Billed as “The Book of The Century”, and “The English speaking world is divided into those who have read Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them”. I only wish I had read it sooner.
The depth of imagination and story telling is unsurpassed. Fleeting glimpses of legends and songs make you yearn for more of the history and the story telling of Middle Earth.
Bilbo Baggins the hero of The Hobbit has finally passed The Ring on to his nephew Frodo. But a change has begun in Middle Earth, great armies are being mobilized and the Dark Lord Sauron is searching for the ring of power.
With ring-wraiths on the hunt, Frodo must leave his beloved Shire, with his gardener Sam and friends Merry and Pippin, to take the ring to Mount Doom and destroy it.
The Fellowship of the Ring
We are introduced the Wizard Gandalf, the noblemen Lord Aragorn and Boromir, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf and four brave little hobbits. After a few (mis) adventures they spend some time with the elf queen Galadriel and she bestowes on them charmed gifts that will help them in their quest.
The Two Towers
When the fellowship is broken at the end of the first book, with the slaying of Boromir and kidnapping of Merry and Pippin, the storyline then splits into three. We follow Frodo, Sam and their uninvited travelling companion Gollum to Mount Doom; Merry, Pippin and Gandalf form an allegiance with The Ents (Tree Shepherds) to bring down the evil wizard Saruman; and finally we follow Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas in their search for Merry and Pippin, the comradeship with other peoples of Middle Earth, and the battles that follow to stem the flow of the multitudinous army of Saruman’s Orcs.
The Return of the King
The conclusive novel follows the destruction of the ring, Pippin rising above his tomfoolery into bravery, the return of Lord Aragorn to fulfill his legacy and the hobbits return to the Shire and their final showdown with Saruman.
This novel is ultimately about friendship, bravery and the desire to do what is right against unfathomable odds.
About The Author
John Ronald Reuel Tolkein was born in South Africa to English Parents in 1892. An Oxford Graduate with a First Class Honours degree in English Language and Literature, he and other friends (CS Lewis amongst them) formed a literary group in the 1930s called The Inklings which was inspired by the fantasy genre.
He began his employment with The New English Dictionary, then worked as a freelance tutor, and finally as a Professor at Oxford University. He retired in 1959 and died in September 1973.
His son Christopher has continued the Tolkein legacy, posthumously publishing such works as The Silmarillon of which most of the history and legend for Lord of The Rings is based on.
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