Happy national book lover’s day, fellow readers! In celebration of this day, I thought I would discuss my favorite book (or books). I’m sure that most of you have read it, and I know all of you have heard of it: “The Lord of the Rings.”
Despite the third book being published in 1955, “The Lord of the Rings” still holds up very well today. Sure, the writing style can be slow and tedious at times, but the story is still incredible. Middle-Earth is still the greatest fictional world ever created, and the characters are very interesting and fun to hang out with. J. R. R. Tolkien was a genius, and he wrote and told amazing stories inspired by old English poems and folk tales, along with Norse mythology.
Tolkien’s work on Middle-Earth began when he created the elvish language and its variations. During World War 1, he decided that his language needed a people to speak it, so he began writing short stories, which were later compiled into “The Silmarillion.” He continued writing stories and, after the war had ended, joined a group of authors called the Inklings. The most well-known Inklings (aside from Tolkien himself) were Charles Williams, author of “War in Heaven,” Owen Barfield, author of “Saving the Appearances,” and C. S. Lewis, author of the “Chronicles of Narnia” series. During his time with the Inklings, Tolkien wrote “The Hobbit,” and he shared it with the group. He later published it, and “The Hobbit” became extraordinarily successful and received critical acclaim. Tolkien’s publisher then requested a sequel, so the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy was born.
“The Lord of the Rings,” set in the fictional world of Middle-Earth, follows the story of Frodo Baggins. Frodo is a hobbit, also called a halfling, because they grow to be only half as tall as a human. When Frodo’s uncle leaves and gifts him with a magical ring, Frodo is then sent on a quest by a great wizard named Gandalf to destroy the ring, for the ring was forged by Sauron, a being of immense evil, and he would cover all the land in darkness if he were to get his hands on it.
The story may sound simple, but it is far from it. The world that Tolkien built is immense, and he often devoted whole pages to describing the landscape or the lore of the world. The story also deals with interesting themes, such as hope and courage, but the most prominent is the passing of the torch from one generation to the next. Bilbo Baggins gifts the ring to his far younger nephew. Aragorn inherits the throne of Gondor. Eowyn and Eomer must take the place of their father, and so must Faramir. In the end, even Gandalf leaves their world, passing into the west to live in the Undying Lands.
There are so many characters in these books, and all of them feel like their own person. None of them are flat. They all have their motivations, their own goals, their weaknesses they must overcome, and their journeys and stories. Every character is fleshed out, from the nine who make up the Fellowship to everyone the Fellowship meets along the way. Some of the side characters are even more complex than the main characters. Take Gollum, for instance. His two personalities constantly fighting with each other, his lust for the Ring, and his constant betrayals make him so intriguing. You never know what he will do next, and his story ends so perfectly yet tragically. I could go on forever about the characters in these books. Maybe I will in another post. Or maybe I’ll do a series of posts. Who knows? Comment what you think.
So, we’ve discussed the story’s themes and characters. Now, let’s talk about the plot: the physical things that make the story happen. There are some epic moments in this thing. There’s a reason this story was split into three novels. It’s so huge that it’s impossible to contain it all in one. If you thought reading about Bilbo Baggins’s journey with a company of Dwarves to kill a dragon was epic, wait until you read this one. We’ll take it one book at a time. In the first book, the hobbits are constantly being hunted by the Nazgûl, black speech for Ringwraiths; undead servants of Sauron who lack physical form. Nothing can stop them from pursuing the Ring. The escape from Bree is intense, and the fight at Weathertop is amazing. The battle in Moria is where things begin to get big. Goblins swarm the Fellowship and surround them, and it looks like the Fellowship is done for, but then something scares the thousands of Goblins, who crowd the vast halls of Moria. A massive Balrog, an ancient servant of the Valar Morgoth, who is, essentially, Middle-Earth’s god of all that is evil, pursues the Fellowship to the bridge of Khazad-dûm, where Gandalf faces the Balrog one-on-one. The Balrog is defeated, but Gandalf falls to his death. There’s also some fun Uruk-hai action in the end which adds to the epic scale and cool-factor of the first book.
