The Lord of the Rings

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Review of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

       Someone commented that there were no bad reviews of TLOTR so I thought I'd add one. Actually, it's not all bad. There is a lot to admire about these three novels and the story overall. As far as the plot goes, I can't really fault it, and it culminates in an ending which is dramatic and satisfying (although the journey back afterwards is perhaps a little unnecessary), something which a lot of authors I do like could take notice of.

       But while I found a lot to admire about it, I never really got to the point where I loved it, not in the same way that so many people who have read the story obvioulsy do. Everything seemed to happen on the surface and I never felt that I got under the skin of the characters. Ironically enough, the closest I came to feeling that I had really got into the novels was during The Two Towers, which seems to be a low point for others. Perhaps it's because I was aware of these books for a long time before I actually read them. My parents had them and loved them and then, when the films came out there was such a fuss I decided to see what it was all about. Perhaps it is unfair to read a book that comes with such a reputation as it can only disapoint. In many ways it is a classic, but not one I think of with any particular fondness.  

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Lestat

       When I was looking at the top three novels on this list, and was later reviewing the comments on each of them, I noticed something profound. On each of these comment lists, there were always people that gave positive reviews and others that gave negative reviews. There were always people that agreed with the theme, the characters, plot etc. Or people that disagreed with the theme, characters, plot etc. So far on the Lord of the Rings review list, there hasn't been one negative thing said about it that's of any substance. The only negative things said about it was (basically) 'I read it too many times', and, 'it's kind of boring in places'. Other than that there has been nothing negative said about LOTR. Given this one simple fact, I believe that this states that The Lord of the Rings, is indisputedly the Best Novel of All-Time! If everybody believes that this, (disincluding the owner of this site) is the best book of all time, then so it is!

p.s. I'm an avid fan of the Lord of the Rings.  

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Manfred

       The Lord of the Rings is a surreal trilogy. Tolkien actually wrote it as a sort of "Bible" for the UK, and I've got to hand it to him: these books are undoubtedly the best fantasies ever written. LOTR Forever!  

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Bookworm

       If you take the time to get past the few dry parts (particularly in the Two Towers), these will be the best books you have ever read.  

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Anonymous

       I read this first when I was 17 more years ago than I care to remember , probably your teen years are  the best time to read it.At the time it was engrossing , wonderful all-consuming , days were lost to it. Emerging blinking into the daylight after finishing it there was a sense of loss of coming back to reality .It is probably the high mark of escapist fantasy fiction. much imitated (spare me from all those  other trilogies)but never beaten.

       For a few years  into my mid twenties I re-read it almost annually, then there was the BBC radio series then the audio tapes of the same and more recently the films which were excellent but could hardly be expected to match Tolkien's or the readers imagination  .

       Not having opened the book for many years I turned to it again to find I'm all Tolkiened out and can't get past the first chapter .So read it while your young , enjoy it for it's escapism but you can outgrow these things I'm afraid .It would probably head its particular genre but from being perhaps  my top one it wouldn't get into  my  top 10 now  , probably  that's more down to me than Tolkien. and if you've seen the films you should make the effort to read it.  

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Elendil

       Lord of the Rings! A different world! A different universe! I wonder how Tolkien was able to create such a masterful story. It took him half of his life to complete the novel and yet he died without reaping the result of his incomparable work. The fight between good and evil is described in such a complex and thorugh way that leaves not a single space for anything more to add. One should be a good novelist to write words for this novel. I simply cannot do that! I saw the movies too. They're good, but it is imposible to inlcude in three movies everything from the book. But i praise the director of the movies for his tremendous efforts. Maybe after a decade he should do it again. I suggest everyone who has seen the movies, to read the  book and try to create your own image of characters and the plot based on whta you read from the book. Try to leave the movie characters out of your imagination. Read the book!  

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Mehdi

       The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is an absolute masterpiece.  Whether you are into fantasy novels or not you will almost certainly love this book.  This is the book that got me back to reading(when I didn’t have to).

       The story follows Frodo Baggins through his adventures across Middle Earth in an attempt to destroy the mysterious ring of power.  Since most people know the story of The Lord of the Rings I won’t spend much time on that subject.  I think nearly everyone has seen the trilogy of movies that came out in the last few years.  If you haven’t you probably should go out and see all three immediately.

       Now on to the book.  The book was originally published in 3 volumes(The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) and took over a decade to create. The Lord of the Rings has recently been re-released as a single volume.  The reason I suggest that you tackle this 1000+ page tome even after you’ve seen the movie and know the story is because it’s better than the movie.  Yes that’s right.  We all know that the huge scale sets and big budget effects make for a brilliant visual on the silver screen, but to hear Tolkien describe these breathtaking landscapes is unreal.  No movie screen could ever completely capture the magic that this book possesses.  

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Viktar Yett 

     I think if you read this trilogy you will find a new world for your dream.  Its really good...

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Saganak

       This series is highly enjoyable due to its deep plot and captivating description of each character.  The central theme -that good always triumphs-runs through the series as a thread.  The central character are Frodo and the ring.  Other stories weave around them seamlessly.  Most recommended book..

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by Anonymous

       This is the best book ever!  It should be first place.  The detail the plot the characters and the action all make it the best book ever.  I read the Harry Potter series and thought it was the best ever but after I read The Lord of the Rings I was ready to throw Harry Potter in the garbage.  There are so many things in this book. So many names, poems, places, parts that fill you with sadness knowing how much Middle-Earth has fallen but causing you to overflow with joy at the victories of the Fellowship, and Rohan, and Gondor, and all the free places of Middle-Earth. I have read the Harry Potter series, the Chronicles of Narnia series, much of the Animorphs series, the White Stag, Dracula and many other books and there are still many I wish to read but I am pretty sure The Lord of the RIngs is greater than them all.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was reviewed by tabooleh315

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