Reviews

I have seen the movies many times & I have finally gotten myself to start reading the books. I’ve always heard that it takes a while to get used to Tolkien’s prose. That wasn’t the case for me. There are definitely some patches that are very dry (I’m looking at you, Council of Elrond), but I actually found this a relatively easy read. The memories of the movies may have helped the characters come to life, but that doesn’t take away from how richly Tolkien penned them. It is definitely a victim of the faults of classic fantasy, but it doesn’t lose a star for that. We wouldn’t have modern fantasy without the original one. I can deal with the overreaction of settings & the characters telling flashbacks in their own voices. It just helps me appreciate the new guys from a different perspective. Things then first time I’ve ever paired a book with the audiobook, since I’m trying to finish it by a certain time. Rob Inglis’ narration was absolutely brilliant & actually helped me pay attention, something that has always been a struggle for me with audiobooks. Tom Bombadil was also way too fun of a character to have been cut from the movies. I’ve already started The Two Towers. Despite knowing the story, I found myself on the edge of my seat through The Fellowship of the Ring & immediately jumped into the next book.