Name: Vojtech's review of The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Item: The Fellowship of the Ring
Rating: 5
Author: Vojtech

J.R.R. Tolkien

After discovering the true nature of the One Ring, Bilbo Baggins entrusts it to the care of his young cousin, Frodo, who is charged with bringing about its destruction and thus foiling the plans of the Dark Lord.

Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings

The Fellowship of the Ring

After losing Gandalf and being divided from their other companions during an Orc attack, Frodo and Sam continue towards Mordor, Land of the Enemy, to destroy the Ring, accompanied only by a mysterious figure that follows them.

The Two Towers

Book Wyrm

Pippin wants to put his furry feet in Theoden's bearded mouth- This will teach you for spying on my notes!

The beginning of Gimli and Legolas travel buddies

Hobbits fall asleep during the Simple Ents role call of the dead

The Return of the King

I had completely forgotten about Bregalad/Quickbeam. 

Pavonini

Treebeard asking Mery and Pippin if they know any girls 

This is what I shall call the Rohirrim from now on. 

Uglúk, referring to Boromir. He made quite an impression, to be used as a boast. 

We are the fighting Uruk-hai! We slew the great warrior.

Treebeard "we might do some things together" 

Sauron specifically requests only black horses be poached from Rohan 

"the last words of Boromir he long kept secret" 

El Retorno del Rey

Agustina 

“Music. Numbers. Equations. They're not like words. They… they don't gent mixed up.” 

“If only you could talk to girls in equations.” 

There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they'd created in the link, Wylan said, “Just girls?” 

Jesper restrained a grin. “No. Not just girls.” It really was a shame they were all probably going to die tonight. 

Rachael Copas

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.

Vojtech

En la adormecida e idílica Comarca, un joven hobbit recibe un encargo: custodiar el Anillo Único y emprender el viaje para su destrucción en la Grieta del Destino. Acompañado por magos, hombres, elfos y enanos, atravesará la Tierra Media y se internará en las sombras de Mordor, perseguido siempre por las huestes de Sauron, el Señor Oscuro, dispuesto a recuperar su creación para establecer el dominio definitivo del Mal.
--back cover

La comunidad del anillo

Fernanda Zambrano La Torre

Contrario a lo que pensé, me ha encantado. Y no porque pensara que era una mala historia, todo lo contrario, amo las películas del mundo de Tolkien y siempre me ha fascinado la Tierra Media, es solo que cuando traté de leer este mismo libro hace algunos años me pareció bastante denso y pesado, e incluso El Hobbit, que leí hace mucho, no me terminó de convencer. Pero me ha pasado todo lo contrario al darle una oportunidad ahora.
Mi consejo para los que quieran empezar a leer esta saga es que tengan en cuenta esto, no es una lectura ligera, los libros son bastante largos y la narrativa es lenta.
Y es en parte esta razón por la que no he terminado por darle 5 estrellitas. Tolkien tiene un estilo único y poético, describe las cosas con la intensión de que te quedes maravillado con cada pequeña cosa que existe en el mundo, y en cierta forma es bastante mágico; pero, aveces llega a ser un poco cansino leer tantas descripciones.
Es cierto que las primeras 200 páginas podrías sentirlas un poco lentas, pero después de eso todo se pone interesante y no puedes dejar de leer esperando saber qué va a suceder, aún cuando, como yo, ya has visto las películas.

The first volume in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure THE LORD OF THE RINGS One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose. “A unique, wholly realized other world, evoked from deep in the well of Time, massively detailed, absorbingly entertaining, profound in meaning.” – New York Times

Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings

A classic, cant go wrong with it. Can read it over and over again. 

Tijana

THE BOOK OF THE CENTURY

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first volume in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure The Lord of the Rings.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, a young hobbit is entrusted with an immense task. He must make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Crack of Doom, there to destroy the Ruling Ring of Power - the only thing that prevents the Dark Lord's evil dominion.

~from the back cover

Sade A

Like all books of this magnitude, Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring is defintely one every reviewer probably ponders on how to do justice to after reading. It's no easy feat i must tell you, but here i am trying to do justice to this classic.

