The Lord of the Rings

I’ve just finished reading The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. I started with reading The Hobbit and then the three books in the trioligy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. It’s probably the longest story I’ve ever read, but still, I wish it was even longer, because it was so good.

I think it’s a good idea to start with The Hobbit, although it is written for children, as it tells the story about how Bilbo Baggins (a Hobbit) helps Thorin Oakenshield defeat the dragon Smaug so that the dwarfs can regain their treasures. The great wizard Gandalf the Gray is also with them some of the way. It is only much later that Gandalf discoverer that the magical ring found by Bilbo is The One Ring.

By reading The Hobbit you’ll be introduced to the world of Middle Earth where the action takes place. You’ll learn about the Elves, Dwarfs, Humans, Orcs, etc. You’ll also be presented with a great deal of background information, names and so on. Most of the famous locations and artifacts have both Human and Elverish names, and it takes a while before you can remember all this.

But herein lays the beauty of this epic: The world created by Tolkien is vast and has a long history. He has literally created an entire world including all its inhabitants, it’s folklore, it’s myths and so on. You’ll hear a lot about ancient times, glorious battles, great men, etc. And Tolkien has managed to make everything fit seamlessly together which makes the story feel real.

So if you don’t know what to do for the next month or so, start reading this fantastic story. And when you’ve done, you should start looking forward to the films that are coming along. Take a look at the website for sneak previews and other info about them. Now that I’ve read the book I just can’t wait to see it on the big screen. I think it looks very promising so far. The first film should be ready in December 2001, so it’s only a couple of months…

One Comment

  1. Bilbo:

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