by J. R. R. Tolkien
Tolkien's well-known fantasy epic of the struggle between
good and evil on Middle Earth.
Reviewed by: Guy Brandon
About Guy Brandon
Sauron, the Dark Lord, is gathering all evil to himself to wage war and rule
the earth. All he lacks to complete his plan is the Ruling Ring, and he now
seeks it with every means at his disposal. The ring, however, has come to an
unlikely person, Bilbo Baggins of the Shire (as narrated in Tolkien's
previous book, The Hobbit). Now Bilbo's heir, Frodo Baggins, must take the
ring to Mordor, Sauron's realm, and destroy it in the fire where it was
first made. His task appears impossible, but he cannot afford to fail. The
Lord of the Rings is the story of Frodo's quest, and that of his friends and
allies, against the Dark Lord and his forces.
J. R. R. Tolkien's classic work requires little introduction. First
published half a century ago, it has captivated children and adults the
world over. The book known as The Lord of the Rings actually comprises of
six books, often published in three parts: The Fellowship of the Ring, The
Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Included in the complete work are an
index and numerous appendices which further explain the characters and
history referred to throughout.
Although it is impossible to do justice to the full book (which runs to over
1000 pages), it is perhaps the absolutely comprehensive nature of Tolkien's
creation that is most impressive. Quite apart from the delays occasioned by
the Second World War, the author spent many years writing and revising his
work; it is clear that an enormous amount of time and energy has gone into
the construction of his Middle Earth. Not content with simply describing the
contemporary events (which he does in exceptional style and detail) he has
set them in a wider context. The races of creatures (hobbits, elves,
dwarves, orcs, ents and more) have detailed histories of their own. Not only
this, but the author has gone so far as to construct credible languages for
them, the best example being his elvish (drawing on Welsh, Finnish - a
language with which Tolkien was fascinated - and much else besides), which
he uses frequently. His own language is slightly archaic, but timeless. The
result of his efforts is that he succeeds in completely immersing the reader
in his creation.
As Tolkien himself stressed, Lord of the Rings is not allegory. The shadow
of war may have been the backdrop to his writing, but the book is in no way
topical - this was not his intention. He wrote for the love of his subject,
much of the plot being decided long before war broke out (much was already
in place when The Hobbit was written). The author was primarily interested
in myth, not symbolism, and the utterly absorbing Lord of the Rings is the
most convincing and detailed piece of invented history ever written.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Lord of the Rings
Copyright © by Guy Brandon, 2003
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