LOTR: The Return of the King

This is our final week reviewing The Lord of the Rings, and I'm kind of sad to not write about these books anymore. Every year I try to read this series, because Tolkien's world of Middle-earth has such a depth to it, such a rich history, that you feel as if Middle-earth could have actually existed. Hidden within the fantasy realm of these books are very real lessons about our society, and I think that that is why I love this series so much.

The third book in this trilogy is The Return of the King, and in this book the tales of our various heros are wrapped up. It is also the most complicated book, with many events happening simultaneously across Middle-earth, so bear with me as I try to explain this as simply as possible without restating the entire book. In the last book, Merry and Pippin were eventually rejoined with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli and then soon after split ways again, with Pippin going with Gandalf to Minas Tirith in Gondor and Merry staying with King Theoden. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli traveled with Theoden and the Rohirrim for a while, but then parted as they traveled on darker, more dangerous roads in an attempt to achieve victory. Meanwhile, in Gondor, Pippin and Gandalf help to prepare Minas Tirith for war with the Shadow in the East. Rohan is riding to Gondor's aide, but Sauron's forces are moving so rapidly that there may be nothing that they can do.

The only one who has the ability to defeat Sauron once and for all is Frodo, with his loyal companion Sam. However, even though they made it into Mordor, a seemingly impossible task in itself, they must now travel through a barren, desolate land crawling with orcs and the all-seeing Eye. From peril into peril, these two are the only hope left to the free-men of Middle-earth, but as they draw ever nearer to the raging fire of Mount Doom, the more Frodo fears that he is not strong enough to complete the task that the council of Elrond appointed to him.

Although most of you probably think you already know how it ends, and you may, in part, be right, the ending of The Lord of the Rings is both simple and fulfilling. I urge you more than ever to try this series, and if you have read it before and would like to learn more about Middle-earth, the book The Silmarillion is a fascinating history of Middle-earth as J.R.R. Tolkien imagined it, and can help you gain a greater understanding of the books, since Tolkien makes several references to these events in The Lord of the Rings. Above all, I want you to find a book that transports you to another place and time, for that is what I believe reading is about.

LOTR: The Two Towers

Last week, I introduced the first book in The Lord of the Rings series, The Fellowship of the Ring. Today, we will explore the second book: The Two Towers. This book starts off with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli hunting down a group of orcs who kidnapped Merry and Pippin, following them north to the land of the Rohirrim. The men of Rohan got to the orcs first, and slaughtered them on the edge of Fangorn Forest. Merry and Pippin escaped into Fangorn when the fighting broke out, and ran into someone that they did not expect. Aragorn and his companions go to Théoden King in Edoras, where they set out to battle traitor Saruman's army of Uruk-hai at Helm's Deep.


The second half of the Two Towers takes us back to Frodo and Sam when the fellowship parted, and follows in their footsteps for the remainder of this book. The task has fallen to these two to complete the journey that they set out upon: To destroy the Ring. As they draw closer to Mordor, Frodo begins to feel the Ring as if it was an actual, physical presence weighing him down. There are dangers both above and below him, as well as the ever present power of the Ring. To get into Mordor, Frodo and Sam have to make several difficult decisions, and not necessarily one's that will ensure that they come out of this mess alive.


I love the title of this book: The Two Towers. There are several theories on which two towers in the book this actually references. My belief is that the title is pointing towards Orthanc, which is Saruman's stronghold in Isengard, and the tower of Barad-dur, which is where the dark lord Sauron abides in Mordor. If you have read this book and have your own idea, I encourage you to share it in the comments below. Next week we will finish up this trilogy with the third and final book: The Return of the King.

LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

Last week, I told you about J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of Middle-earth. Well, this week I want to talk about the actual books. Wow. I've read this series several times, and every time I read it I always have a greater appreciation for what Tolkien wrote. There is always some new detail that had previously eluded me, another layer to an already layered plot. I realize that some people would argue that Tolkien was a terrible writer, and that although the plot was good, the actual writing was not. However, I am not here to argue about what makes a good book. The reason I'm writing this is to inform you about a classic fantasy. And that is what I plan to do. In this post, I will tell you about the first book in this amazing series: The Fellowship of the Ring.


We start the story with Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the peaceful Shire. He is the nephew of Bilbo Baggins, who was the hobbit Tolkien wrote about in The Hobbit. And, as in The Hobbit, Gandalf the Grey plays a key role in the conflict. Of course, at the center of it all is the Ring. The one Ring that could decide the outcome of the war. The one Ring that Sauron of Mordor is bending all his will to find. Frodo embarks on a quest to destroy said Ring, along with eight companions, thus forming the fellowship. Included in this company is Aragorn (man), Boromir (man), Legolas (elf), Gimli (dwarf), Gandalf (wizard), Merry, Pippin, and Sam (all hobbits). In order to destroy this Ring it must be cast into the fires of Mount Doom, a fiery volcano located in Sauron's domain of Mordor. The company is under no obligation to follow the ring-bearer into Mordor, but as Gimli said, "Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens." This book is the first in an epic series, and if you haven't yet delved into the word of Middle-earth, I strongly encourage you to do so. (And no, the movies are not the same as the actual books.) I hope to follow this post with the two remaining books: The Two Towers and The Return of the King.