a small town where the Hobbits live, called Hobbiton, which is in an area called the shire. When Tolkien describes the Shire, he uses great detail as they move from town to town. Just the Shire itself is so well done that Tolkien could have written a book just focused on that area...(oh wait, he did, and it’s called The Hobbit.) After you leave the Shire, the full world opens up to you, almost like a child discovering the world is bigger than his backyard. The book is essentially just one huge road trip, which brings you from town to town. The journey is quite believable, and so you can understand the expedition more so, Tolkien created a map of Middle Earth, which is included with the books. Many modern fantasy novels had tried this approach, but they do not compare to the immense detail of Middle Earth. The characters are so strongly described that you will either love or hate their distingue personalities. The storyline is based upon Frodo traveling to Mt. Doom to destroy "The one ring", which leads into countless subplots, which add to the texture of the novels. The focal plot of the story could have been finished in one book, but Tolkien actually spent an immense amount of time creating subplots that smoothly slide in with the main plot to create a much better book. I believe this is the best storyline for a fantasy novel ever written. Concluding, J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic trilogy The Lord of the Rings is a wonder to the imagination. The books are great in every aspect and could not be improved upon in any way. If there is only one fantasy book you read, make it Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. PLOT In "The Hobbit", Bilbo Baggins found a magic ring that turns its wearer invisible. He has kept the ring for many years, strangely not growing any older. The wizard Gandalf arrives with information that this ring is the "One Ring" -- the Ring of Power forged by Sauron, the biggest evil in the East, who is building his power once more. Sauron's forces have discovered that the Ring is in the hobbits' quaint homeland in the possession of a hobbit called Baggins. Bilbo leaves the Ring to his nephew Frodo. Gandalf knows that the Ring has the evil essence of Sauron, and it slowly corrupts anybody who possesses it. Sauron must not get hold of the Ring, but neither must any good person, as it would corrupt them into using it for evil too. Frodo leaves his homeland to take the Ring away, accompanied by three other hobbits. When reaching Rivendell, a Fellowship is formed to go on a mission to enter the heart of Sauron's land and throw the Ring into the Cracks of Doom -- the only place the Ring can be destroyed. The Fellowship is made up of: Frodo (the Ringbearer, the only one trusted to carry the ring without being corrupted by it); the other hobbits Sam, Merry and Pippin; Aragorn (a Ranger, descendant of the man who defeated Sauron last time round), Boromir (a warrior of Gondor), Gimli (a Dwarf), Legolas (an Elf), and Gandalf. Their quest takes them through the Mines of Moria where a fearsome Balrog resides, then into the Elf land Lothlorien where they meet the Lady Galadriel. The fellowship splits up, with Frodo and Sam continuing to Sauron's evil land of Mordor to complete the mission; and the rest of them journeying West, where they get involved with the various countries going to war against the evil forces building up on Middle-earth. The second and third books split their time between these two main plots. Sauron is merely a spiritual force, a flaming eyeball that looks into the hearts of people, commanding his servants -- his nine Ringwraiths and legions of Orcs and corrupted men. The other main nemesis in the story is Saruman, a wizard more powerful than Gandalf, who wishes to possess the ring, and has formed his own army of orcs from his home at Isengard. Following Frodo and Sam is Gollum, the poor evil wretch who possessed the Ring for hundreds of years until it was taken from him by Bilbo Baggins. He has been mutated and corrupted and turned evil by owning the Ring for so long, and he will do whatever it takes to get his "precious" back. INSPIRED CHARACTERS Every character any species is detailed very well, and although you are never really shown much character development, they all have a history and a motive and a personality. The Hobbits are an inspired race, reflecting the simple rural Englishman. I was especially touched by the friendship between Frodo and Sam. The main "hero" of the story is Aragorn, and he fulfils this role brilliantly. Boromir represents a flawed hero, a reflection of Aragorn but with a weakness for the Ring. I liked the friendship between Legolas and Gimli -- in Tolkien's Middle-earth, Elves and Dwarves do not like each other, but this Elf and Dwarf form a strong bond, and also provide a lot of the humour. Yes, that's right -- humour. People say LOTR is dry and humourless, and this is often true. But there is some humour, especially with Gimli (having a contest with Legolas to see how many Orcs they can kill, threatening to kill someone for saying Galadriel isn't the most beautiful woman who ever lived). All the characters they meet on their travels are interesting, though you will connect with some more than others. There is Tom Bombadil, Treebeard and the Ents, Galadriel, and many others. There are also monsters that can be genuinely frightening! The Ringwraiths track Frodo during the first book, and you can really feel the fear of being chased by them. In the third book they return, flying on winged creatures. You can also expect to see a spider monster, and the infamous Balrog. PLOT Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is a hobbit, a creature approximately four feet in height (the actors were digitally, flawlessly shrunk) who lives in the ever-flowering Shire's bucolic Hobbiton. On the occasion of his uncle Bilbo's (Ian Holm) 111th birthday, Frodo is given a mysterious ring as his birthright.
Approximate Word count = 9094
Approximate Pages = 36.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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