The Return of the King -- Book Six

by J.R.R. Tolkien
   The last ship has passed out of sight into the West. My heart aches. I sigh. The Lord of the Rings has finally ended, and no more will I open the book to relive the horrors of Mordor, the simplicity of the Shire, or the last parting of dear friends: not until next January. Until then it will sit on my shelf and remain my all-time favorite book and, in my eyes, the most incredible piece of literature ever written.
   I feel sentimental still: though this post will appear later, I am writing it now on Friday, 22 February, 2013, and I only finished The Return of the King, the last part in Tolkien's masterpiece, about twenty minutes ago. I'll try to shake off these feelings.
   Once again, Tolkien heads to the POV of Frodo and Sam. He uses Sam more often than Frodo, which makes me wonder: Who, really, is the main character of The Lord of the Rings? I'm sure almost everyone will say it's Frodo, and I'm half-inclined to agree with them; but I also favor Sam a little. Until The Two Towers: Book Four, he rarely (if ever) used Sam's POV, and I'm wondering if he changed because portraying Frodo's suffering would be so much easier through the eyes of another character. Sam is one of the most well-done characters in the book, I deem, with his much more "individual" speaking style and his astoundingly loyal personality. Frodo's pain is acute, but no longer is he just a simple Hobbit from the Shire: I look on him in this half as certainly the wisest of the four Hobbits and possibly wiser than some of the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring.
   Book Six begins with Sam next to the Tower of Cirith Ungol, where Frodo lies in capture by Mordor's Orcs. Sam must find a way to loose Frodo so that the Quest and the destruction of the Ring does not fail. That's all I'll say of the plot-line itself, but here's another bit of info about this half: As the Ring moves closer to Mount Doom, dread may clench your chest and the weight of the Ring may fall on you as it falls on Frodo. And at the end of The Lord of the Rings I can almost guarantee a bittersweet sorrow, one that longs for reassurance for the fates of the rest of the Fellowship, one that wishes Tolkien had written more about them.
   What else can I say? Actually, I need to go make waffles, so I'll catch you later :) If you've made it this far in The Lord of the Rings, congratulations. Tell me what you're thinking of it, whether you've read it before, whether you love it or hate it. Thanks for reading this series, guys! Until next year, Frodo and Sam and Merry and Pippin and the rest of you!

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J.R.R. Tolkien 

  

The Return of the King -- Book Five

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Part 3

    Finally, the review of the first half of The Return of the King! It took me a long while to get going, but incredibly in a single day I read nearly six chapters, which put me in the way of finishing this half the next day :) Six chapters isn't a whole lot to speed-readers and readers of modern-day authors, but when Hannah Elise reads six chapters of The Lord of the Rings, which she has read three times before, in a single day, Hannah Elise calls it a milestone.

   Book Five involves the experiences of Merry and Pippin as they face war under different flags. Pippin, punished duly for his curiosity in the matter of the palantír of Orthanc, rides to Minas Tirith with Gandalf to give counsel and aid to Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Merry, however, must ride with Aragorn back to Helm's Deep, and eventually with King Théoden to Dunharrow and Edoras. Mordor assails Minas Tirith, and Gondor and all those still wise enough to escape the temptation of Sauron must band together if they hope to save the City. For if the City falls, then Gondor, Rohan, and the Shire fall too.

   Pippin and Merry are Tolkien's main focus, although he shifts from time to time to Aragorn. Both Hobbits must find their way alone, passing through the fires of loneliness, war, and grief before they have any chance of coming together again. Pippin is still often foolish, but I can only imagine how the war on Minas Tirith changed him. As usual, those foolish must come forth when the wise can do nothing. (Aren't we called to be fools for Jesus Christ? And those "too wise" to believe in Him will be those who are hopelessly lost.) Merry misses "the unquenchable cheerfulness of Pippin," but in spite of his fear of battle he longs to ride by King Théoden. Sometimes I think Tolkien made these two characters too much alike: though Merry is a little less impulsive than Pippin, their personalities are both less wise than Frodo and more, well, educated than Sam. Yet their sameness never bothers me; in fact, I loved reading this half over again, and Merry and Pippin were a large part of my enjoyment.

