Probably the most talked about tale of the moment is Tolkiens Lord of the Rings, having been released as three films, to match the trilogy of books that makes up the whole story. Whilst I have nothing but admiration for the films, all three are masterful adaptations of the story, they are at the end of the day, only the directors version of the book, his personal re-telling of the tale.
There is much to be gained from reading the book, whether or not you have seen the films, as the greater depth that the printed page allows means that there is a much richer story here than the films portray. I like to think of the films as advertisments for the book and hopefully this piece will also encourage a few of you to hunt down the tale in its original form..i.e on the printed page.
For those of you who have no idea of the plot I will give a brief overview of the main events. Frodo is a hobbit, a race of people who live in a sheltered part of the world away from the hustle and bustle the world of men. He inherits a family heirloom, a ring acquired during his uncles travels and the ring..or ’’thee ring’’ turns out to be a one of power, forged by an evil sorcerer long ago in history.
The sorcerer, Sauron is regaining power and needs the ring to grow back to his former glory so he wants it back and sends his minions abroard to find it. As the ring can only be destroyed in the fires that it was forged in, Frodo must set out to take the ring to the other side of the world, and there destroy it. A party of people, known as the Fellowship of the Ring, representing the various free people of the world are sent to help and protect him.
After a long series of adventures, battles with demons, pitted against unnatural storms and chased by saurons vile creatures the Fellowship breaks into smaller groups and the book follows a series of ever fracturing story lines. Frodo and his close friend Sam head off alone through mountains and marshes aided by their guide , a creature called Gollum, who also desires the Ring.
The main group of the Fellowship go on to become embroiled in the bigger political picture as the world becomes embroiled in mass battles and infighting. Side by side you have two tales one of the personel struggle of the two Hobbits over-coming the strain put upon them by their quest, the other a tale of the fight for the leadership of the free armies and their fight to defeat the evil against them.
That outline of the story is the most brief of outlines, but I dont want to ruin the joy of the story by giving too much away. What I think makes the ale so enduring is the characters themself. They are archetypes that appeal to people today as they have through the ages. Frodo is the reluctant hero, the ordinary man who knowing that he has an important task to achieve, is selfless in his determination to complete it. Sam his side kick is the strength that Frodo needs when the going gets tough. He is the reserve power that Frodo constantly relies on to keep going.
The main character of the Fellowship is Aragorn, a king in exile, a man who has chosen to hide away, but one who comes through to realise his destiney when the time requires it. The wizard Gandalf is the mentor of the story, the father figure who through fatherly philosophy and worldly experience is the guiding hand. The nature of these characters is what makes the story work. Although a fantasy story, its not the magic, or the intricate history or otherworldliness that appeals, it is the humanity of the characters, the traits that they portray are ones that you see in people around you all the time.
One critism of Tolkiens characters is the way he deals with love. There is a very stylised view of the relationships between the two sexes, where it appears at all, all high romance and unrequited love, almost a teenages view of what love appears to be, from someone who hasn`t experienced it. But then the whole book is like that, very clear cut, the good guys are very good, the bad guys very bad, not many characters or actions fall in the middle.
The completeness of the background detail is awesome. Tolkien created a whole world, complete with history and language, tradition and cultural identity in which to set his story, and that backdrop makes the book very convincing. Even though it is a fantasy, the world is logical and very complete. Some of the familiarity comes from the fact that Tolkien was a professor of Anglo Saxon literature, and has borrowed many flavours and plot lines from the mythology of europe, thus relying on ideas already in your subconcious to do some of the work in fleshing out his world.
Although this is a very big book at around 1000 pages, it is a very rewarding read and worth putting the effort in. Read the books before you see the films for the better experience, both are fantastic but very different experiences.