| The Fellowship of the Ring | |
 |
Rating: Author: J.R.R. Tolkien Published: 1954 Series: The Lord of the Rings - Part 1 Review by: CL6 missMaul Order from amazon.com |
|
Review:
When Tolkien had finished The Hobbit he wanted to start a book about the history of Middle-Earth. But because The Hobbit was such a success, his publishers and the audience asked for another book about hobbits. So he started to write The Lord of the Rings. Whether this was good or not we'll never be able to tell. Of course, The Lord of the Rings is a masterpiece, The Silmarillion is not. What if Tolkien had written that one? For one - I wouldn't be writing this review and we would have missed out on three great movies. But who knows what we would have got instead.
Anyway, I'm trying to write about The Fellowship of the Ring here. Yes, I'll review The Lord of the Rings in three parts, because it has been made a trilogy even if it is not one. The Lord of the Rings actually consists of six books, two books per part. I'm reviewing The Lord of the Rings in three because otherwise I would lose track of the story. It is hard enough this way. Summarizing The Fellowship of the Ring is not an easy task. Therefore I will give a short one. Trying to make a good summary of this book is almost impossible since there are so many important details. The Fellowship of the Ring starts 60 years after The Hobbit. Bilbo leaves the Shire at his 111 birthday and leaves the ring he found in Gollems cave to Frodo. Gandalf has found out that this ring is The One Ring. This Ring once belonged to the Dark Lord Sauron. Sauron was defeated long ago, but is now regaining strength again. He wants his Ring back and sends many servants to get it and kill the one who has it. If he gets the Ring he will destroy all that is good in Middle-Earth. So Frodo needs to flee and he makes for Rivendell. Three of his friends - Sam, Merry and Pippin - have found out and travel with him. They are supposed to meet Gandalf in Bree, but he is not there. Instead they meet a Ranger by the name of Strider. He takes them along to Rivendell. They almost don't make it when they are attacked by the Nazgul, nine black riders whose only goal is to track the Ring down. When they arrive in Rivendell a meeting is called for all the people of Middle-Earth who want to stop Sauron from getting the Ring. There a Fellowship is formed, nine go to bring the Ring to Mount Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed. Frodo is the Ringbearer, with him travel Sam, Merry, Pippin, Strider whose real name is Aragorn, Gandalf, Boromir (a man from Gondor), Legolas (an elf from Mirkwood) and Gimli (a dwarf). Only this turns out to be harder then they thought for not only there enemies are a threat. The Fellowship of the Ring is the beginning of Tolkiens epic. There is quite some explanation in the beginning, that makes it pretty hard to get through. Once you're past it the story gains more speed and it gets more enjoyable to read. From there every adventure, every thing that happens leads to another so that you want to keep on reading. The Fellowship of the Ring is a very good piece of fantasy. While you read it you know the writer knows his story through and through. There are a lot of details that aren't of much importance to this story. But they belong to a bigger one that Tolkien unfortunately hasn't been able to write. All this details make the book complete, makes you feel that you are actually in this world called Middle-Earth. The Lord of the Rings is for a great part about friendship. What it can do, what it means. Frodo finds out that without the help of friends he can never finish his quest. Also the friendship between different races appear to be important. The Fellowship consists of men, hobbits, an elf and a dwarf. Dwarves and elves have a history of dislike. But during the story Gimli and Legolas grow to each other and start to become friends. This is very important because they are both needed. The Fellowship of the Ring is definitely worth to be read and has to be by any fantasy lover. It's not just a book, it a whole world. Lord of the Rings is a masterpiece and it's not for nothing that it's called thé book of the twentieth century. I will continue in my reviews of The Two Towers and The Return of the King soon!
Title: The Fellowship of the Ring |
2/6/05
