LotR was my indisputed favourite book until I read the Silmarillion; now I'm not sure which I like more. The Hobbit is also outstanding and I'll present my children to it as soon as they can read.

I thoroughly enjoyed your discussion. Thank you very much. I'm an old lady now and first read LotR in the 1960s when I was at university studying English, Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse. Tolkien's name was familiar to me since we had to read one of his books - Beowulf: the Monster and the Critics - which was, I believe, one of the lectures that he had given on this famous, epic poem. I loved it straight away and was reading it back in my student accommodation when I reached the chapters on the Riders of Rohan - and sat up straight in bed - because that's when it became obvious that he was a professor of Anglo-Saxon and Philology: these chapters absolutely rang for me because they sounded like a straight translation of an Anglo-Saxon epic, even in little ways, like the reversal of Theoden king, just as the Anglo-Saxons would have written it, rather than King Theoden. The poetry in these chapters is also very Anglo-Saxon in form as is the culture of the Riders and the names used, both the names of characters and of areas, like the Riddermark. His style changes throughout - deliberately - and so, for instance, when we get to the beautiful chapter that describes the love which develops between Faramir and Eowyn, I found it striking because it is written in the style of a story from the medieval tales of courtly love. Some might find this chapter old-fashioned in the way that it's phrased but I loved it. Since he is writing a mythology for England, such echoes of languages covering different periods in our history seemed appropriate to me. Yes, we all warm to Sam and he was Tolkien's hero too just as he felt during WWI when he was a junior officer in the trenches, that he owed so much to the simple, ordinary soldiers who carried him through.. Tolkien was very religious and Gandalf is a sort of 'angel'. And just as Christ resisted the lure of using his powers when tempted or even those on the Starship Enterprise who must not use their powers to influence alien civilisations, so Gandalf only uses magic in a very small way - and rejects the power that the Ring offers.

It's always wonderful to see people experience this story for the first time (especially through the books, first!) and come to love it. It's my favorite fiction book of all time. I tend to be allergic to classics as well. You hear about them your whole life and wonder... can anything live up to that level of hype? Or worse, that I won't understand it and will feel stupid. But it's worth it to take a chance and see how it goes. It's okay if it ends up not working for you for whatever reason. Move on to a different one. I had that experience with Jane Eyre. I'd always assumed it was a sappy romance. That does not appeal to me. But I took a chance on it. I realized, not only wasn't it sappy at all, but that wasn't really the main focus. It was much more of a character study. I loved it so much that I recently reread it and loved it equally as much. I think it's one I will continue to reread for the rest of my life.

This review of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is on point. Everything said is accurate and true. Very well done with great insights.

Food for thought: Part of the One Ring's magic was that nobody could destroy it willingly.

I discovered your channel yesterday through your dark tower recaps. They were awesome I'd love to see part 3. Keep it up your channel is quality I'm sure you'll get lots of subs. You're a good addition to booktube.

I read this for the first time this year. I new I'd like it a lot. What I didn't expect was that it would become my favorite story ever told. Tolkien makes me love English, no other author has done that for me.

Love that shirt!! Enjoyed your breakdown of book history and the story! Keep it up!!

Great review. I'm glad to see someone who understands how important character is, something Peter Jackson sometimes didn't seem to grasp, preferring to dwell more on epic battles. Reading the book is crucial to understanding the movies.

I loved reading Silmarillion , The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings books 📕. I watched the movies first when they came out and later i started to read the books when i was 12 or 13 years old 🙂. I enjoyed reading the books and i couldn’t stop because it is exciting 🙂. J.R.R Tolkien was a genius 🙂

I've red it more then 15 times and will read it many more, I always discover something new with each reading and as I age I appreciate it more and more. My nephew is 2 years old and my most important responsibility in life regarding him is to read him Hobbit first and then Lord of the rings while he is very young and get him the books so he can continue reading and coming back to if as he grows up and moves through life. Lord of the rings is a great way to learn about lie, values, morals and great tools for reflection and reminding yourself regularly what is important in life. Note: After so many readings my favorite character at the moment is Pippin, he resembles the regular average human the most, his journey is a joy and as I age I value Pippin the most, considering all I wrote above.

I'm on the last 10 chapters of Return of the King. I have savior last moment of this final moments.

I am just now reading this wonderful book! Thanks for the great review!

It's a masterpiece!! All of the songs you hear, all the poetry, seems real, because it is! Tolkien's history of Middle Earth is in the Silmarillion. It is not the easiest read, but it's epic in a way that even the Dark Tower doesn't reach. Great video!! Thanks!

I first read LOTR in the late 70s and have reread it every few years since. Just finished it last month again. Other than the Bible, my favorite book.

A good video. Yes, I love it very much, read it first at the age of about 15 and was blown away... Have re read it twice since... Quite possibly one of the best novels ever

It's very difficult for me to understand everything. English isn't my mothertongue, but I still enjoy it very much!

Your channel is blowing up man! You will be huge! I love your book shelf! Sorry for all of the yelling!!!

I totally agree, I just finished fellowship of the ring. I expected not to like it and wound up totally loving it.

Very nice review. In my opinion nature is one of the main characters of the book. (In the film - which I didn't like - they missed that to a large degree.) So the descriptions, of the Shire, of Moria, of Lothlorien, are an important part of this world. "The Lord of the rings" is also one of my favourite books. In my view the best part is book IV, the journey of Frodo, Sam and Gollum. Suddenly, caught by the level beams, Frodo saw the old king's head: it was lying rolled away by the roadside. 'Look, Sam!' he cried, startled into speech. 'Look! The king has got a crown again!" I strongly recommend reading "The hobbit" and rereading "Lord of the rings". I like "The silmarillion", but there are few people who do. It has a lot in common with the Bible. Two classics you might possibly enjoy reading: "The Odyssey" by Homer and "War and peace" by Tolstoy.

For whatever reason. Fellowship of the Rings is the only big book I've finished. Something about Tolkiens writing just works with my adhd brain.

Think of how much you liked it, and realize that you'll like it even more upon subsequent readings, and even more if you read The Silmarillion. Although The Silmarillion can be difficult for many people, because it reads more like mythology than a novel, it provides so much depth to the world of Middle Earth that it should not be missed by any fan. LotR will make even more sense once you've read it. It is an incredibly deep, profound, and internally consistent story. It would be great to see a follow-up video from you about The Silmarillion.

What a thoughtful review. I applaud you. 👏

Saruman is the personification of looking into The Abyss and having it look into him. There is Devine Intervention in LOTR. A major one is Sam Gamgee himself. How many young, working class Hobbit lads are so fascinated with Elves to the point where they " learn their letters " so they can read stories about them? And when Sam meets his first Elf Gildor, his motivations change. "Don't you leave him, Sanwise Gamgee!" His original goal of being with the Elves became " I feel like there's something I have to do, and I'll have to see it through to the end."

Excellent review. I was a teen when I first read it. It was even better than “The Hobbit”. It was overwhelming and definitely the best I had read at that time. This book is still one of my top 10 choices. I love Samwise. For more than 20 years I have avoided to read a Portuguese classic book, Memorial do Convento (Baltasar and Blimunda) written by Jose Saramago. It has been one of the novels read at school in Portugal. I felt happily surprised when I finally read it.

Just found your channel. Really liked how in-depth you went. Put these books and the hobbit on my 2022 reading list!

Love your shelf. The bricks look awesome

It's interesting that you describe a book that has been copied more than almost any other book as a book that was unlike anything else you've ever read.

You immediately won my respect when I heard you pronounce Sauron's name correctly. ;)

Awesome video, can’t believe you haven’t seen the movies before. Are you watching the movies now?

So glad you finally read this. Sam wise and Mary and Pippin are my favorite characters in LOTRs. The movies are great. I love LOTR and The hobbit movies. All 6 of them. With the question about why didnt Gandalf carry the ring? Well he says through him, the ring would have terrible power. Even if he had the best of intentions, through him it would gain immense power. I hope you'll enjoy all the movies. Xo

I am a huge LOTR fan. My favorite character is Gandalf.

