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juels's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
chris_richards's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kaegank's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
natureboi_mm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
thebecciz's review against another edition
2.0
I did not finish this book, got about 3rd of the way. I hoped to read these books and get wowed by them, as I am the biggest LOTR movie fan. But I have instead found I like them less and less for each book. In the beginning anticipation kept me going, the first book is said to be a bit slower in the first half. I found this to be fine, as the curosity still was high.
But as the story prgoressed I found Myself questioning several bigger aspects of the plot, and a majority of the story to be a snooze-fest. LOTR exelcs in the story about Sam, Frodo and Gollum. Interesting relationships , grey characthers, and the grand story of two hobbits far from home. Usually I also really like the other hobbits's storylines. My favourite part of this whole triology is definetly when they catch up outside saurman's tower, and we get a big part of the plot told by the hobbits. This is excellent! You can feel the merry vibes of friends catching up and having the hobbits tell the story make it so much more interesting.
As for the rest, the grander plot of fighting the orcs at all costs, and the underlying "all orcs are evil" do not sit well with me. I mean if you flip the perspective, could it not be that all the others opress orcs and Sauron is the only one standing up for them? Could we have gotten some orcs that are "good"? Fighting against Sauron? Even though they are said to always fight among eachother and be stupid, we get this moment when Sam overhears two orcs talking to each other, and they talk about settling down somewhere when all this is over. Briefly painting the picture that orcs are not so different after all, and they too just want to live their life. Including this just sets the action of the rest of the characthers in an even more bad light. That orcs are dark and evil, while elfes are white and the best of the best, carries some seriously racist undertones.
Something else I dont see mentioned enough is how Gandalf is a serious political manipulator. He spies on everything, has contacts every where, and just expects everyone to listen to his advice and follow it without question. He is also the one to say that Sauron is evil, and sure, maybe he is, but the possibilty remains that Gandalf is just using everyone to benefit his intersts.
I guess maybe I have changed. I do not see the world as black and white anymore, there are always several stories to be told. This story works when you are a child, but as an adult, reading this story becomes boring, as well as frustrating regarding the aspects mentioned above. And I find the story to be partly lazy, because Tolkien has some really great deep caharachters, like Boromir, Gollum and Sam. So he is definetly capable of writing nuanced and interesting story lines. But other caharachters become flat and uninteresting. Aragorn was for me a huge let down, he is just always right and the perfect hero. He never really says anything interesting or seems to have a personality. As well as Gandalf, who is either boring because he is always right, or, to me at least, another villain using everyone for his own intersts. Not to mention the ever perfect elfes.
Lastly the amount of women in this book shocked me. They were close to non existent. I'm so happy that women are part of stories written in our time (and many older Classics as well) and that I have recently read so many books that include both males and females.
My question is, should we really keep celebrating something racist and anti-women? And old man who thought a women's place was only being wed to a man. Despite modern interpretation's of Eowyn, the fact remains she was not written as some feminst hero, she was written as a bad example of a woman.
Many people compare LOTR to Dune, and I truly can't see how LOTR would be considered better. Dune's message and grander story still remains relevant to this day, religion, it's place in our life's and war's fought in the name of it. In Dune women are not excluded from the storyline , non-white people are not all sterotypicly bad, rather most characthers are presented as nuanced.
But as the story prgoressed I found Myself questioning several bigger aspects of the plot, and a majority of the story to be a snooze-fest. LOTR exelcs in the story about Sam, Frodo and Gollum. Interesting relationships , grey characthers, and the grand story of two hobbits far from home. Usually I also really like the other hobbits's storylines. My favourite part of this whole triology is definetly when they catch up outside saurman's tower, and we get a big part of the plot told by the hobbits. This is excellent! You can feel the merry vibes of friends catching up and having the hobbits tell the story make it so much more interesting.
As for the rest, the grander plot of fighting the orcs at all costs, and the underlying "all orcs are evil" do not sit well with me. I mean if you flip the perspective, could it not be that all the others opress orcs and Sauron is the only one standing up for them? Could we have gotten some orcs that are "good"? Fighting against Sauron? Even though they are said to always fight among eachother and be stupid, we get this moment when Sam overhears two orcs talking to each other, and they talk about settling down somewhere when all this is over. Briefly painting the picture that orcs are not so different after all, and they too just want to live their life. Including this just sets the action of the rest of the characthers in an even more bad light. That orcs are dark and evil, while elfes are white and the best of the best, carries some seriously racist undertones.
