The Two Towers -- Book Three

 {The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, Part 2}

   The Fellowship of the Ring has broken, leaving the remaining eight companions to take their separate paths. Merry and Pippin, the incorrigible friends of Frodo, have been taken captive by a group of mysterious Orcs who tolerate sunlight. Frodo and Sam have embarked on the quest of Mount Doom alone--for to Frodo there was no other way. The Orcs slayed Boromir on Amon Hen when they took Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are the only other three who remain--and they face the choice of following Frodo and his faithful companion (and thus leaving Merry and Pippin to torture and questioning); or of pursuing the Orcs on a "wild goose chase," abandoning Frodo and Sam to fate.
   The above isn't the entire plot line of the first half of The Two Towers--I don't want to spoil everything for you if you haven't read the book already. Aragorn and Pippin, I should say, are the two main characters; Tolkien writes with what appears to be an omniscient point of view, but I think I discern him taking POVs. When he gets into another character's head, he breaks the scene in order to avoid "head hopping". Aragorn is still the same wise and kingly Ranger we saw in The Fellowship of the Ring, but he does show in the beginning of this half of The Two Towers that he is capable of making the wrong choice. Of Merry and Pippin, it is Pippin whose point of view Tolkien most often takes, though at least once (and maybe more) he heads over to Merry. In this half, Pippin is much less the foolish Hobbit of the Shire and much more the resourceful come-at-me-I'm-ready Hobbit, shown only in the most touch-and-go of moments.
   I know that when reading this half of The Two Towers for the first time, the section in Fangorn Forest bored me. I'm sorry, Treebeard, but I don't think I could even agree with Pippin: "I almost felt as if I liked the old place." Now, after having read that part several times (plus many other classics in between!), I'm much more tolerant. So persevere, my friends, if you get bored at any time during this narrative--you'll have enormous cause for rejoicing once you reach the end. (If you're not amazed already at Tolkien's ability to write in a freshly descriptive manner--nothing even close to cliches--and his plot, well, I just don't know what to say for you!)
   I'm not going to say anything about its morality, because you already know what I think of it from Book One and Book Two. Nor about the recommended age audience, because you can click on the links provided ^^ for more information. Have fun reading! If you're reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time, congratulations--I almost wish I was in your place :)