I've read the hobbit and fellowship...i love them both..excited to read the other 2

Hi there! Delightful video, I enjoyed it) In case you're curious, about Gollum and his role in the story - i believe, he illustrates one of the central themes in LotR and in the mythology of Tolkien's Middle Earth in general: it's a commentary on mercy and the importance of it. This quote, imo, shows it best: “Frodo: 'It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill Gollum when he had the chance.' Gandalf: 'Pity? It's a pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play in it, for good or evil, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many." Tolkien's world, in it's core, is a kind, merciful world, despite all it's flaws. A world where kindness and goodness get rewarded. And so without Bilbo's, Frodo's and Sam's mercy Sauron would've won - Frodo would've submitted to the Ring and would've been, no doubt, defeated by Sauron, loosing the Ring to him. But the world - in the faces of Bilbo, Frodo and Sam - is kind and merciful, and so the darkness could never win. Very hopeful message, i think.

I was pretty much a hard core science fiction reader until I was 17 and found LotR. After I read that, starting with The Hobbit and then Silmarillion, I was hooked on the genre. I also started looking at Led Zeppelin's music differently after that....

I read it first when I was ten years old, and it took hold of me in a way unlike any other book has ever done (excluding the Bible, which is in a category of its own). I've read it many, many times and I still love it just as much as I did the first time. It spoiled me as far as literature goes; there just isn't any other author that measures up, fantasy or otherwise. Charles Dickens comes close in some ways, I love C. S. Lewis (Lewis is in my top five, and he is the author who always has a quote for any ocassion), but Tolkien is the best, hands down. Even so, it took me many years to make it through The Silmarillion because that is one dense book; but it's worth it for the vast scope and the epic tales. Oh,and The Hobbit movies are wretched and should never have been made.

Yes.

Hey, I just watched your Stephen King giveaway, it was pretty good. And congratulations to the winner. When are you doing your next giveaway?

Love your review of lotr here. Rekindle my interest in Tolkien's work.

I have read the hobbit and the lord of the rings . Too bad I couldn't find the silmarillion and others.

My friend I am on page 658 of a wizard and glass, can’t wait to continue my quest to the dark tower. Please read the first law

From my understanding Gollums end was to do with evil destroying itself. No one could have destroyed the ring on purpose so it took the evils of Frodo being unable to succeed and Gollums need to have the ring to finally end it. Some people may think less of Frodo for his failure but it was always impossible and you don't blame someone for not achieving impossible things. The fact that he managed to carry it all the way there is already more than almost anyone else could have achieved. For Sarumon ending. He allowed his fear to drive him, then his desperation to control him. He used the stone and that was pretty much it. His final moment was really Gandalf destroying his staff. After that he was no longer ever going to be able to achieve great evils. Yes the scouring was an awful thing, but in the end it was a nasty little evil. Yet that is no longer Sarumon the white, he is just an evil little man. He could never return to his real form for failing his task. I feel it represents how far you can fall when you do evil things. He was once considered one of the wisest leaders of the world, and at the end.... he took over a peaceful non warlike Shire, and failed there. I am not sure how far his other book goes into Sauron, but pretty sure between that and the notes he left Sauron loved order. He did not set out to be evil. Yet the world is chaotic and at some point he decided he would intervene. At least that is how I recall it.

Well damn you have convinced me so hard to read it 😂

Now you have to review the movies!

"The Lord of the Rings is one of those things: if you like it, you do; if you don't, then you boo." -- J.R.R. Tolkien

I need to read lotr again bc i never rated it . The films bore me but thats another thing entirely. I have read fantasy thats taken me away , CS Lewis, Winters Tale ( not the bards book ) even Earthsea does it more for me than Tolkien. Maybe I need another go at the book ....nah ..

are the contents of all lotr & Hobbit editions same?🤔.. I don't understand it🤷🏻‍♂️.. Plz reply me someone who knows about it🙏🏻...

Eer yes.

I like LOTR books but only problems I have with it is there is too much description about everything and too much songs. Book 1 I gave 3/5 book 2 2/5 it was boring book 3 4/5 stars on Goodreads and Im planning to read Sillmarilion

Evil eventually destroys itself.

Good movies

Is the answer oh yes it was.And wait till Amazon butcher his legacy :(

The Lord Of The Rings is better than the M-SHE-U and Starwars

What an absolutely silly premise.

Yes.