The second book is where the epic battles really start. The Battle of Helm’s Deep is truly something special. It is such an incredible experience reading and I think it is incredible how Tolkien captured the immense scale of the battle with mere squiggles on sheets of paper. The vast amount of orcs and elves and men described is incredible, and you can feel the sense of urgency as the men race to prepare themselves by making soldiers out of people who aren’t soldiers to defend their kingdom against an oncoming sea of evil. Then the elves arrive, and there’s a sense of relief, but that relief is quickly snuffed out when the Uruk-hai show up in their vast numbers. The battle begins, and the archers fire their arrows as the Uruk-hai dig their trenches and raise their ladders up onto the wall. They try to break through the entrance of the fortress, but it is too well guarded. Then, using a new weapon, they blow part of the wall to rubble, and Saruman’s armies flood Helm’s Deep. The King of the wood elves is killed in battle, and the survivors are forced back into the caves behind the fortress. King Théoden is ready to give up, but Aragorn inspires him to ride out one last time and give Rohan the honorable end it deserves. Théoden takes a company to ride with him, and as they ride, Gandalf returns to them with the calvary. The tide of the battle turns, and as the Uruks flee into the forests, but they never escape the trees as they exact their vengeance for their fallen brothers.
The third book has two epic battles that are on par with the Battle of Helm’s Deep. The first is the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Sauron has begun his conquest against the world, and the Steward of Gondor has abandoned all hope of victory. Fortunately, Gandalf was making a visit, and so he takes charge of the armies of Gondor and begins the defense of their capital: Minas Tirith. The orcs from Mordor begin their assault by catapulting the heads of fallen Gondor soldiers over the walls of the White City. Then they throw boulders into the city, which begin to tear apart the buildings and crush the soldiers of Gondor. Then Minas Tirith uses catapults of their own to throw the broken pieces of their city back at the orcs. But the Nazgûl appear riding the Fell Beasts, which are serpent-like creatures with wings, and they destroy Gondor’s catapults. The orcs reach the city and try to break through the gates using their battering rams, but the gates are too strong, and the archers take out too many of the orcs. So, the armies of Mordor unleash Grond, a massive battering ram shaped in the likeness of the great Wolf, Carcharoth, and named after the warhammer of Morgoth. With only a few strokes, the gates are knocked down, and the orcs invade the White City. Once again, the battle ends in a heroic calvary charge, as the armies of Rohan aid those who did not aid them during the Battle of Helm’s Deep. The calvary charges, and Aragorn appears on ships, bringing with him the Army of the Dead. King Théoden falls, but his daughter, Eowyn, avenges him and kills a Nazgûl called the Witch King of Angmar. The armies then decide to distract Sauron so Frodo and Samwise can reach Mount Doom safely and destroy the Ring by taking the fight to Sauron. So, they begin their journey to the Black Gate.
The second battle of the third book is the climactic battle that ends it all: The Battle of the Black Gate. The armies of Gondor and Rohan march to the doorstep of Mordor and, after negotiations go bad, face down the entire army of orcs. Mordor is emptied, and they are all focused on the armies of men. The battle begins, and it is bloody. Many die, and Pippin is almost killed. All hope seems lost, and then, to make matters worse, the Nazgûl arrive, and they begin to destroy the soldiers of Gondor and Rohan. But the Eagles arrive, and they keep the Nazgûl occupied as the armies continue to clash. But it is hopeless. The combined armies of Gondor and Rohan are still no match for the might of Mordor. But then, the impossible happens. Frodo, who everyone thought had died, destroys the ring, and Mordor is defeated. Evil is beaten, and Middle-Earth is saved from the doom of Sauron.
These are the books that inspired me to become a writer. I absolutely love the massive scale of it all, and the smaller, more intimate moments with the characters that are just as important and just as well done as the grand, epic battles. These books are perfect, even if the pacing doesn’t match today’s standards. Nothing I have read has ever matched these books, and I don’t think anything ever will. Tolkien is on another level that very few authors have ever caught a glimpse of. These books are peak literature, and nothing has ever been nor ever will be as grand and as beautiful as “The Lord of the Rings.”
And with that, happy national book day, everyone! What are your favorite books or series? I would love to know and might give them a try! Have a fantastic day.