   Tolkien's dramatically fresh phrasing didn't stand out to me as much in this half as it has in others, but that's more likely because I'm getting used to it than it is waning. Yet the organization of this half is totally admirable. Okay, incredible. I love his plot, I love the way he outlined it. Merry rides with Rohan, Pippin stays in Minas Tirith, and Aragorn tries his fate on the Paths of the Dead: all three sections he describes in a marvelous order.

   There is quite a bit of "magic" (or so it's called) in this half: any book that has Gandalf in it will have it. There's a lot of violence too, even when considering that Tolkien never describes it graphically. But there is no romance, though there is possibly one instance of language--and it may not even be classified as language in modern-day English (I can't remember the instance right now). The moral standards of this book are exceptionally clean to me, but your opinions may be different. I adore this book and recommend it wholeheartedly, especially to a teen. If you're younger than that and can get through it and understand it, great. If not, I say wait until the time is ripe: The Lord of the Rings is well worth waiting for.

The Two Towers -- Book Four

by J.R.R. Tolkien
   I've a nasty confession to make: I was lazy and didn't finish the second half of The Two Towers this week. Reading The Lord of the Rings always takes me forever, and I've read it enough before that some parts get a little stale and my mind wanders. The very fact of my mind wandering makes me sad, because there are some parts I missed that I should have been laughing over, or smiling at, or otherwise happy about.
   Book Four encompasses Frodo's journey from the Emyn Muil into Mordor. I love the fact that Tolkien, unlike so many modern authors would have done, didn't follow the movie path, where Sam and Frodo scenes are alternated with Aragorn, Pippin, Merry, and other Fellowshippers (is that a word?) scenes. Not that I condemn Peter Jackson for doing this; I think it was definitely the best way to make the movie. (Although I've another confession: Sam and Frodo parts in the movie are my least favorite because of their darkness and hopelessness.)
   As aforesaid, Sam and Frodo are the main characters in this half. Tolkien is going to shift more and more toward the lovable Sam as Frodo's burden gets heavier and heavier. This is another thing I admire about Tolkien's writing; he knew the strongest way to portray a suffering person: through another person's eyes. Since we know the personalities of Frodo and Sam already, I'm not going to expound on them. I don't really want to, and I doubt that I need to.
   It may be in this half, dear readers, that you come across some huge descriptions of the landscape that bore you to death. It depends on if you read like me and think like me, but Frodo and Sam's story has always been harder to bear than the other members of the Company because of the acute pain. Watching the movies for the first time (unfortunately before I had read the book), I consciously felt sick. Trying to eat ice cream while watching them was disgusting. And going through the books for the first time, I remember that when the End came I felt a weight lift off my heart, as though I were Frodo himself. But Tolkien still holds his mastery over words; his method of writing them just could bore you a little.
   I'm sorry that I haven't given much focus to anything moral in my last few reviews. That should be one of the foremost things of my reviews, and it hasn't been lately. But there's not much to say of them, morally, that hasn't been said already--very little magic is used in this half (that comes from the absence of the wizards I think); justice is given where justice is deserved (generally; more on that below); and evil is never condoned. I believe you're safe, but you should follow what you think God has laid on your heart to do about any of these fantasies/science fictions, since I know that in Christianity their subject matter can be controversial. If you're reading The Lord of the Rings right now, tell me what your thoughts are about it!

   Now about that "give justice where justice is deserved" (taken from The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One: Chapter 2: The Shadow of the Past):
   "But this is terrible!" cried Frodo. "Far worse than the worst that I imagined from your hints and warnings. O Gandalf, best of friends, what am I to do? For now I am really afraid. What am I to do? What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had the chance!"
    "Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity."
   "I am sorry," said Frodo. "But I am frightened; and I do not feel any pity for Gollum."
   "You have not seen him," Gandalf broke in.
   "No, and I don't want to," said Frodo. "I can't understand you. Do you mean to say that you, and the Elves, have let him live on after all those horrible deeds? Now at any rate he is as bad as an Orc, and just an enemy. He deserves death."
   "Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

   Fast-forward to The Two Towers: Book Four: Chapter 1: The Taming of Smeagol.
   "Very well," he answered aloud, lowering his sword. "But still I am afraid. And yet, as you see, I will not touch the creature. For now that I see him, I do pity him."
   Sam stared at his master, who seemed to be speaking to some one who was not there.

