Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Fellowship of the Ring  4Stars

This is the second book by Tolkien that I have had the joy of reading. While The Hobbit seemed to fly along, this first installment of the Lord of the Rings saga has moments where it lags a bit. That is to be expected from a book that, in total, is over a thousand pages. The longer the book the more pages I give it to catch my interest.

Having already seen the movies, I know how the story goes, but I want to see how the author intended it to be. I must say that I was not left disappointed. The political intrigue and betrayal is not unlike watching the news today. I think what I enjoy the most is that Tolkien wrote of these places and people and creatures as if they were real, not merely something out of his imagination. "Merely". I shouldn't use such a word, there is nothing minor or simple about this story. It pulls you in, drags you along the journey as you run from Black Riders, follow Frodo, worry with Sam, listen to the songs of old sung by Aragorn and Legolas, and borrow some of the dwarfish strength of Gimli.

If you have not yet read this book, but have seen the movie, you're missing out. There is so much more that you need to know! I regret nothing, reading the tales of Middle Earth. Neither will you.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit-- 5 Stars

I tried reading The Hobbit once many years ago, but I think I was too young when I made the first attempt. At the time I thought that Tolkien took too long and was far too descriptive with the places he was writing about. Never a great of fan of what I call "straight fantasy", books that are in places completely of the author's imagination, I tend to stay away from them in favour of things more palatable. So here I am, a twenty-eight year old self professed geek, finally completing The Hobbit. "Why?" you may well ask... That's easy, because I want to see the movie and I always read the book first.

Honestly, I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it. It was a fantastic read, full of adventure and strange new places. My edition has a wonderful map on both the front and back in-covers which makes it much easier to see where Bilbo and the dwarfs are in their adventure.

Bilbo is a simple creature, satisfied with simple tastes of good food and good cheer. When he is hired to act as the burglar for Thorin and Company, he's more then a little apprehensive. He'd rather sit in his arm chair in front of the hearth and blow smoke rings then sleep on the cold ground with goblins and trolls about. Sure, there is a vast hoard of treasure to be had, but at what cost? It takes nearly a year for the small hobbit to return home again. By that time, he has changed from a simple creature of simple tastes to one who has seen great things and appreciates the smallest and most simple of all experiences. Good food and good company.

I must admit some regret in having waited so long to read such a novel, though now my interest has been piqued and I must read more, know more. I do believe that the Lord Of The Rings will be among the next books on my reading list.