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4.46 AVERAGE
4.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
At the risk of never finishing this, I'll mark it as a DNF.
I started LOTR a little under two years ago. I've made little progress in the last year but I do think it deserves as much praise as it's historically gotten. Tolkien gives us possibly one of the most comprehensive fantasy books ever written. It still inspires new work and the new ground it covered is still where literature is at today.
I want to add a note, of course, to acknowledge critical readings of Tolkien's work in recent years. I can't judge their accuracy (I neither finished the book [side note: only finished the Lego LOTR game], nor am I a scholar of English) but I do think many fans make the mistake of defending the work to death.
I started LOTR a little under two years ago. I've made little progress in the last year but I do think it deserves as much praise as it's historically gotten. Tolkien gives us possibly one of the most comprehensive fantasy books ever written. It still inspires new work and the new ground it covered is still where literature is at today.
I want to add a note, of course, to acknowledge critical readings of Tolkien's work in recent years. I can't judge their accuracy (I neither finished the book [side note: only finished the Lego LOTR game], nor am I a scholar of English) but I do think many fans make the mistake of defending the work to death.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
slow-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:
No
Now, how do I even begin to review one of the most influential modern fantasy epics ever written? This story has been critically analyzed to pieces, and I already have a line-up of books and articles I’m going to read later because I guess I’m a Tolkien nerd now… That being said, this review isn’t going to be a revolutionary take on Tolkien’s work, but I might as well record my thoughts for posterity.
I’ll start with an extremely brief overview of what I love and don’t love about this book. Although I mentioned this in my review of The Hobbit, I cannot emphasize enough how incredible the worldbuilding is in this story. The landscape, the beings who live there, and their cultures are all so fleshed out and intriguing, and I have yet to re-read the appendices as I’m writing this, but I definitely will because I need to know more about this world! Maybe I’ll even go crazy and read The Silmarillion some day! I also love the relationships between characters, whether they be beautiful and fun partnerships like Legolas and Gimli’s, deeply sad but touching relationships like Frodo and Sam’s, or the powerful foil Tolkien sets up between Gandalf and Saruman. I love a good pair of foils, and the foils in this story are great. 10/10.
My critiques of this story are also about the characters. Although this clearly stems from all of Tolkien’s writing influences, none of his characters have an actual character arc as we would think of it today. They are given traits when they’re introduced and they stay fundamentally the same for the whole story. That’s not to say they don’t grow as people, but their personalities are unchanging. Also, all of the straight romance is really shoe-horned in there. The story is fundamentally not about romance, so I’m not sure why Tolkien even included it. Andddd I’ll address the racism. The only explicitly non-white characters are servants of Sauron. They’re not portrayed as inherently evil, though. Sauron promised them resources that they were desperately lacking, so essentially they were coerced onto the side of evil because they had no other choice. Unfortunately, this issue isn’t expanded upon, but I feel like it has relevant applications to real-world racial injustice and politics so it shouldn’t be ignored.
Okay, now I’ll summarize my thoughts on each “part” of the story. First up is The Fellowship of the Ring. The start is extremely slow. I love getting an insight into the culture and gossip of Hobbiton, but the plot doesn’t speed up for over 140 pages. I guess how much you like this section depends on your love of world-building lore. Once the Fellowship begins to assemble, the story picks up and flows much faster, and we get to learn a bit more about the characters. It’s a necessary beginning, but I honestly don’t have much to say about this one.
Next is The Two Towers—my favorite of the three. Others might not feel this way, but I love the structure of this part. The first half focuses on the rest of the Fellowship besides Frodo and Sam, which I think brings a pleasant break from the angst surrounding the Ring. The three hunters arc is brilliant. Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn are a great trio, and I loved learning more about them in this section. Legolas and Gimli just make me really happy. And we see Pippin grow as a character! And the Ents! And an epic roast between Gandalf, Theoden, and Saruman! So freaking good! And then by the time we return to Sam and Frodo in the second half, we’re nice and refreshed and ready to encounter Gollum. I really loved watching Frodo and Sam’s relationship deepen in this section. They have some sweet moments before the terror really begins. The last two chapters of this book were especially visceral. I can feel the disgusting environment of Shelob’s lair and Sam’s pain and fear and rage when he believes Frodo to be dead. This is Tolkien’s best work right here.