   Fast-forward to The Two Towers: Book Four: Chapter 6: The Forbidden Pool.
   "Dirty hobbits, nasty hobbits. Gone and left us, gollum; and Precious is gone. Only poor Smeagol all alone. No Precious. Nasty Men, they'll take it, steal my Precious. Thieves. We hates them. Fissh, nice fissh. Makes us strong. Makes eyes bright, fingers tight, yes. Throttle them, precious. Throttle them all, yes, if we gets chances. Nice fissh. Nice fissh!"
   So it went on, almost as unceasing as the waterfall, only interrupted by a faint noise of slavering and gurgling. Frodo shivered, listening with pity and disgust. He wished it would stop, and that he never need hear that voice again. Anborn was not far behind. He could creep back and ask him to get the huntsmen to shoot. They would probably get close enough, while Gollum was gorging and off his guard. Only one true shot, and Frodo would be rid of the miserable voice for ever. But no, Gollum had a claim on him now. The servant has a claim on the master for service, even service in fear. They would have foundered in the Dead Marshes but for Gollum. Frodo knew, too, somehow, quite clearly that Gandalf would not have wished it.
   "Smeagol!" he said softly.

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 :)

The Fellowship of the Ring -- Book Two

by J.R.R. Tolkien

 Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky;

Seven for the Dwarf-lords, in their halls of stone;

Nine for mortal Men, doomed to die;

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,

In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all,

One Ring to find them;

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,

In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

  

   From the brink of destruction at the Fords of Bruinen and against the fearful odds, Frodo Baggins has at last come to Rivendell of Elrond Halfelven. But what will they do with the One Ring of Power? Frodo has within his grasp release from this poison, yet he knows within himself that it his appointed task to journey to Mordor--or die trying, and give up the Ring to Sauron in the process. And so with eight others--three Hobbits (Sam, Merry, and Pippin), two Men (Boromir and Aragorn), one Dwarf (Gimli), one Elf (Legolas), and one Wizard (Gandalf)--he sets out on the long, dark journey to the evil plateau of Gorgoroth.
   The main characters here are basically the Nine Walkers, as listed above. In this second half of The Fellowship of the Ring we are allowed to know Aragorn as who he is--the son of kings and the heir of Isildur. We are introduced to Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli in this half: Boromir is a proud giant of a Man who hails from Minas Tirith, and cannot come to terms with the fact that the only reasonable thing to do with the Ring is destroy it. Legolas is of the Elves, and thus fair of face and of speech--and is not very cordial with Gimli the Dwarf, who is stubborn, Dwarfly emotional, and strong. The more that I think about Tolkien's characters, the more I am inclined to believe that I was completely wrong in ever stating that they weren't very individual (which I did in my review of The Hobbit). They all have their little differences, hard pasts, and human faults--except perhaps Aragorn, who doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him beyond the fact that he is a mortal. If, reader, you disagree with that statement and think I've overlooked something, do please share it.
   As with The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One, the style of writing and descriptions are excellent. Sometimes, yes, Tolkien doesn't give all the characters different voices; sometimes his descriptions can be a bit minute; but I think that once you've read The Lord of the Rings several times, the long-winded places stop getting to you. Eventually your mind is hard enough that it doesn't really notice--and sometimes doesn't even get bored. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 9, The Great River:

   Frodo looked up at the Elf standing tall above him, as he gazed into the night, seeking a mark to shoot at. His head was dark, crowned with sharp white stars that glittered in the black pools of the sky behind. But now rising and sailing up from the South the great clouds advanced, sending out dark outriders into the starry fields. A sudden dread fell on the Company.

