The Lord of the Rings | J.R.R. Tolkien | A TRAGIC EXAMPLE OF OUR PRESENT CULTURE

The Lord of the Rings | J.R.R. Tolkien | LOTR in general

books:

The Lord of the Rings

	The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien Houghton Mifflin, 2002 - 1216 pages average customer review:based on 126 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A TRAGIC EXAMPLE OF OUR PRESENT CULTURE

A KID'S REVIEW? The movies were great when they followed the books. When they didn't the movies became a promotional vehicle for selling video games. The detail that the "kid" doesn't like is exactly why these books seem so much like a real story. This is not a story to race through, but it is a journey to take. I have taken it several times in my life and it always seems to end too soon. Maybe IF the "kid" grows up he, or she, will be able to appreciate great literature when he, or she, reads it. By the way, "excitement" has a "c" in it.

And now for Adira Rotstein:

If you read more about Tolkien's mythology, you wouldn't have said some of the things you said in your review. The Haven is merely a port. The destination was the Undying Lands, which is where the Elves, and Gandalf, were originally from.

Second; Aragorn and the rangers were remnants of the men from Numenor. If you read the history of Numenor, you will see they had their problems, as well. While you could draw comparisons to the "Aryan" myth, you will find no crap about killing non-Numenoreans, so don't go there.

You went from 2 to 4. Where is your third point?

Four: Gandalf fought the Balrog and chased him out of Moria from another exit. It's in the books.

Five: Quit trying to politicize this story. Orcs were created by Sauron, who captured Elves, then altered them to create the first orcs. They bred after that. Your comment about creating them from mud betrays the fact that you have ONLY seen the movies and have NOT read the books.

You have two points labeled FIVE. Were you drinking when you wrote this? Your second "FIVE" is riduculous. There is plenty of character development if you would read the books. Maybe you need a reading comprehension course.

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LOTR in general

This is not a review of this edition as I don't have it. But I have read LOTR, The Hobbit and the Silmarillion several times, years before the movies came out, and again afterward.

I think it's almost irrelevant to compare the books to the movies, as they are different stories. The movies remind me of the books of course, but there are so many huge, fundamental differences, that I cannot consider them in the same light at all. The movies amost completely lack the very spiritual core that the books are founded upon.

It's interesting to me that before the movies came out, it was almost hard to find a negative review of Tolkien's work. Almost every adult I know personally who has read the books consider Tolkien's work to be of such high caliber that it seems doubtful that it will ever be surpassed. "Life changing", is not too strong a phrase, if you "get it". I suppose only those with significant literary and intellectual depth and appreciation for historical context typically earn the rewards these stunningly deep and beautiful books offer.

Now that the movies have been out a while, and many more people have attempted to read the books than otherwise would have because of their exposure to the movies and videogames, I see many reviews that seem to entirely miss the point of the books. Perhaps it's because more people are reading them. Perhaps it's because the very time it takes to read through the Midgewater Marshes is one of many factors that contributes to the impression of realism, and helps the reader empathize with the characters. Perhaps some don't have the patience to appreciate the beauty of a journey for its own sake. Perhaps the reader's intellect and imagination, that Tolkien relied on heavily to fill in gaps and speculate about the "uneplained vistas" and character development have been stifled by the spoon-feeding that movies and videogames offer. Almost everything Tolkien DIDN'T explain was just as intentional as what he did write, becasue he understood the longing and curiosity it generates, not to explain everything explicitly.

I think I speak for most Tolkien fans by saying that the depth of detail included in his work makes the memory of the books very nearly as vivid as the memory of a real place. Perhaps more vivid in some ways.

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answer to the last post

First of all, I'm not under 13, only I haven't registered yet.

So: You are just a little child, don't expect you have got such intelligence to understand a book. Nah, joke, but anyway. People love Tolkien's style, and for some reason many people could understand the book's story. Maybe you are not so gifted in reading, or just you wasn't trached well in understanding texts, but don't take it to Tolkien's fault, please. It is not his fault that you can't read his book.

Martin

Stick to the edition at hand.

If a perspective buyer one is looking at this particular edition of the LOTR, one can assume a few things.

1) He/She has already read the books.
2) From that reading he/she has developed the devotion to the books that would encourage them to purchase an incredibly expensive edition.

Therefore, I would ask that neophytes and Philistines keep their myopic understanding of the books themselves to reviews of the $7.99 commercial paperback edition, not the 50th Anniversary Special Edition, nor the Three Volume Illustrated Edition, nor the Original Red-bound Special Edition.

I don't care that you "thought the movies were better" or that you "got bored" by the exposition. Tell someone who is shopping for their 10 year old.

If I am looking at an edition that retails for $80, I am not interested in any moronic drivel that masquerades as criticism. I am interested in specific reviews of the specific edition (e.g. the quality of the paper and binding, the detail of the maps....etc.).

If you think me a snob, you are correct. That is why I am shopping for a very expensive edition of a book I have already read.

I thank you in advance for your respect.

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Excelent Set

I got into LOTR from watching the first movie movie. After that I bought the books and read all three in about a month or two. I just could put the books down. I greatly recommend this book if you like fanatasy novels.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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