Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Title: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Place Published: New York
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Year Published: 1965
No. of Pages: 458
Price: $6.99
Place Bought: n/a (Borrowed)
I’ve made reading the LOTR trilogy a book resolution for 2014. After all, it’s widely known as the greatest fantasy epic of our time. So with a little encouragement from a colleague—and with the irrational belief that it would be easier to finish the novel if I read her copy of the book instead of mine—I set out on another journey through Middle-earth.
Volume one chronicles the beginning of the War of the Ring. It starts with the hobbit Frodo Baggins coming into possession of the Ring of Power, sought after by the evil Sauron and his Ringwraiths.
Soon, Frodo and his companions—three hobbits, two humans, a wizard, an elf, and a dwarf—will embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring and get rid of its evil forever. They set their sights on the heart of Sauron’s kingdom, in Mount Doom. Upon its fires the ring was made, and only there can it be undone.
Like me, most of you have probably watched the movie version of this book once or more. We were likely amazed by the beauty of Middle-earth and its peoples, excited by the fast-paced action that populated the film.
Re-reading the novel, I kept welcoming images from the movie. I visualized the serenity of the Shire and the majesty of Rivendell. I reveled in the song of Legolas’s bow and arrows. I was gripped with fear as Frodo and his companions faced a Balrog in the Mines of Moria.
There were plenty of new things too, like poetry and song. I found these parts the most boring during my previous attempts to read the novel. However, I thoroughly enjoyed them this time around. Reading them aloud made the experience more fun—a strategy I learned in high school, when we read aloud plays by William Shakespeare in English class.
I enjoyed the chapters dedicated to the hobbits’ journey from the Shire to Bree, especially when they get lost in the forest and meet Tom Bombadil and his daughter Goldberry. Now, I’m really sad that the duo wasn’t featured in the film, even in its extended version.
I was surprised that the first book ended with Frodo and Sam getting on a boat, when I was so ready to get into the action that I knew was about to begin. Fortunately, I already have a copy of The Two Towers, volume two of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Now that I've finished reading The Fellowship of the Ring, I wonder why I never got through it before. However, one thing's for sure--this novel's epic, and I'm delighted that I've finally read it from start to finish.
My Rating:
5 out of 5
Title: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Place Published: New York
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Year Published: 1965
No. of Pages: 458
Price: $6.99
Place Bought: n/a (Borrowed)
If you asked a month ago what I thought of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, I would have said it was extremely boring. I’ve tried reading the novel several times, but could never get past the chapters with Tom Bombadil and his poems.
I’ve made reading the LOTR trilogy a book resolution for 2014. After all, it’s widely known as the greatest fantasy epic of our time. So with a little encouragement from a colleague—and with the irrational belief that it would be easier to finish the novel if I read her copy of the book instead of mine—I set out on another journey through Middle-earth.
Volume one chronicles the beginning of the War of the Ring. It starts with the hobbit Frodo Baggins coming into possession of the Ring of Power, sought after by the evil Sauron and his Ringwraiths.
Soon, Frodo and his companions—three hobbits, two humans, a wizard, an elf, and a dwarf—will embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring and get rid of its evil forever. They set their sights on the heart of Sauron’s kingdom, in Mount Doom. Upon its fires the ring was made, and only there can it be undone.
Like me, most of you have probably watched the movie version of this book once or more. We were likely amazed by the beauty of Middle-earth and its peoples, excited by the fast-paced action that populated the film.
Re-reading the novel, I kept welcoming images from the movie. I visualized the serenity of the Shire and the majesty of Rivendell. I reveled in the song of Legolas’s bow and arrows. I was gripped with fear as Frodo and his companions faced a Balrog in the Mines of Moria.
There were plenty of new things too, like poetry and song. I found these parts the most boring during my previous attempts to read the novel. However, I thoroughly enjoyed them this time around. Reading them aloud made the experience more fun—a strategy I learned in high school, when we read aloud plays by William Shakespeare in English class.
I enjoyed the chapters dedicated to the hobbits’ journey from the Shire to Bree, especially when they get lost in the forest and meet Tom Bombadil and his daughter Goldberry. Now, I’m really sad that the duo wasn’t featured in the film, even in its extended version.
I was surprised that the first book ended with Frodo and Sam getting on a boat, when I was so ready to get into the action that I knew was about to begin. Fortunately, I already have a copy of The Two Towers, volume two of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
Now that I've finished reading The Fellowship of the Ring, I wonder why I never got through it before. However, one thing's for sure--this novel's epic, and I'm delighted that I've finally read it from start to finish.
My Rating:
5 out of 5
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