Will I love The Fellowship of the Ring?

I love this book because Tolkien took the fantasy genre to a new, unprecedented level, resurrecting ancient legends of old, with countless mythical creatures.

His magnificent characters defined their races, occupations, and even their languages, later inspiring the game, Dungeons and Dragons, of which I was once a Dungeon Master. Many of The Fellowship serve messianic roles. Gandalf, for example, conquers death following his battle with a demon, and Stryder, an obscure ranger, turns out to be Aragorn, heir of the fallen kingdom.

Tolkien captures keen insight into the human condition regarding the struggle against sin. He also whispers a… show more.

This is my comfort read that always takes me into an internal sense of calm and also adventure. The evocative landscapes, empty yet filled with history and adventures. The characters modelling the best and noblest that we can aspire to be. The settings from the eerie Barrow Downs , the cosy Buckland, Bree the gateway to so many potential adventures appeal to my heart. The knowledge of the quiet presence of the Ranger’s - the special forces of this time and place- quietly working like Aragorn to keep evil away and the remnant of Arnor safe, triggers my imagination and… show more.

It almost feels like cheating to bring up such an icon of fantasy literature, but this book (and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy) is hard to overlook when you talk about found family and friendship in fantasy fiction (so much delightful alliteration there).

Just the unbreakable friendships between Frodo and Samwise or Merry and Pippin by themselves make this an amazing example of the theme. When you include the full fellowship with the trials they face together and the internal conflict they navigate, it is found family complexity at its finest.

As much as I love the Lord of the Rings films, I could never get into the books. Tolkien definitely has a style, and to be honest, I'm more a sci-fi guy than fantasy. However, I listened to all three books in the series this year because they're read by Gollum himself, Andy Serkis. Serkis is a legendary talent. He does different voices for all the characters and offers an incredible narrator tone. This is easily the best audiobook I've ever heard. Highly recommended.

To be fair this was part of my re-read of the entire LotR series, but I hadn't read them in over 20 years. I had seen the movies quite a few times, and while I love them but there's something about reading the originals. This is especially true for scenes either altered or left out of the films. I'm not knocking Jackson, even with the deletions and alterations his adaptation of the story runs over 9 hours. However, meeting the original characters and reading the unaltered scenes provides an even deeper picture of Middle-Earth. The pace may be a bit… show more.

Where to start? Lord of the Rings contains countless unlikely heroes. From Frodo and Sam, simple hobbits who have to undergo an impossible task to save the entire world, to Theoden or Faramir, the books are full of tales of valor and strength as the good of the world strives to overcome an impossible evil.

The books are written with the key theme that even ordinary people can do great good, and that is reflected in the Hobbits. They are an ordinary race, unimportant for most of history, but they possess the courage and the heart to save their world.… show more.

Without a single doubt, the father of the modern epic fantasy genre. Wizards, Hobbits, Giants, Dragons, epic quests, and a great Dark lord. This book and the subsequent books that followed drew millions to the idea that this nerdy stuff could be way cool and relevant. It satisfies on so many levels. It was brilliantly written and transported me into another world full of wonder, danger, suspense, and the supernatural.

I fell in love with the characters and so will you. The audiobook dramatized version by “Minds eye Radio production” was incredible to me. A must for all audiobook fantasy… show more.

While I have enjoyed virtually everything I have read of Tolkien’s, I am particularly passionate about Middle Earth. This tale's imagery and grand narrative certainly stand on its own, but there is an even greater depth that comes from Tolkien’s religious convictions.

From the book’s symbolism to the dialogue, it infuses and distills many elements of the Catholic tradition into its pages. For Tolkien, fairy stories were more than ways to simply pass the time; they were reminders of eternal qualities. While I am digressing to the final book in Tolkien’s trilogy, Samwise Gamgee’s willingness to take on Frodo’s hideous… show more.

What is not to love about the LotR series? Everything from the world, the characters, the descriptions, and the entire narrative is truly sublime. But what I think I liked the best about Tolkien’s work is the depth of his lore. 

Not only did he build an entire history for all the races, but he also created their individual languages and heritage. The breadth of work Tolkien put into Middle Earth is staggering and is something all fantasy authors (myself included) have tried to emulate in their own work.

Anyone unfamiliar with Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy has been in an extended coma or is under five. Still, when I discovered these magnificent fantasy tales, I was about 15, and it would have been around 1962. No one knew Tolkien (outside of a very small circle of friends), and when I later wanted to do a term paper on the series, my teacher told me the books were too obscure, and there would be no reviews or research to draw on. 

I find myself using the word “transformational” in these reviews, and I guess that is what defines a “great… show more.