Something else I dont see mentioned enough is how Gandalf is a serious political manipulator. He spies on everything, has contacts every where, and just expects everyone to listen to his advice and follow it without question. He is also the one to say that Sauron is evil, and sure, maybe he is, but the possibilty remains that Gandalf is just using everyone to benefit his intersts.
I guess maybe I have changed. I do not see the world as black and white anymore, there are always several stories to be told. This story works when you are a child, but as an adult, reading this story becomes boring, as well as frustrating regarding the aspects mentioned above. And I find the story to be partly lazy, because Tolkien has some really great deep caharachters, like Boromir, Gollum and Sam. So he is definetly capable of writing nuanced and interesting story lines. But other caharachters become flat and uninteresting. Aragorn was for me a huge let down, he is just always right and the perfect hero. He never really says anything interesting or seems to have a personality. As well as Gandalf, who is either boring because he is always right, or, to me at least, another villain using everyone for his own intersts. Not to mention the ever perfect elfes.
Lastly the amount of women in this book shocked me. They were close to non existent. I'm so happy that women are part of stories written in our time (and many older Classics as well) and that I have recently read so many books that include both males and females.
My question is, should we really keep celebrating something racist and anti-women? And old man who thought a women's place was only being wed to a man. Despite modern interpretation's of Eowyn, the fact remains she was not written as some feminst hero, she was written as a bad example of a woman.
Many people compare LOTR to Dune, and I truly can't see how LOTR would be considered better. Dune's message and grander story still remains relevant to this day, religion, it's place in our life's and war's fought in the name of it. In Dune women are not excluded from the storyline , non-white people are not all sterotypicly bad, rather most characthers are presented as nuanced.
makennarg's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amb3333's review against another edition
5.0
This is a yearly read for me. When life gets tough, I go to Middle Earth for comfort!
As always it never ever disappoints and is true balm for the weary soul.
With each read I get to delve deeper into the mind of Tolkien and make more and more connections which is fabulous. The only thing about finishing this book is that it makes me sad to be leaving Middle Earth and makes me want to begin all over again with The Hobbit.
Hands down best books ever!
As always it never ever disappoints and is true balm for the weary soul.
With each read I get to delve deeper into the mind of Tolkien and make more and more connections which is fabulous. The only thing about finishing this book is that it makes me sad to be leaving Middle Earth and makes me want to begin all over again with The Hobbit.
Hands down best books ever!
shubbard116's review against another edition
4.0
I feel proud and accomplished. I have finished the LOTR trilogy. Woo!
Tolkien is by far in another category then any other author. He makes modern day books laughable with his depth and elaborate adventures. Though it took more effort and time to finish his Trilogy, it was not in vein. The third book did not disappoint to end the series. It was packed with just as much adventure and danger and war and friendship. My one complaint is the ending was long drawn out. I thought the book ended and then there were 4 long chapters dedicated to saying goodbyes and hellos. If I were ranking the books, Id say:
1. The Two Towers
2. The Return of the King
3. The Fellowship of the Rings
Tolkien is by far in another category then any other author. He makes modern day books laughable with his depth and elaborate adventures. Though it took more effort and time to finish his Trilogy, it was not in vein. The third book did not disappoint to end the series. It was packed with just as much adventure and danger and war and friendship. My one complaint is the ending was long drawn out. I thought the book ended and then there were 4 long chapters dedicated to saying goodbyes and hellos. If I were ranking the books, Id say:
1. The Two Towers
2. The Return of the King
3. The Fellowship of the Rings
seagul's review against another edition
5.0
The third installment of Tolkien's epic trilogy, and in my opinion, one of the best books I've ever read, is a majesty unlike no others. Highly recommend
arcoirisdesign's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s about the Return of the King, Aragorn, to Gondor. It’s also about Pippin’s time as a man of Gondor, and also about Merry’s time as a man of Rohan. Theoden is also badass in the book. Frodo also destroys the ring! It’s probably my least favorite of the trilogy, but that’s not saying much because the books are all AMAZING.