The Lord of the Rings, an epic high fantasy tale involving Elves, Men, Dwarves, Hobbits, Orcs, Uruk-Hai, Goblins, Ents and superbly detailed other mythical fantastic creatures of Middle-earth, was written by J.R.R Tolkien, a British author, way back in the 1950’s.
This timeless classic warrants no introduction and it’must’ be in the private collection of any self respecting bibliophile and/or book lover. It is the second most sold book on earth, bested only by The Holy Bible.
The book was written as a single piece of work, and divided into three sections later on. It is extremely readable, filled with poems and prose you would want to learn by heart and exciting beyond measure. The language is brilliant, evocative and filled with a lot of detailing which adds to the depth of the book. The novel transports you to the fictional world of Middle-earth and the constantly raging battles between good and evil that shape the history of Middle-earth. The reader is totally drawn to and absorbed in the story once the narrative begins. Tolkien weaves his unforgettable saga of mythic proportions with a consummate finesse.
A man who served in the First World War and survived, Tolkien witnessed the horrors of war and what it does to humans beings. So the landscape of desert, barren and lifeless, becomes the land of Mordor( home of the Orcs) and the abundantly green, fertile and peaceful place becomes the Shire( home of the Hobbits).
The Story-
The story is about the quest of a brave and courageous hobbit Frodo Baggins and his best friend Samwise Gamgee, on their way to destroy the one Master Ring of Power, the ring that controls all other Rings of Power that were given by the Dark Lord Sauron to the 9 Kings of Men, 7 Dwarf-Lords and 3 Elven-kings, the one which would cover the whole world in Darkness if it gets back to its master Sauron, the ring that belongs and will answer only to him, into the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. The two hobbits set out for this arduous and perilous journey under the guidance of Gandalf the Grey( a Maiar), in the company of their loyal friends, Meriadoc Brandybuck( Merry) and Peregrin Took( Pippin) [both Hobbits], and their four protectors, Aragorn and Boromir( Men, from Gondor), Legolas Greenleaf( a high-elf, Prince of the Mirkwood Elves, son of King Thranduil), and Gimli the Dwarf. These nine companions form the Fellowship of the Ring, have to face many ordeals and become part of things and events that they had no idea they would encounter during their long journey.
The beautiful and exquisitely detailed maps of Middle-earth help the reader understand the story better; they also support and correct the memory of the reader when he/she links them with the narrative. They add to the grandiose and the appeal of the classic.
The Lord of the Rings, though it was quite well known and popular before, achieved new heights of popularity and fandom with Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, which went on to set records with its Academy Award(The Oscars) wins.
And the book is only a part of the History of Middle-earth that has a whopping 12 volumes! But this fact should not be a deterrent as people uninitiated to the World of Middle-earth need not fret about this and can start reading this fantastic work straightaway. Serious readers can then go on to read more of Tolkien’s works like the Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Children of Hurin, The History of Middle-earth( 12 volumes) etc.
Seriously, no amount of review writing can do justice to the greatness and epic scale of this fantasy fiction. I could write reams upon the topic. It is a must read. One of the books to read before you die.
And for those who think Harry Potter was the ultimate in fantasy, The Lord of the Rings came nearly 46 years earlier and was the work that inspired J. K. Rowling to write Harry Potter in the first place!
Go buy the book and don’t waste another moment!
P.S. - The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series are very very different from each other and I’m not comparing them, which is quite right, as they should never be compared.
Note- You’ll get the book at almost 50 percent off on Amazon.