A Foreboding Task: How Does One Review the Greatest Book in Existence?
Written: May 29 '01 (Updated Jun 26 '04)
Product Rating:
Pros: the best novel, fantasy or not, ever written
Cons: very long
The Bottom Line: Quite simply, my favorite book in the world. There is nothing like it...it's pure magic. Enter Middle Earth, and leave forever changed.
bilbopooh's Full Review: J. R. R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings
We'll leave the Bible out of that, of course. I consider the Bible an entity all unto itself, and I don't know if I'll ever get the guts to review that. But in order to celebrate my 400th epinion, I knew I had to do something special. One day I will review each book separately, but all in good time. One of my very first reviews was of The Hobbit, which I basically consider as a prologue to this book. When I say my favorite book is The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is included. I wrote that review before I got into my long-winded phase, and there's so much more I could say about it. But I'll leave it be, as a remembrance of my first days on Epinions.
Ever since I can remember, Tolkien has been a part of my life. I must have been three or four the first time Dad read The Hobbit to me; when we studied it in eighth grade, my teacher gave me an alternate assignment because I knew too much about the book. At the time, however, Dad was just finishing Lord of the Rings. It was a gargantuan endeavor, but I felt extremely grown-up when he first began reading it to me. I had been waiting all my life for this.
Only three characters from The Hobbit play a major role in The Lord of the Rings. Bilbo, the reluctant hobbit who proved that there was more adventurous spirit in him than he cared to admit, Gandalf, the powerful wizard who enlisted Bilbo to begin with, and Gollum, the slimy creature from whom Bilbo acquired his ring of invisibility. Bilbo is absent throughout most of the book; after his delightful performance at his "eleventy-first" birthday party, he retreats to the haven of Rivendell, where the elves dwell in peace. Gollum doesn't show up until about halfway through, though towards the beginning Gandalf reveals that the disgusting creature is actually a hobbit. Gandalf is still a powerful figure, a major binding force among the scattered members of the Fellowship who venture forth to destroy the Ring.
The Ring is an evil relic, the last of the rings of power forged in Mordor, where the Dark Lord Sauron lives. As a world-wide battle of Good and Evil rages, the Ring begins to grow stronger, threatening to overpower the good people who possess it. The only hope is to destroy the Ring where it was created, and thus drain Sauron of his power.
Pretty heavy stuff. This is a much darker book than The Hobbit, because the stakes are so much higher. But it is still the unsuspecting common folk whose job it is to save the day. Bilbo's adventuring days may be over, but his nephew, Frodo, the rightful possessor of the Ring, must embark on the dangerous quest, and in the end only he can destroy the Ring. He need not journey alone, however. He is accompanied by three faithful friends. Samwise Gamgee, my favorite character, is a simple gardener whose fierce loyalty to Frodo saves Master Baggins on more than one occasion. A source of much warmth and humor, he is the best friend that any hobbit could ask for. Meriadoc Brandybuck and Pippin Took are Frodo's other traveling pals, two hobbits from down the road who conspired with Sam to join their friend on his dangerous mission.
By the middle of the first book, the four have been joined by the human ranger Aragorn, a weathered man known as Strider. Narrowly escaping the forces of the Dark Lord, they convene in Rivendell to form a Fellowship of the Ring. Here they are joined by Gandalf, the elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, the surly human Boromir. But though they may set out together, the band will not remain united for long. Through the second and third books, the exploits of the various group members are followed as each fights evil on a different front.
Pippin and Merry mingle with the ents, the giant tree folk who who are deeply suspicious of the new creatures who have begun to populate Middle Earth. Frodo and Sam head toward Mordor, forming an uneasy partnership with Gollum along the way. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli seek the aid of the mighty King Theoden and find a powerful ally in his niece, Eowyn. Through it all, they must summon every ounce of ingenuity and strength they have in order to withstand the forces that threaten to devour them. Though this widespread war against evil cannot end without bloodshed, it will pave the way for the ushering in of a new era, forged in the friendship and courage of a pair of lowly hobbits and their comrades.
I really don't have the words to express my admiration for this book. I, who hate war movies and cringe at bloodshed of any kind. This is one of the bloodiest books I have ever encountered. But somehow I don't mind. I cringed as Dad read about orcs decapitating people and slashing their enemies in battle, but I never wanted him to stop reading. Tolkien was an absolute master of the art of storytelling. But just telling a story was not enough for him. He created an entire world described in such vivid detail that I could picture every country in Middle Earth. He created entire languages. His love for language was such that he would not rest until he was satisfied he had found the perfect name for each person and place and developed a complex etymology to accompany it. The orcs, the ents, and the elves are only a few of the civilizations whose language is represented here.
He even wrote poetry in these other languages, creating epic Elven ballads over which the human tongue cannot help but trip clumsily. His English poetry is much easier to handle, and it is often quite beautiful. Frodo's tribute to Gandalf, Bilbo's rhyme about Aragorn, even the introductory "one ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them" are impressive pieces of verse, and Sam's poetic tale about Tom and the Troll never fails to leave me in stitches.
There is far to much to be said about this epic than can be written in this space. The story itself is simply amazing, the characters are endearing, the descriptions riveting. Not a book for the faint of heart, but if you can bring yourself to read a 1200 page novel you will reap the rewards. Every paragraph is a gem, and the writing is filled with enough wit and humor to keep the reader from ever falling into the depths of despair. Lots of great quotes can be garnered from the mouths of these in-depth characters, and you will grow to love or to loathe each character, sometimes encountering difficulty in discerning which position to take.
What more can I say? Plenty. But I'll leave it at that. Give the book a try. Read The Hobbit first, then venture deeper into the rich world that Tolkien so lovingly created. You'll never be the same again.
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