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organicwine 's review for:
The Fellowship of the Ring
by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
The Fellowship of the Ring was written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in 1954 and it is the first part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
In this book, the nephew of the Hobbit protagonist Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins is tasked with keeping safe the ring his uncle brought back from his adventure to Erebor and back. Upon Gandalf the Grey wizard discovering the ring is indeed The One Ring forged by the evil lord Sauron, Frodo is plummeted into the unknown. What first starts with Mr. Underhill and fleeing the Shire quickly turns into an epic adventure of four Hobbits, a wizard, an elf, a Dwarf and two Men through the fantasy land of Middle Earth.
The book handles themes such as the battle between good and evil (and how the line between the two sometimes blurs), kinship and corruption. While the book is not an allegory to the first World War in which Tolkien fought, I found myself constantly comparing the two. There was a heavy theme of 'you cannot go home. - some day you might, but it won't be the same'. I kept meditating on that phrase as I read and it opened a whole nother world to my analysis of the text. Frodo embarks on a journey for something nobody, not even Gandalf the Great, really understands. Bilbo had told fairytales of his journeys, but very quickly the sky crashes down on Frodo - the evil Nazgul wanting his head, the hunger, cold and loss of his fellows overwrote whatever adventures Bilbo had raised him on.
Tolkien is a master of world building and I don't believe that is subjective. His writing style describes to the reader the vast land of the Middle Earth, its fascinating history and the relationships between the different races inhabitating it. At times the rich vocabulary and broad descriptions of the world around them can seem a bit dull. Tolkien's use of language still kept me hooked the whole way through and I believe that says something.
I do believe The Lord of the Rings dominates the fantasy genre both in books and movies and it is among the most beloved series of all time, making it worth reading - I believe maybe even the most opposed to fantasy will get a kick out of this.
In this book, the nephew of the Hobbit protagonist Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins is tasked with keeping safe the ring his uncle brought back from his adventure to Erebor and back. Upon Gandalf the Grey wizard discovering the ring is indeed The One Ring forged by the evil lord Sauron, Frodo is plummeted into the unknown. What first starts with Mr. Underhill and fleeing the Shire quickly turns into an epic adventure of four Hobbits, a wizard, an elf, a Dwarf and two Men through the fantasy land of Middle Earth.
The book handles themes such as the battle between good and evil (and how the line between the two sometimes blurs), kinship and corruption. While the book is not an allegory to the first World War in which Tolkien fought, I found myself constantly comparing the two. There was a heavy theme of 'you cannot go home. - some day you might, but it won't be the same'. I kept meditating on that phrase as I read and it opened a whole nother world to my analysis of the text. Frodo embarks on a journey for something nobody, not even Gandalf the Great, really understands. Bilbo had told fairytales of his journeys, but very quickly the sky crashes down on Frodo - the evil Nazgul wanting his head, the hunger, cold and loss of his fellows overwrote whatever adventures Bilbo had raised him on.
Tolkien is a master of world building and I don't believe that is subjective. His writing style describes to the reader the vast land of the Middle Earth, its fascinating history and the relationships between the different races inhabitating it. At times the rich vocabulary and broad descriptions of the world around them can seem a bit dull. Tolkien's use of language still kept me hooked the whole way through and I believe that says something.
I do believe The Lord of the Rings dominates the fantasy genre both in books and movies and it is among the most beloved series of all time, making it worth reading - I believe maybe even the most opposed to fantasy will get a kick out of this.