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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
Spectacular audiobook, but it took five months and even after relistening to most of the book, it’s still difficult to follow. Ngl even after 30+ hours of listening, my knowledge of the book is fuzzy. Probably have to come back to this after watching the movie or re reading it on paper.
Audiobook is great but not recommended for first read!
Audiobook is great but not recommended for first read!
Always a classical favorite. I will never not love the Lord of the Rings series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's a classic, when you are reading it seems crazy that this is THE first high fantasy novel that shaped all the others, the original.
Also how fascinating the woooorld that Tolkien built, all the lore, all the history, everything.
I am not saying I'm not a fan, I think I just need to read the whole trilogy and more to truly appreciate what Tolkien has built. And I will do that, until then...
Also how fascinating the woooorld that Tolkien built, all the lore, all the history, everything.
I am not saying I'm not a fan, I think I just need to read the whole trilogy and more to truly appreciate what Tolkien has built. And I will do that, until then...
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't think there are many - if any - superlatives I can use to describe Tolkien's work that haven't already been applied to this masterpiece. The author manages to both create and then transcend a recipe which is then followed by the high fantasy genre for the next seventy-plus years. Tolkien has a way with words that is second to none, and he includes meaningful, beautiful, and relevant poetry in his epic tale which only adds to its richness.
I urge just about anybody who likes to read to give this a shot. It takes some wading, and you have to be willing to let the relentless rain of fantasy characters and location names wash over you sometimes as they are numerous and occasionally complex. Parsing this barrage of syllables is well worth it for the thrill of the huge-scale plot and the truly inspiring prose. The main characters experience many instances of wonder at what they're observing, and the author made me feel their wonder right along with them due to the captivating nature of his descriptions. I loved this book when I was young and I love it even more now that I have context for just how exceptional and groundbreaking it truly is.
I urge just about anybody who likes to read to give this a shot. It takes some wading, and you have to be willing to let the relentless rain of fantasy characters and location names wash over you sometimes as they are numerous and occasionally complex. Parsing this barrage of syllables is well worth it for the thrill of the huge-scale plot and the truly inspiring prose. The main characters experience many instances of wonder at what they're observing, and the author made me feel their wonder right along with them due to the captivating nature of his descriptions. I loved this book when I was young and I love it even more now that I have context for just how exceptional and groundbreaking it truly is.
I loved this book, it's easy to see why it's a classic. I was afraid I would find the book cliche since so much of the fantasy genre is informed by Tolkien's writing. After you've seen so many clones the original can seem dull and indistinguishable from the masses. Tolkien has avoided this trap, and I think that's due to the depth of Middle-Earth. The world feels huge and sprawling, and as though it has an actual history. Another thing that sets it a part is the language. I found the descriptions impressive. The setting is very vivid and alive, so I was immediately drawn in by that aspect. Right after I began reading this book I had a friend tell me she felt his tone was over-descriptive and that was her one misgiving with Tolkien. For me, that descriptiveness is a positive mark. I also loved the novel "Heart of Darkness," which is basically 120 pages of prose describing darkness with a few pages of plot thrown in as garnish. Whether or not you enjoy that kind of tone is purely a matter of taste, so I can understand why others might find Tolkien's writing cumbersome. The only issue I had with the language is that I was unfamiliar with some terms, especially ones involving measurement. I had to grab my old dictionary because their was a lot my Kindle's in-built dictionary couldn't define. For example, the word mead. The only kind of mead I'm familiar with is the alcoholic beverage, but it was clear from context that Tolkien meant some kind of geographical term. It's actually an archaic term for meadow, which I immediately felt stupid for not realizing. Some terms didn't even show up in my dictionary, like flent and eylot. I suspect they might be fictional terms, but it's hard to say because other terms clearly aren't. My ebook contains some appendixes and an index, but no glossary. Despite my rambling this is only a minor slight, because I still understood everything that was happening.
However, I did sometimes have trouble keeping track of where the Company was and what direction they were heading. In any other series this would be a minor detail to me, but all the characters are constantly talking about it. The story revolves around this journey so I'd like to understand where they are in relation to Mordor. The book includes many maps, but they are difficult to study at any length in my Kindle. This contention is more with the format than the author or story, so I didn't deduct any points from my rating. Though, other than the map issue I'm very happy with my decision to read this in a digital format.
I should also mention that, before reading these books, I knew next to nothing about this series. I saw part of the first film adaptation and I read "The Hobbit" right before Fellowship, but that's it. The proliferation of modern media and the internet makes spoilers hard to avoid, but somehow I've managed to avoid it with this famous and beloved series that's been around for far longer than I have. I know how Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Citizen Kane end, but this one will be a surprise. Assuming I can make it to the end of the series without someone ruining it for me. I think this element explains why I enjoyed it despite the million clones that I know are running around. I've seen all the tropes elsewhere, but I still don't know how it's going to end.
However, I did sometimes have trouble keeping track of where the Company was and what direction they were heading. In any other series this would be a minor detail to me, but all the characters are constantly talking about it. The story revolves around this journey so I'd like to understand where they are in relation to Mordor. The book includes many maps, but they are difficult to study at any length in my Kindle. This contention is more with the format than the author or story, so I didn't deduct any points from my rating. Though, other than the map issue I'm very happy with my decision to read this in a digital format.
I should also mention that, before reading these books, I knew next to nothing about this series. I saw part of the first film adaptation and I read "The Hobbit" right before Fellowship, but that's it. The proliferation of modern media and the internet makes spoilers hard to avoid, but somehow I've managed to avoid it with this famous and beloved series that's been around for far longer than I have. I know how Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Citizen Kane end, but this one will be a surprise. Assuming I can make it to the end of the series without someone ruining it for me. I think this element explains why I enjoyed it despite the million clones that I know are running around. I've seen all the tropes elsewhere, but I still don't know how it's going to end.