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The triumph of good against all odds is our most basic human myth, and Tolkien tells this oldest of stories in a fresh and entertaining fashion. In re-reading this first volume 35 years later, I am struck by the vulnerability of good and the primacy of evil in Tolkien's universe. It is no accident that the standard bearers for good are brave little hobbits; good is a distinct underdog in this world. I read this trilogy in high school and was captivated by the "Middle Earth" universe created by Tolkien. I suppose that Harry Potter is the updated version of Tolkien, but try to get your kids to read Tolkien as his telling of the myth is unrivaled. The excellent movie version of Lord of the Rings has helped a bit in restoring the book to its proper cultural status. The book has lost some of its popularity, and I have been unable to get my children (captivated instead by Harry Potter) to read it. The audio CD version of this makes the book very digestible, and the reader (Shakespearean actor Rob Inglis) is excellent.
It really made me appreciate the movie more. Typically I find that older books take more effort to read as the writing style just doesn't seem to flow easily. The book follows them through the mines of Moria (where Gandalf stands against a Balrog), to Lothlorien (where we meet Lady Galadriel), and down the river towards a decision yet to be made - through the marshes towards Mordor, or over the mountain pass towards Gondor. Through Gandalf's inquiries, we come to find out that the ring is the One Ring. Pleasantly, this was not the case in Fellowship of the Ring. I've loved the Hobbit and knew I would enjoy the Lord of The Rings, but just kept putting it off. Nine set out for Mordor to destroy the ring; Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragron (known by many names - Strider, the Ranger, and Isildur's heir), Boromir (a man and a son of Gondor), Legolas (an elf), and Gimli (a dwarf and son of Gloin who was one of the dwarves in the Hobbit on Bilbo's grand adventure). *spoilers follow if you aren't familiar with the story*The Fellowship of the Ring takes place several decades after the Hobbit left off.
I was also very happy to note that a lot of the dialogue from the recent movie was taken directly from the book. I've been meaning to read it for years but never seemed to get around to it. Frodo's travels take him through many treacherous paths and eventually he makes it to Rivendell, the house of Elrond. This seems to be where Frodo shows his true valor. The ring is entrusted to Frodo's care.
Bilbo is now 111 (eleventy-one as Bilbo would say) and ready to go quietly off and enjoy his life to the end of his days. It is truly an evil ring and will corrupt even those who would use it for good. This is where the Fellowship of the Ring ends - the Fellowship has a parting of the ways - Frodo and Sam go in one direction and the fate of the others in another. But, he vows to take the ring to Mordor once he sees the turmoil it creates. Peter Jackson really did a great job on the movies and it's evident that he's a true fan of the novels. He originally thought his journey was over since the ring was in Rivendell. Tolkein is truly a great writer.
"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them."Frodo must leave the Shire to keep the Shire safe and keep the ring out of the hands of the Ringwraiths and Sauron. On to the review of the novel. I was amazed by how fluent his writing style was for me. That's about one of the highest praises I can give a movie, for they're usually nowhere near as good as the book.
To be able to read the entire tale you also need to purchase The Two Towers and The Return of the King which complete the story. The Fellowship of the Ring is a fantasy book written by J.R.R. It takes place in a land known as Middle Earth. Even if you do not like reading much you will cling to this book because it is extremely interesting and an overall great book.
The study guide really helped me understand some of the deeper meanings of the story not just what is obvious to an average reader. This book is perfect for any fantasy lover or just a reader looking for a new adventure. For each week there is vocabulary, parent questions (questions for the parent to ask the student), occasionally a small writing assignment, and a theme tracker chart which helps get the literary elements straight. It is divided into weeks and it gives you different assignments to do.
This story appeals to readers young and old. I read this book for my school PACES Paideia and they provide a Study Guide that can help you with the book. Tolkien. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because of my own love of fantasy.
However, this is only one book in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. There are elves, wizards, dwarves, orcs, and hobbits. For someone who enjoys other fantasy books, this would be a great book to have because you can read it over and over again.
But Frodo has only the slightest idea of the hideous and dangerous journey ahead of him, that will take him across Middle-Earth to the evil land of Mordor. Trying to deflect danger from the Shire, Frodo leaves with his best friend Sam and his loyal cousins Merry and Pippin. In some areas, he deliberately didn't elaborate on the such things as the Balrog, leaving the visualization up to the readers. He's prone to moods of either cheerfulness or sadness, a little immature and bored at the beginning, but incredibly brave and stout-hearted when the pressure is put on him. Seventeen years later, Gandalf the wizard shows up again on Frodo's doorstep, and informs the young hobbit that his ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron. And Frodo is surrounded by a well-rounded cast of characters, including his loyal gardener Sam and his charmingly sneaky cousins, as well as a rich fellowship of ethereal Elves, mysterious men and doughty dwarves. It's also a wicked good read. Tolkien wasn't the first fantasy writer, but he can rightly be described as the first noted fantasy writer, and he remains top of the heap today.
