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A review by iamthetot
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is the book that made me fall in love with fantasy over 20 years ago. I reread it for the first time, ever, and I'm still in awe of the marvelous fantastical world crafted by the author.
However, I have to admit that while the worldbuilder part of my brain thinks this is close to Greatest-of-all-Time material, the storyteller part of my brain cannot admit that it's a perfect 5/5. There are sections that go on too long, offer too little for the overall story, and while the majority of the prose is incredible there are parts that let the book down. For example, extremely long sections of character exposition delivered very inorganically.
The characters remain some of my all time favourites in fiction. The mood throughout the book hits on a bunch of different notes, like comedic to dramatic, suspenseful to action-packed, and more. It was an incredible inspiration to me decades ago and remains one upon a reread.
However, I have to admit that while the worldbuilder part of my brain thinks this is close to Greatest-of-all-Time material, the storyteller part of my brain cannot admit that it's a perfect 5/5. There are sections that go on too long, offer too little for the overall story, and while the majority of the prose is incredible there are parts that let the book down. For example, extremely long sections of character exposition delivered very inorganically.
The characters remain some of my all time favourites in fiction. The mood throughout the book hits on a bunch of different notes, like comedic to dramatic, suspenseful to action-packed, and more. It was an incredible inspiration to me decades ago and remains one upon a reread.