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yiannstah 's review for:
The Return of the King
by J.R.R. Tolkien
This is another long overdue review. As I read the previous two books a while ago, I will just review this part for now as part of an overall review for the trilogy (rereading is in my future).
The Return of the King is my favorite novel of all time. Its majesty is unparalleled by any other work of fantasy that I've encountered and its worldbuilding is beyond belief. As someone who had seen the films before reading the novels, I was nervous about how I would respond to reading the actual source material, but I was completely proven wrong and taken aback by the grandeur and scale that these books convey.
The writing is so beautiful and well-done that even the calm scenes between the larger action scenes are meaningful and memorable. Unlike with Fellowship, I didn't feel nearly as bogged down by the intermediary scenes, and that may have to do with Tolkien ramping up the stakes toward the end of what was meant to be a single novel. Two Towers was also fantastic, but I felt that the third and final part is where Tolkien really hammers home everything.
The characters and their development were especially fascinating. Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Eomer, Theoden, Faramir, Denethor; the list goes on and on and I can't help but become overwhelmed with the majesty these characters convey. I especially felt that Faramir's character was much more compelling in the books than in the films, with his powerful presence in the books feeling a lot more weighty than in Jackson's depiction. Additionally, I feel that the tragedy of Denethor was much more visceral in the books than in the movie, with his downfall feeling much more poetic and symbolic than in the movies imo.
Side note: Prince Imrahil is a character I knew little about before reading the books and was another extremely pleasant surprise for me when I read this. He is a beast (like Aragorn and Eomer), and it makes me wish that we got to see him in the films.
The story is just pure perfection. The themes of war, loss, hardship, hope, joy, and redemption come together to make for an incredible experience. You feel the weight of Middle-Earth and its fate on your shoulders when reading about Frodo's journey or Aragorn's battles, and the magnitude of it all is conveyed so effectively that it feels both real and fantastical at the same time. The climax and its resolution are so satisfying that I almost renewed as a person by the end of it all, and it left me feeling bittersweet knowing that the story had come to a finish.
There is way too much I could write about this book. I will finish by saying that this was one of the highlights of 2023 for me and I feel more complete as a person after finishing it. I believe everyone needs to read this trilogy at some point in their lives, as it truly some of the best literature ever written. 10/10.
The Return of the King is my favorite novel of all time. Its majesty is unparalleled by any other work of fantasy that I've encountered and its worldbuilding is beyond belief. As someone who had seen the films before reading the novels, I was nervous about how I would respond to reading the actual source material, but I was completely proven wrong and taken aback by the grandeur and scale that these books convey.
The writing is so beautiful and well-done that even the calm scenes between the larger action scenes are meaningful and memorable. Unlike with Fellowship, I didn't feel nearly as bogged down by the intermediary scenes, and that may have to do with Tolkien ramping up the stakes toward the end of what was meant to be a single novel. Two Towers was also fantastic, but I felt that the third and final part is where Tolkien really hammers home everything.
The characters and their development were especially fascinating. Gandalf, Aragorn, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Eomer, Theoden, Faramir, Denethor; the list goes on and on and I can't help but become overwhelmed with the majesty these characters convey. I especially felt that Faramir's character was much more compelling in the books than in the films, with his powerful presence in the books feeling a lot more weighty than in Jackson's depiction. Additionally, I feel that the tragedy of Denethor was much more visceral in the books than in the movie, with his downfall feeling much more poetic and symbolic than in the movies imo.
Side note: Prince Imrahil is a character I knew little about before reading the books and was another extremely pleasant surprise for me when I read this. He is a beast (like Aragorn and Eomer), and it makes me wish that we got to see him in the films.
The story is just pure perfection. The themes of war, loss, hardship, hope, joy, and redemption come together to make for an incredible experience. You feel the weight of Middle-Earth and its fate on your shoulders when reading about Frodo's journey or Aragorn's battles, and the magnitude of it all is conveyed so effectively that it feels both real and fantastical at the same time. The climax and its resolution are so satisfying that I almost renewed as a person by the end of it all, and it left me feeling bittersweet knowing that the story had come to a finish.
There is way too much I could write about this book. I will finish by saying that this was one of the highlights of 2023 for me and I feel more complete as a person after finishing it. I believe everyone needs to read this trilogy at some point in their lives, as it truly some of the best literature ever written. 10/10.