fantasybooksandcoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
verbadanga66's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
aleoreading's review against another edition
5.0
“'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.'" - The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
One does not simply review The Lord of the Rings without getting overwhelmed all over again the sheer vast greatness that is The Lord of the Rings.
☕
I really don't know where and/or how to start talking about about J.R.R Tolkien's masterwork.
*I place the book on the table before you and slowly pushes it closer to you "Please, read it."*
Tolkien's writing is simply immaculate. His world building is overwhelming and complex in its sheer volume. The novel is one of those experiences where after I finished the novel I was able to love all of it. I say this because of my few very minor complaints (the singing) that I have (the singing and war scenes) with this tome (Have I mentioned the singing?).
The characters, plot and beautiful prose left me breathless and anxious for more.
Like woah.
Besides the singing, I loved every moment of the novel.
Books one and two were amazing while the third novel is the weakest.
The third novel felt even more like a chore because of the badly written war and fighting scenes as well as the "filler"/plot pacing.
With that said, none of the negatives and complaints even touch my love for The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings is just THAT great.
...
Also I live all of the changes the films did. The films are just as great as the novel.
I highly suggest watching The Lord of the Rings in 4k and UHDR. The films look the best, sound the best, and are the best in 4k.
One does not simply review The Lord of the Rings without getting overwhelmed all over again the sheer vast greatness that is The Lord of the Rings.
☕
I really don't know where and/or how to start talking about about J.R.R Tolkien's masterwork.
*I place the book on the table before you and slowly pushes it closer to you "Please, read it."*
Tolkien's writing is simply immaculate. His world building is overwhelming and complex in its sheer volume. The novel is one of those experiences where after I finished the novel I was able to love all of it. I say this because of my few very minor complaints (the singing) that I have (the singing and war scenes) with this tome (Have I mentioned the singing?).
The characters, plot and beautiful prose left me breathless and anxious for more.
Like woah.
Besides the singing, I loved every moment of the novel.
Books one and two were amazing while the third novel is the weakest.
The third novel felt even more like a chore because of the badly written war and fighting scenes as well as the "filler"/plot pacing.
With that said, none of the negatives and complaints even touch my love for The Lord of the Rings. The Lord of the Rings is just THAT great.
...
Also I live all of the changes the films did. The films are just as great as the novel.
I highly suggest watching The Lord of the Rings in 4k and UHDR. The films look the best, sound the best, and are the best in 4k.
paperbackchlo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Well... There is a lot to unpack.
Unfortunately I just don't see the hype with this book. I understand the hype from the movies - and very rarely (if at all) do I feel the movie did it better than the book, but in this case, the movies are phenomenal!
What I couldn't get on board with:
- Dialogue too long and my goodness, pointless.
- Character building was bad.
- Too many characters, not enough background.
- Tom Bombadil
- The "Council of Elrond" was the longest and worst dialogue written chapter and almost made me give up.
Enjoyable Chapters:
- Chapter "A Long-Expected Party"
- Chapter "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum"
- Chapter "The Choices of Master Samwise"
- Chapter "The Seige of Gondor"
- Chapter "Mount Doom"
Best Quotes:
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve". P.30
"Fly, you fools!". P.331
"His love for Frodo rose above all other thoughts, and forgetting his peril he cried aloud: "I'm coming, Mr.Frodo!" P.899
I appreciate the amount of effort and depth that went into creating Lord of the Rings, the language, maps, scenes and more but I just didn't read or translate to how the films did.
All I can say is, thank god for the films!
Unfortunately I just don't see the hype with this book. I understand the hype from the movies - and very rarely (if at all) do I feel the movie did it better than the book, but in this case, the movies are phenomenal!
What I couldn't get on board with:
- Dialogue too long and my goodness, pointless.
- Character building was bad.
- Too many characters, not enough background.
- Tom Bombadil
- The "Council of Elrond" was the longest and worst dialogue written chapter and almost made me give up.
Enjoyable Chapters:
- Chapter "A Long-Expected Party"
- Chapter "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum"
- Chapter "The Choices of Master Samwise"
- Chapter "The Seige of Gondor"
- Chapter "Mount Doom"
Best Quotes:
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve". P.30
"Fly, you fools!". P.331
"His love for Frodo rose above all other thoughts, and forgetting his peril he cried aloud: "I'm coming, Mr.Frodo!" P.899
I appreciate the amount of effort and depth that went into creating Lord of the Rings, the language, maps, scenes and more but I just didn't read or translate to how the films did.
All I can say is, thank god for the films!
bubumaczko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
cypharion's review against another edition
4.0
4 Stars.
It saddens me that I didn't enjoy Lord of the Rings as much as I hoped.That being said, overall I was impressed. The story was enjoyable especially Aragorn, Gandalf and Companies story arc being my favorite of the two main plots. The deep worldbuilding was great and the unique characters like Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Treebeard and Aragorn (being my favorite) were highlights for me. The final chapter even had me tearing up a bit.
I did have some issues with the book. First of which was the pacing. Pacing in books don't usually bother me but it was hard for me to get through LotR. The writing style was a bit too dated for my liking (a tad too much Shakespearean vibes). The huge amount of over-descriptiveness of the geographical landscape and the history/lore dumps (some taking up whole chapters) slowed the story down at times for me.
With all that being said, I can totally understand the love people have for this book and it's impressive how well it's held up. It's clear to see the impact it's had on fantasy even for this generation. Despite the issues I had, I'm glad I decided to give the book a chance.
Now it's time for me to dive into the Extended cut versions of the movie trilogy and see if I fair any better with them!
It saddens me that I didn't enjoy Lord of the Rings as much as I hoped.That being said, overall I was impressed. The story was enjoyable especially Aragorn, Gandalf and Companies story arc being my favorite of the two main plots. The deep worldbuilding was great and the unique characters like Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Treebeard and Aragorn (being my favorite) were highlights for me. The final chapter even had me tearing up a bit.
I did have some issues with the book. First of which was the pacing. Pacing in books don't usually bother me but it was hard for me to get through LotR. The writing style was a bit too dated for my liking (a tad too much Shakespearean vibes). The huge amount of over-descriptiveness of the geographical landscape and the history/lore dumps (some taking up whole chapters) slowed the story down at times for me.
With all that being said, I can totally understand the love people have for this book and it's impressive how well it's held up. It's clear to see the impact it's had on fantasy even for this generation. Despite the issues I had, I'm glad I decided to give the book a chance.
Now it's time for me to dive into the Extended cut versions of the movie trilogy and see if I fair any better with them!
seforana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
yperio's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mousethevegan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0