The Lord of the Rings:
Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring
Part 2: The Two Towers
Part 3: The Return of the King

J.R.R. Tolkien

New York: Ballantine Books, 1991 (18th printing); Pages: 527,447,544

Review © 2002 Branislav L. Slantchev

The coming of the first part of Peter Jackson's epic trilogy seemed like a good time to re-read Tolkien's fantasy. Having not looked at it for at least a decade, it was refreshing to see how much I remembered, or, in other words, how much this story had stayed with me.

The Fellowship of the Ring tells of the Ring, its history, its nature, and the peril it poses for Middle-Earth. Frodo Baggins becomes the hapless, but not unwilling, bearer, whose task is to take the Ring safely to Rivendell, where it can be hidden from Sauron. He is accompanied by Sam, his best friend, two other hobbits, Merry and Pippin, and Aragon, who joins them a bit later. At Rivendell, however, it becomes clear that the Ring cannot be safely kept there and a formidable task is appointed: Take the Ring to Mordor and destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. The fellowship is formed, and it sets out on the journey. Many adventures follow, Gandalf is lost in Moria, Boromir is slain by the Uruk-Hai, who capture Merry and Pippin, and Frodo abandons the fellowship fearful that the tempting power of the Ring may split it asunder and doom his friends. He resolves to go to Mordor with Sam alone.

In The Two Towers, the fellowship now rent, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas pursue the Orcs to free Merry and Pippin, while Frodo and Sam make their way into Mordor, guided by the most unlikely ally: the creature Gollum, the previous owner of the Ring. The treachery of Saruman is brought to a close as the great Ents take his tower Orthanc in Isengard. The forces of Darkness gather as the Lord of Minas Tirith falls further under the spell of the Enemy through his unwise use of the palantir.

The Return of the King completes the story. Frodo and Sam finally make their way to Mount Doom, where the creature Gollum makes a final bid for the Ring. In the struggle, the Ring is destroyed, and with it most of the power of Sauron. At the Battle of the Morannon, the forces of Evil are defeated, and the Age of Man begins. However, upon their return to the Shire, the Hobbits discover that the treachery of Saruman has corrupted their home. They must fight one last battle to save their lands.

Upon reading The Lord of the Rings this time around, I could not help but note several minor foibles. Tolkien is just not that good of a writer. The prose is rather turgid at times, and the excessive attention devoted to descriptive detail is at times quite annoying. I generally prefer much more active story telling, and there is plenty of events in this story that do not need to additional ornament. At times, the narrative is breath-taking and I could not put the book down. When at his best, Tolkien can draw anybody into his world. There were times, however, when I yawned and even looked ahead to see how long until the next event. Mercifully, there are fewer such passages in The Lord of the Rings as compared, for example, with The Silmarillion, but they are there nevertheless.

Another minor annoyance is that all characters survive (well, except Boromir, of course). I am not really blood thirsty or anything, and I vividly recall how devastated I felt when Gandalf plunged into the depths of Moria, but death is part of life, and danger is part of any good drama. Eventually, the epic wears thin, as its protagonists survive less and less likely perils. Also, Tolkien's insistence to reward everybody, even Merry and Pippin, does come through as rather artificial.

Finally, despite my misgivings, I have to say that reading The Silmarillion will greatly enhance the enjoyment of this book. In addition, there is an excellent atlas by cartographer Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-Earth, that is absolutely essential to proper understanding of the geography and timing of events, both crucial to The Lord of the Rings experience.

February 19, 2002

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@book{tolkien:lotr-1,
  title     = {The Fellowship of the Ring},
  author    = {{J. R. R.} Tolkien},
  year      = {1991},
  publisher = {Ballantine Books},
  address   = {New York},
  isbn      = {0-345-33970-3},
  note      = {Authorized 50th Anniversary Edition; maps, appendixes; Pp: 527}
}
@book{tolkien:lotr-2,
  title     = {The Two Towers},
  author    = {{J. R. R.} Tolkien},
  year      = {1991},
  publisher = {Ballantine Books},
  address   = {New York},
  isbn      = {0-345-33971-1},
  note      = {Authorized 50th Anniversary Edition; Pp: 447}
}
@book{tolkien:lotr-3,
  title     = {The Return of the King},
  author    = {{J. R. R.} Tolkien},
  year      = {1991},
  publisher = {Ballantine Books},
  address   = {New York},
  isbn      = {0-345-33973-8},
  note      = {Authorized 50th Anniversary Edition; supplements; Pp: 544}
}