The matter in it also becomes more mature, particularly in the chilling scenes after Frodo is stabbed by a Nazgul. On his 111th birthday, Bilbo suddenly vanishes, leaving behind all his possessions to Frodo -- including the golden ring that allows its wearer to become invisible. A new wave of readers have discovered "The Fellowship of the Ring," thanks to the arrival of the epic movie hits. Many fantasy cliches were spawned from this book (although they weren't cliches when Tolkien used them). One of the things that Tolkien did exceptionally well is atmosphere.
He has also adopted his bright young cousin Frodo, who was orphaned at a young age and had led a rather fractured life since then. The pace is pretty slow and gradual until the hobbits reach Bree, at which point it becomes darker, faster and harsher in tone and pace. Orcs, elves, dwarves, halflings, sprawling medieval kingdoms, dethroned kings, gray-bearded wizards and evil Dark Lords. And that is definitely a good thing, because this trilogy not only spurred the fantasy genre into a respectable position, but also provided the template for virtually every elf, dwarf, lost king, and medieval fantasy world since.
Frodo himself is the quintessential "little guy" hero, one of the last people whom you'd expect to be on a mission to save the world. Too often a fantasy writer TRIES to write an epic, at the expense of individual character development. We also have Gandalf, who is fleshed out from the pleasantly crabby wizard of "Hobbit" -- we see more of his hidden sides and powers here. With a minimum of words, he conveys the menace of the Black Riders, the beauty of the Elves, the decay of the ancient kingdom of Moria, the mystery of such characters as Aragorn. Tolkien managed to balance both of them, by focusing on the individuals in the center of epic struggles.
Narrative-wise, this book begins on much the same note as "The Hobbit": it's lighter and more cheerful, since it opens in the Shire. He's simply an ordinary person. "Fellowship of the Ring" is a must-read -- and then go watch the movies again. He has no astounding destiny or special powers to help him. We open some sixty years after the events of "The Hobbit" -- Bilbo Baggins is older, not much wiser, substantially wealthier, and quite eccentric (one not-so-affectionate nickname is "Mad Baggins").
Another strong point is a sense of epic proportions. But darker undertones begin to crop up in the very first chapter, when Bilbo begins clutching at the Ring and speaking in a Gollum-like manner. It inevitably corrupts those who have it, and most of Sauron's power is invested in it. But no one will feel that these are stale; on the contrary, they feel fresh and unused, because that is what they were when the book was first penned.
I read it first when I was in college, and, later, when I had children of my own I read this trilogy to them while they were in elementary school (one was even a pre-schooler - that was years before the movies of the same names were released).5) There is no objectionable language in the books, though many parts convey a dark image of a world under the sway or impending threat of evil. This has been a perennial personal favorite of mine since I first read it in the 1970s. I just finished reading it again last weekend - it was once again, outstanding.So, what should you know if you are pondering your first foray into Tolkien's tale of Middle Earth. All in all, this book launches a top-flight story and represents what I consider to be the prototypical modern fantasy story - "The Lord of the Rings."Definitely 5 stars (only because I can't award more)
That can put off some younger readers (I sometimes skip over those parts myself.though that may offend some Tolkien purists out there)If you have children that like books like "Harry Potter", "Eragon", etc., and they are looking for a new adventure, you might suggest this one to them. I have read the "Harry Potter" books, and if I were to compare them to Tolkien's works I have to say that Tolkien's story conveys a richer image of a world to me than do the books of JK Rowling (though I also enjoyed them). Be aware though, that there are many places in the book where Tolkien's characters launch into sometimes extensive recitation of verse as part of the story. I would not have guessed that when I first read it, but now that I have children of my own that have consumed the entire "Harry Potter" series as well as many other long novels, I can see how a 9-12 yr range could work for these books as well.depending on the child.
It is, rather, the first book of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy which also includes the volumes "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King". And I found this trilogy to be far superior to "The Hobbit" when I did read it.At first I wondered at the Amazon-indicated reading level of 9-12 yrs for this book. I don't know how many times I've read it since then, but a conservative guess would be at least a dozen times. 6) You do not have to read Tolkien's "The Hobbit" before reading this book.
(That's what happened to me when I read this book the first time [as an assignment for a college English class I was taking])2) This is a classic tale of good versus evil, but, as you can read in the forward, Tolkien states that it is not meant to be an allegory; it is just a tale that he wanted to tell.3) Be prepared to have your traditional views of what an elf, wizard, etc., are to be challenged.4) This book can be enjoyed by readers of many ages. Lets see.1) "The Fellowship of the Ring" done not include a complete stand-alone tale. So, when you get to the end of this volume you are left hanging there.you MUST get the other two books to complete the tale.
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