Lastly, The Return of the King. I’m not even going to touch on the plot much because my brain was very occupied with Eowyn as I read this. I love her for being a badass, and defending her loved ones, and doing what she felt was right in the moment. And her absolute brutal murder of the witch king was fantastic. But she is my most frustrating character because of the ending Tolkien gave her. Eowyn is a deeply troubled person. She feels trapped in the life of a woman. She feels insignificant in comparison to her uncle and brother, and the other men who ride off to war to die, while she stays behind and can do nothing to help them. So she says ‘fuck that’ and becomes a shield maiden out of fear for those she loves and desperation to do something with her life. And in the end she is magically healed by the love of a man. I cannot express how deeply I LOATHE this trope. How can you reduce such a beautifully complex character to this?! Unforgivable. Also unforgivable is how much the ending made me cry. Sam’s love for Frodo just breaks my heart. Imagine the torture of being unshakably loyal and devoted to someone who is in so much pain, and you can never really help them. And one day they leave you forever to escape their trauma and you’ll never see them again. Shit got too real, Tolkien. I need a few recovery days after this one…
I’ll start with an extremely brief overview of what I love and don’t love about this book. Although I mentioned this in my review of The Hobbit, I cannot emphasize enough how incredible the worldbuilding is in this story. The landscape, the beings who live there, and their cultures are all so fleshed out and intriguing, and I have yet to re-read the appendices as I’m writing this, but I definitely will because I need to know more about this world! Maybe I’ll even go crazy and read The Silmarillion some day! I also love the relationships between characters, whether they be beautiful and fun partnerships like Legolas and Gimli’s, deeply sad but touching relationships like Frodo and Sam’s, or the powerful foil Tolkien sets up between Gandalf and Saruman. I love a good pair of foils, and the foils in this story are great. 10/10.
My critiques of this story are also about the characters. Although this clearly stems from all of Tolkien’s writing influences, none of his characters have an actual character arc as we would think of it today. They are given traits when they’re introduced and they stay fundamentally the same for the whole story. That’s not to say they don’t grow as people, but their personalities are unchanging. Also, all of the straight romance is really shoe-horned in there. The story is fundamentally not about romance, so I’m not sure why Tolkien even included it. Andddd I’ll address the racism. The only explicitly non-white characters are servants of Sauron. They’re not portrayed as inherently evil, though. Sauron promised them resources that they were desperately lacking, so essentially they were coerced onto the side of evil because they had no other choice. Unfortunately, this issue isn’t expanded upon, but I feel like it has relevant applications to real-world racial injustice and politics so it shouldn’t be ignored.
Okay, now I’ll summarize my thoughts on each “part” of the story. First up is The Fellowship of the Ring. The start is extremely slow. I love getting an insight into the culture and gossip of Hobbiton, but the plot doesn’t speed up for over 140 pages. I guess how much you like this section depends on your love of world-building lore. Once the Fellowship begins to assemble, the story picks up and flows much faster, and we get to learn a bit more about the characters. It’s a necessary beginning, but I honestly don’t have much to say about this one.
Next is The Two Towers—my favorite of the three. Others might not feel this way, but I love the structure of this part. The first half focuses on the rest of the Fellowship besides Frodo and Sam, which I think brings a pleasant break from the angst surrounding the Ring. The three hunters arc is brilliant. Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn are a great trio, and I loved learning more about them in this section. Legolas and Gimli just make me really happy. And we see Pippin grow as a character! And the Ents! And an epic roast between Gandalf, Theoden, and Saruman! So freaking good! And then by the time we return to Sam and Frodo in the second half, we’re nice and refreshed and ready to encounter Gollum. I really loved watching Frodo and Sam’s relationship deepen in this section. They have some sweet moments before the terror really begins. The last two chapters of this book were especially visceral. I can feel the disgusting environment of Shelob’s lair and Sam’s pain and fear and rage when he believes Frodo to be dead. This is Tolkien’s best work right here.
Lastly, The Return of the King. I’m not even going to touch on the plot much because my brain was very occupied with Eowyn as I read this. I love her for being a badass, and defending her loved ones, and doing what she felt was right in the moment. And her absolute brutal murder of the witch king was fantastic. But she is my most frustrating character because of the ending Tolkien gave her. Eowyn is a deeply troubled person. She feels trapped in the life of a woman. She feels insignificant in comparison to her uncle and brother, and the other men who ride off to war to die, while she stays behind and can do nothing to help them. So she says ‘fuck that’ and becomes a shield maiden out of fear for those she loves and desperation to do something with her life. And in the end she is magically healed by the love of a man. I cannot express how deeply I LOATHE this trope. How can you reduce such a beautifully complex character to this?! Unforgivable. Also unforgivable is how much the ending made me cry. Sam’s love for Frodo just breaks my heart. Imagine the torture of being unshakably loyal and devoted to someone who is in so much pain, and you can never really help them. And one day they leave you forever to escape their trauma and you’ll never see them again. Shit got too real, Tolkien. I need a few recovery days after this one…
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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:
Yes
I had no interest to read these books before the movies came out. But my husband bought them and I borrowed them from him. I wish I had grown up with them and could have formed my own ideas about the series before the Jackson guy made up my mind for me.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Slavery