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.