  
    "Now at last we must take a hard road, a road unforseen. There lies our hope, if hope it to be. To walk into peril - to Modor. We must send the Ring to the Fire"
  


Although Fellowship of the Ring presents an ambitous writing with second to none world building by a very talented author, i will say that the movie makes you appreciate this book 100% (Yes Peter Jackson takes some artistic liberties but after reading this book, i'm actually in awe that someone could extract parts from this book and still make it seem whole). Been able to visualise Moria, Mirkwood, Isingard, Orcs amongst other things makes your reading experience ten times better in my opinion. 

Similarly, unlike most classics, Fellowship of the ring is surprisingly easy to understand. There aren't unnecessarily tedious words for you to sift through. 
That being said, a huge amount of this book requires patience. Honestly for some reason i expected everything to move fast, fast, fast (shrug* blame the movie) but this plot takes time to cook. If you go in with this mindset i guarantee, you won't find it as tiring as i initially did.
 
  
    However it may prove, one must tread the path that needs chooses
  


In conclusion, leave all your pre-conceptions of this book behind. Leave what you watched in the movie behind (although it was beyond enjoyable to compare the book and movie version to see all the differences) and enjoy this fantastic gem of literature Tolkien has blessed the literary world with.

 
  
    "You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin- to the bitter end..."

Alan Lee

A sumptuous new one-volume edition of Tolkien's classic masterpiece that is fully illustrated in watercolour throughout by the acclaimed and award-winning artist, Alan Lee. Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Well over 100 million copies of its many editions have been sold around the world, and occasional collectors' editions become prized and valuable items of publishing. With the epic trilogy now an acclaimed, award-winning and billion-dollar success, images of the characters and landscapes have become iconic to a whole new generation of readers. Much of the look of these movies is based on Alan Lee's paintings, giving this sumptuous new edition of Tolkien's great work new relevance for the ever-growing number of fans.

The Lord of the Rings

Arun Khanna

J.R.R Tolkien was a genius. Period. The world he created, with poems, songs, and languages is absolutely captivating and an inspiration to all world-builders, directly or indirectly.

There are so many aspects of the series that you could write books on, the battle descriptions, the allegorical representations of the ring, the languages, etc. Of all these things, one of the most interesting to me is the choice of Frodo as the main protagonist. I remember the first time I read these books as a child puzzling over the choice of the ring-bearer. He is less charismatic than Sam, seemingly less brave than Merry, and not as humorous as Pippin. (view spoiler)[ In fact, the ending of the book essentially tells us that I wasn't alone -- while all the other hobbits are rewarded and loved by their community, Frodo never won as much honor (digression: I also found the choice of the ending fascinating, it seemed very anti-climactic at first, but I think Tolkien is trying to tap into the fact that Mordor wasn't the only source of evil in the world). In the end, he is seen as a killjoy who just stops the other hobbits from killing the bad guys. Tolkien describes the view of the hobbits in the shire best as "Sam was pained to notice how little honour he had in his own country. Few people knew or wanted to know about his deeds and adventures; their admiration and respect were given mostly to Mr. Meriadoc and Mr. Peregrin and (if Sam had known it) to himself" (hide spoiler)] In fact, it's hard to find another hero in fantasy who is as possesses less charisma than him. The reason I believe Tolkien made him the protagonist is that Tolkien wanted to show us a style of leadership that isn't commonly displayed. He is not the first to draw his sword, to lead a charge in battle, or to win a popular election. However, he is wise and he understands when to use force and more importantly, when not to. The other three hobbits all understand this and he is respected and loved by them.

One thing I disliked was Tolkien's obsession with bloodlines. I'm completely sympathetic to Boromir's question to his father, "Why, they ask, cannot the Stewards be kings after 1,000 years." Aragorn would have been an obviously competent king, but so would have Faramir. In fact, just the whole hierarchy of races Elves > Men > Dwarves > Hobbits that he implied throughout the series struck me as bizarre instead of allowing characters to stand out on their own merits. But I guess I can understand it somewhat from the culture of social Darwinism that no doubt Tolkien was brought up in.

This single volume edition of J.R.R Tolkien's trilogy is illustrated with reproductions of 50 original Alan Lee paintings. He has also illustrated Faeries, Merlin Dreams and The Mabinogion.

Emma Jones

Rachel Kanyid

As per usual, the fourth time through t'was amazing. Always finding new things.

