The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

  When I first picked up The Fellowship of the Ring I was about fourteen. I soon put it down again. I picked it up and put it down a few more times after that. For the life of me I just couldn't get myself past the prologue 'Concerning Hobbits.' So, this time when I set myself the challenge of reading it all (or at least all of The Fellowship) I was not expecting to fall completely in love with the story, or actually want to proceed to The Two Towers and then The Return of the King. In many ways, I felt obliged to want to read it.  The fact that The Lord of the Rings topped the BBC's Big Read list of novels voted for by readers made me feel like I had been missing out on something, although I didn't exactly get what it was. If I'm honest, I felt like seeing the movies was enough because they were so great anyway.  This time I persevered with it and although I did not get into it straight away, once I did I was rewarded for my efforts. I could not put it down.  I was completely drawn into Middle-earth. 
  So, I'm going to give brief outline of the plot.  A young hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits a ring that turns out to be the One Ring of power of the Dark Lord Sauron. Discovering Sauron's evil purposes for the ring he sets off on a quest to destroy it with three other hobbits and the guidance of Gandalf the wizard.  On the way they are joined by two men, an elf and a dwarf, each of whom are charged with protecting the ring-bearer (Frodo) on his journey.  As their journey becomes more perilous the fellowship is forced to split up and take separate paths. On their different journeys they endure many hardships and battles, and meet different peoples of Middle-earth whose fates are joined to that of the ring.  Frodo and his companion Sam also encounter a former ring-bearer, whose desire for the ring will push him to the ultimate levels of treachery and deceit.  All of this the company must endure before the enemy can be vanquished once and for all.
  That is the plot in brief, but it does not do the novel any justice.  The scope of The Lord of the Rings, the sheer magnitude and depth of craft, imagination and intellect cannot be conveyed in a mere paragraph.  Tolkien has not just written a novel, he has created a whole world with languages, history and different cultures.  He has also created an incredible landscape for Middle-earth, with different climates and geographical features.  The result of all these things creates a work of literature where fantasy and reality interweave seamlessly, creating a world that is at once unlike ours, and yet could have been our own once upon a time. 
  The Lord of the Rings is considered to be a work of 'high-fantasy' because it is set in an alternative world or universe.  To a certain extent, this is true.  In many ways, Middle-earth seems otherworldly, with elves, dwarves and wizards running around.  However, many of the customs, histories and the very geography of Middle-earth makes it feel very much of this world, even if it is of this world in a very, very different time.  It is a fantasy novel which, because of the way it has been crafted, seems almost real. 
  Published between 1954 and 1955, The Lord of the Rings is certainly influenced by the experiences of the two World Wars of the early Twentieth Century.  Certainly, the war depicted in the books is by all accounts a world war, with all the people's of Middle-earth caught up in it for one side or the other.  The anticipation of death and destruction, and the fear of their fate should their enemy succeed, is in everyway a reflection of what Tolkien must have experienced as a veteran. I think that reading it in this post-war light, adds an extra level of poignancy to an already moving story.
 Above everything else, the thing that I love the most about The Lord of the Rings is the relationships between the characters. The fact that there is a love-story or two going, however welcome, is of much less interest than the friendships forged between the comrades at arms.  The relationship between Frodo and his faithful servant, Samwise Gamgee, is especially moving. Sam's role throughout the books has been a supportive one to Frodo. He is loyal, would follow him through thick and thin, and always puts the needs of Frodo above his own. Sam is an unassuming character and considers his main duty to be serving and protecting Frodo, and yet through this master/servant relationship a true friendship is formed.  Sam is very much the underdog, and yet in the end I believe him to be the true hero of The Lord of the Rings. Without Sam, Frodo could not have succeeded in his quest.
 Needless to say, I LOVE The Lord of the Rings. I was not expecting to, having had my many failed attempts at reading it in the past.  However, now I have read it I feel that I will read it time and time again.  Once I had finished, I felt genuinely sorry that I had to put it down and leave Middle-earth.  I have also come to a conclusion that I didn't think was going to be possible. As great as the movies are (and I do love them), they are no where near as great as the books.


Link for BBC Big Read:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml