Book Review

by Walker B '26

The Lord of the Rings, by English author J.R.R Tolkein, is a fantastic fantasy epic split into 3 books, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. For those who have watched the movies but not read the books, the books focus on the story itself in depth more with more lore and less detailed action scenes. Overall, they are fantastic books. They follow the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he comes in possession of the one ring that belonged to the dark lord Sauron, whose armies are on the brink of conquering the world. Frodo embarks on an epic journey through Middle-Earth to destroy the ring in Mordor, where it was forged. With him are a diverse cast of characters including his cook-loving gardener Samwise, the wise and friendly wizard Gandalf the Grey, and the noble Aragorn, the heir to the Gondor throne. They travel through the vast and strange lands of Middle-Earth, meeting the wise and immortal elves, the dark dwarven Mines of Moria, meet humanoid trees called Ents, run from the fearsome Nazgùl wraiths, and fight in the war of Men against Orcs.

The story is the grandfather of modern fantasy stories, and has inspired many authors with its creativity and complexity. Tolkein creates an entire world full of lore, races, languages, songs and history, and almost every part of the story has something that adds to the lore. The story also contains lots of great, diverse characters who are a delight to read; however, some parts of the trilogy are a little slow at times, but again, don’t expect the same as the movies.

Again, the stories are great, and J.R.R Tolkein is nothing short of genius; so if you’re into reading, especially fantasy, it’s a great choice.

Rating: 9.4/ 10

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