The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and took part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escaped into Fangorn Forest and there encountered the Ents. Gandalf returned, miraculously, and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman. Meanwhile, Sam and Frodo progressed towards Mordor to destroy the Ring, accompanied by Smeagol – Gollum, still obsessed by his ‘preciouss’. After a battle with the giant spider, Shelob, Sam left his master for dead; but Frodo is still alive – in the hands of the Orcs. And all the time the armies of the Dark Lord are massing. J.R.R. Tolkien’s great work of imaginative fiction has been labelled both a heroic romance and a classic fantasy fiction. By turns comic and homely, epic and diabolic, the narrative moves through countless changes of scene and character in an imaginary world which is totally convincing in its detail.

Amazing, wonderful, and fantastic as always.

Rebecca De Mulder

This was my second time reading the fellowship, having last picked it up 13 years ago (ew). I was worried that I would see it through a different lens to 11 year old me after being so familiar with the film adaptations however, I was pleasantly surprised. 

I felt more invested in the characters, rather than viewing it solely from a plot perspective. Still remain firmly in the camp of not being annoyed in Tom Bombadil being left out of the film though - sorry lol.

The second volume in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure THE LORD OF THE RINGS One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin—alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go. “Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century. The book presents us with the richest profusion of new lands and creatures, from the beauty of Lothlórien to the horror of Mordor.” – Sunday Telegraph

Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings

Micah

There are very interesting women presented in this book, but none of them are really delved into or included in the same ways that the men are. It's annoying.

IN LITTLE over ten year, J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy "The Lord of the Rings" has passed from the discovery of a small cult to become one of the treasured and most widely read novels of an entire generation.
The Fellowship of the Ring - first of the three books that comprise the complete story - tells of the fateful power of the One Ring, and begins the magnificent tale of war and adventure which is continued in The Two Towers and reaches its mighty climax in The Return of the King.
--back cover

It's not Tolkien's fault for writing and publishing his book in a time that valued and encouraged dense, long-winded sentences, but it's just not my style. I enjoy the characters and their personalities, but sometimes the writing is so droning that that fact overshadows the interesting characters. There are also not enough women in this series. I had the same issue with The Hobbit. Don't get me wrong, I love the loving and intimate friendships among men shown in this story, but I just wish there were more women.

Reinier Terblanche

A victorious ending to a masterfully crafted tale! Tolkien invites the reader into a fantastical word filled with both beauty and decay, joy and suffering, death and life, good and evil. But in this beautiful conclusion to the trilogy Middle-Earth breathes a great sigh of relief as light overcomes the great darkness in the most surprising way imaginable. 

As a Christian JRR Tolkien drenched this story with themes inspired by the Biblical narrative. Reading it from a Christian perspective brought me much delight and revelation as the author pointed me to the ultimate reality behind every good story: Christ's victory over evil, the joys and sufferings of the present in-between age, and the hope of a new creation.

Yeah, cool cool cool. I just think I liked the movies more.

Dylan Garrett

One of my favorite series, and still great to reread.

Concluding the story begun in The Hobbit, this is the final part of Tolkien s epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, featuring an exclusive cover image from the film, the definitive text, and a detailed map of Middle-earth. The armies of the Dark Lord Sauron are massing as his evil shadow spreads ever wider. Men, Dwarves, Elves and Ents unite forces to do battle agains the Dark. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam struggle further into Mordor in their heroic quest to destroy the One Ring. The devastating conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien s classic tale of magic and adventure, begun in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, features the definitive edition of the text and includes the Appendices and a revised Index in full. To celebrate the release of the first of Peter Jackson s two-part film adaptation of The Hobbit, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, this third part of The Lord of the Rings is available for a limited time with an exclusive cover image from Peter Jackson s award-winning trilogy."

Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings

Nicole Sonja

Best adventure ever! This was so thrilling and brilliant that I can't believe Tolkien isn't the writer of his generation. He definitely should be because this was unbelievably good!

'The Return of the King' is the third part of Tolkien's epic adventure 'The Lord of the Rings'. The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues.