    And again, in spite of some instances of magic and uncanny beasts and creations which would not be in our world, I can see nothing wrong morally with this book. It's such a lovely piece of literature. My advice: Curl up on the couch or by the fire and take The Fellowship of the Ring with you!

The Fellowship of the Ring -- Book One

{The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Part 1}

   The first time I read The Lord of the Rings in full was when I was thirteen, and I look on it as a turning point in reading with me. My favorite of the three books is The Fellowship of the Ring, where stress is more scarce and comic relief is high.   
   Frodo Baggins, a worthy fifty-one-year-old Hobbit from the Shire and the heir to Bilbo Baggins, has found through the aid of Gandalf the Grey that in his keeping lies the One Ring of Sauron, the evil Dark Lord of Mordor. It is the same ring that Bilbo acquired in Gollum's cave under the Misty Mountains, and for which Sauron is searching urgently. Frodo must flee to Rivendell with the Ring or die. Yet on his tail ride nine black horsemen--the Nazgul, the Ringwraiths who Sauron corrupted. The plot is superbly original and one of the reasons that Tolkien is one of my greatest inspirations.

   And as for inspiration from John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, I've found another source. You may remember that I said in my review of The Hobbit that Tolkien didn't have the best way of individualizing people. I was getting a bit queasy about saying that, because I kept thinking of ways he characterized his creations. And now I find myself almost completely wrong: instead of shouting out from the rooftop, "Balin is kind! Thorin is arrogant!" Tolkien creates a past which molds his characters. When they have a tame past, he utilizes subtle words and actions to let his characters show who they are; but consider Aragorn, the mysterious Ranger. Tolkien shows again through words and actions that Aragorn is cautious, wise, and a fountain of knowledge--but all of these came from a past fraught with danger. The romance in his life is a further cause for him to pursue his rightful inheritance--the throne of Gondor--but this pursuit has been a source for many toils, and his eighty-seven-year-old heart is weary. This is one thing that writers can learn from Tolkien. As for the other main characters, Frodo is a poetical and unHobbitlike person whose keeping of the Ring has kept him perpetually youthful. Samwise "Sam" Gamgee uses rather ungrammatical sentences, recites poems with his hands held behind his back like a schoolboy, and is the most loyal heart you will find on Middle-Earth. Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck is a comic yet half-sensible Hobbit not yet "come of age"; and Peregrin "Pippin" Took is completely comic, with almost no sense, and about the same age as Merry.
   Can I just say that the plot, the characters, and the writing are all amazing? That wouldn't be a very comprehensive book review I guess. But Tolkien's metaphors and personification, and his masterful use of several different languages (most of which he made up!), are one of the things I drool over when I read his books. Why can I not do this? He could see them clearly now: they appeared to have cast aside their hoods and black cloaks, and they were robed in white and grey. Swords were naked in their pale hands; helms were on their heads. Their cold eyes glittered, and they called to him with fell voices. That is not even the best sample of his writing! 
   In short, I wholeheartedly recommend The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One. This is only the review of Book One (for those of you who thought I was mistaken in the plot) because I haven't read both halves since last year, and I wanted my ideas to be as fresh as possible. I almost faked and did a review of the entire first part, but decided not to. For those of you who are wondering about the morality of this book, I say it's excellent. If you're concerned about the elements of magic, there are a few points, but this is Middle-Earth, not our earth, where magic is useable. Of course, if it's not something that your family agrees with, then I can't recommend it (although I absolutely adore this trilogy). Whatever age audience is old enough to fully understand it is old enough to read The Lord of the Rings, but I didn't get through it until I was thirteen (I had only tried once or twice before, possibly as much as two or three years earlier). Thus, teenagers may be the best chance you have at getting anyone to read it, or in reading it yourselves. I hope that, if you haven't read it before, this review whets your appetite a little!

   On another note, I was going to try to write this as a single paragraph, but it was not working! Does anyone think that single paragraph book reviews would be better? I know that they would surely take less time to read. If you think that this is a good idea, please leave a comment and I'll try my best to learn how to do it.