Close to twelve years ago I remember clamouring with my father at the Strand book store to buy J R R Tolkien’s best known book, Lord of the Rings. Looking back at that scene brings a smile upon my face as I have good memories of reading this unequalled classic.
To begin with, there are few authors with the immense power of playing with words and ideas as John Ronald Reuel Tolkien does... His ability to make somebody think endlessly about various scenarios speaks volumes as also his knack of drawing the reader into the tale... One begins to feel involved in his books as if one is actually a part of them...
LOTR is a well written book with a very easy flow and simple wording... Most people are daunted by the sheer numebr of pages that this book has, but those who do manage to scratch the surface and manage to reaches the realms of the fantastic Middle Earth are seldom eager to leave and come back another time....
The characters in LOTR are well developed and fleshed out as the story begins in detail... Each character is given a distinct personality, whether it be some one as terrible and significant as Sauron or some one minor like Glorfindel.... Tolkien has introduced a character of every possible personality so as to enable readers to relate to the book and fell a part of the tale...
The build up of the story to the climax is very well written with a lot of cross linking and small side stories to keep the reader interested... As one read LOTR one easily get the feeling that one cannot stop till the last page has been read....
This classic has truly been written as a book for all ages as it features characters with the wisdom of the ages along with those who are brash and young...
Another point that can be highlighted in this book is the relationship between humans and nature. Tolkien indirectly appeals to the readers to try and remember the importance and power of being one with nature and its beauty... Though this meaning can generally be understood only by slightly older or advanced readers, it is put forth surprisingly well... So much so, that I’ve personally seen many youngsters actually wanting to be like the Ent Treebeard...
This book can be summarized as a class act on the part of Tolkien, the likes of which just are not found amongst other fantasy novels of the bygone era or the contemporary times...