Annelen Kröger

** spoiler alert **
           Okay first review let's goooo (3.5/5) (contains spoilers) 
Tbh honest I thought I already forgot a lot of what happened but thinking back to it there was just not much that actually happened in this book. I feel like it was just the battles and the final destruction of the ring but these two things were stretched too long and I really struggled with not just skipping several chapters. Maybe the long descriptions of Tolkien are not my favorite style of writing but I enjoyed the lord of the rings nonetheless (I just enjoyed the first two books a bit more than the last).
After the destruction of the ring I thought the book was over but it still had about 100 pages left of what felt like just goodbyes between the characters. I could have done without that. Probably my favorite of the book was the very end when the Hobbits come back to the shire, finding a dictator (?). Maybe I liked it so much because it was so unexpected but I also thought it was a bit funny.

Gayathri Jinesh

The second star is for being an inspiration for the Harry Potter series. The foundation of fantasy, or whatever.
Why didn't enjoy this? Why did this feel like too much of a work to me? Why do I feel sorry for myself for having had to read this thing?
1. If I make this a template. It's a journey from one place to another. Insert many more places, mountains, valleys and rivers in; all with multiple names. And half the book is description for them.
Some faceless dark-lord-assistant-type thing attacks them, every once in a while.
One servant-type friend. Two other friends - whose names if interchanged and read, you wouldnt notice the difference (except that Merry knows to handle a boat). And a few others. They meet a few people on the road, who treat them kindly. Umm well, that's it. Oh yeah, and a few songs too... which I just can't make myself care about.
2. There are no emotions. Something happens, sun westers, river flows, golden larks cry, some guy who is the son of some other guy.. idk, sleeps. I feel so disconnected from the characters. I just can't care about them. The only time I saw emotion, is in the final chapter with Boromir.
3. There are so many places. Why? 
4. Apart from very few situations, it's very linear. Maybe when Frodo suspects something, or Sam sees something - we have something to look forward to. Otherwise it's just boring narration, that once becomes past, no longer matters.
5. Not relatable. Obviously
6. Appreciate Lady Galadriel, and the other river-lady( though I didn't get her point). But where are all the other women??
7. Nobody has a personality. Aragorn's sort of nice. Everybody else is borrring..
Okbye.

Sarah

This book is an incredible introduction to the trilogy with some action and lots of key moments it held my attention the entire time. I strongly suggest this book if you are looking for a good high fantasy.

The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings

I've read the last 200 pages in one sitting...After the first book of the series I was sceptical. There was a lot of world building and stuff, but the second book was a lot better and I was starting to get, what LotR means to people. 

Right now, I'm devastated, because it ended. I finished the third book. 

And I don't want it to end - not yet and not right now. I learned to love this world and the characters with their stories. Yes, there were a few scenes that were a little bit too much or scenes I didn't needed with all the details that were written. But this is my personal opinion and everyone will see this different. 

Anne Eckstein 

I've read the last 200 pages in one sitting...After the first book of the series I was sceptical. There was a lot of world building and stuff, but the second book was a lot better and I was starting to get, what LotR means to people. 

Right now, I'm devastated, because it ended. I finished the third book. 

And I don't want it to end - not yet and not right now. I learned to love this world and the characters with their stories. Yes, there were a few scenes that were a little bit too much or scenes I didn't needed with all the details that were written. But this is my personal opinion and everyone will see this different. 



Mary Garza

Mohammed Moussa

Embarrassed to admit that this is a first time read through of this series but it’s so good!!!! I never knew how well the movies adapted the books, some of the scenes are completely identical. I love Tolkien’s writing so much more than I thought I would and I’m so excited to read the next two.

caroline

Todd Luallen

Read this to my daughter and enjoyed it quite a bit. Tolkien is incredibly descriptive in his writing, so at first it felt like the story progressed very slowly for our taste. Gradually we be accustomed to the writing style and the story seemed to move along comfortably.

I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. The previous novel in this series required a decent bit of background before the meat of the story could be told. The Two Towers is the meat. The character in the Company are separated from the beginning of the novel, but I loved the characters in each of the stories, so I never did mind jumping from one group to the next; they were all equally thrilling. Tolkien had a tremendous grasp of the english language and he shows his skill on every page. I've very thankful to the Kindle for the quick ability to look up words that I don't recognize. My daughter and I found this tale to be a true adventure. 5 stars.

Vojtech &
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Vojtech &The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Vojtech &
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien