booksiloved.com - Book reviews of books the reviewer really liked

A review of Lord of the Rings

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

Lord of the Rings 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

Reviewed by Guy Brandon:
-- Koba the Dread - by Martin Amis
-- The Eagle's Shadow - by Mark Hertsgaard
-- Human Instinct - How our primeval impulses shape our modern lives - by Robert Winston
-- Hannibal - by Thomas Harris
-- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
-- A Clockwork Orange - by Anthony Burgess
-- 2001: A Space Odyssey - by Arthur C. Clarke
-- Color: Stories from the Paintbox - by Victoria Finlay
-- Arcadia - by Tom Stoppard
-- Angry White Pyjamas - by Robert Twigger
-- Lord of the Rings - by J. R. R. Tolkien
-- The Matrix and Philosophy - by William Irwin









Home ------- All the Reviews