The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Lord of the Rings
Book Review: De Luxe LotR
Summary: 4 Stars
The books are in good condition, well presented and nicely adorned, but the box they fit in it's quite simple and the books stuck in it.Book Review: As expected.
Summary: 4 Stars
Bought this edition for my wife. Each volume is heavy and the pages are a little glossy. Illustrations are not very colorful.
That said she still likes it very much and will do so for years to come.
Book Review: Beautiful edition with excellent pictures
Summary: 5 Stars
I love Lord of the Rings - I have several different editions because I like the feel of different sets. I went onto eBay to find copies of the first ever set I read when a teenager. So you could say I am a fan. These books are crisp, clean and beautiful. The illustrations are the best of anything currently in the market. With all that, I would agree with a prior reviewer and say that there could be more color but that is really the artist's choice. Also, for the price I would have loved more pictures.
If you are a fan, or friend/spouse/etc. of a fan, I would recommend this set. Be prepared for heavy books (personally I like them) that smell lovely and are a joy to read or browse. If you want something to read around town, obviously get some paperbacks. :-)
Book Review: Unsurpassed
Summary: 5 Stars
One may be tempeted to question the purpose of reading these books in light of the fact that Peter Jackson has just recently graced the world with his towering exploration of them in visual format. The answer to those who would so question is what I have always said, even before the films were made. This book is, I believe, unsurpassed by any other work in human history aside from the Bible. It is impossible to really do the work credit with any sort of brevity, however, for the sake of the reader's patience I will comment on what I believe to be the most important points.
Firstly, if it is of any interest to anyone, in a world full of writers who become immensely popular despite very poor writing, here is a genius. Tolkien's masterpiece is written in somewhat antiquated language, which tends to add to it's mistique and prowess rather than to distract the reader. With a mixture of glowing description, intelligently crafted dialogue, and a combination of genres from narrative, to poetry, to prophecy, The Lord of the Rings will not leave you bored if you are intelligent enough to appreciate the style. When I first read the book I found the descriptions to be somewhat tedious, cutting off the story as they did (I was 15), however, having now read the books four times I have an appetite for good writing, not just an urge to find out what happens next. The dialogue can be rather long as well, as in the chapter, "The Council of Elrond," where upwards of 20 characters speak, the majority of whom you have heard little or nothing about. However, I have come to enjoy that chapter much more as I have grown older because of its hinting at a much greater world than the one we are exposed to.
Secondly, the tale is captivating. It is a story of increasing intensity as the reader progresses and he is drawn in so easily and so fully that he may come out of it half believing that this quest actually happened. You feel Sam's joy and being sent with Frodo; you feel the Hobbit's terror at the Barrow Downs; your hurts are healed with the Fellowship at Lothlorien; you are captivated by the mustering of the Rohirrim; you are petrified by Shelob; you are laughing at Merry and Pippin the whole way. The genius of Tolkien creates a complete empathy on the part of the reader for the characters. I would be interested to know how many other people are actually in tears at any point in the reading of this book. I am at several, I will admit.
Lastly, and I believe, most importantly, it is necessary to uncover some of the timeless thematic elements of this masterpiece. Books like, Finding God in the Lord of the Rings, have failed to do this book justice in their exploration of such themes, unfortunately. I do not wish to comment on all such themes b/c to do so would take far too long. However, I will make bold to say that I believe the overarching theme of the book to be self-sacrifice. Ultimately, self-sacrifice amounts to love, as far as I can see it, b/c it is a giving of one's self in the interest of others w/o expecting any good for one's self to come out of it. Just think, Frodo had no hope of ever making it back from Mordor, but it didn't matter. He had a task to complete for the saving of the rest of the world. Sam, Merry and Pippin went with Frodo, having no idea what they were going into, and not caring. It did not matter to them; all that mattered was that they could give of themselves to him. And finally, when Aragorn, Gandalf and Prince Imrahil marched with their armies to the black gates and had no hope whatsoever of victory, it was only with the hope that they might provide a lengthy enough distraction to enable two small Hobbits to make it to the Cracks of Doom without being discovered by the Enemy. I wish to comment on one other point before being finished b/c I believe that to those of the Christian Faith it should be encouraging. When Sam and Frodo are going with Gollum through Ithilien they come to the Cross-Roads and there is a statue of a king seated, however his head has been thrown down and there is a big ugly eye, the symbol of Sauron, where his head should be. As they walk there is suddenly a beam of light where the sun manages to search through the darkness, that blazes out upon the head of the king which is lying by the road. A vine of flowers has grown around his head and Sam says, "Look! The King has got a crown again." Such hope have we as well.
I would make a passing remark about this edition. Though the size may make it somewhat difficult to read it lays open nicely so reading it in bed is quite nice if one likes to lay on one's stomach to read. The illustrations are very true to Tolkien's own vision as can be seen in, "Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator."
Book Review: A great set of these incredible books
Summary: 5 Stars
This review pertains to the 3 volume boxed set of The Lord of the Rings. I've had this set of books for a couple years now, and absolutely love them. The illustrations by Alan Lee are great, and in my opinion are the most faithful renditions of what was in Tolkien's head most of the time. The binding is immaculate and the books are printed on very high quality paper.
This is a great way to enjoy the Lord of the Rings. This set is obviously not for the casual reader (though I can't imagine a casual reader dishing out this kind of money), and you certainly can't curl up with this version, but that's not the point. The illustrated edition is a work of art in its own right, and I can imagine using this version to read the books to my kids but not taking them with me to read in bed. I have a paperback version of the books as well, but this is a great edition to have if, like me, you love these timeless classics so much you simply want a lasting tribute to them.