Synopsis:
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
Review:
While it may be hard to believe for someone who exclusively reads fantasy books, I actually didn't read this book until very recently. I just wasn't into fantasy as a child, and when I got into it as an adult I figured this book wouldn't catch my interest. And while I did not enjoy this book nearly as much as the fanatics who claim this is the greatest fantasy story every told, it was a worthwhile read that still holds up today in many regards. You do have to constantly remind yourself of the year this book was written, and if you are an adult, it helps if you are already a fantasy fan if reading for the first time. If you have read a lot of fantasy, you can see how modern authors are still to this day using many of the same writing choices that Tolkien did here, and it's fun to see them peppered throughout the story. However, if you are an adult and are not a fan of fantasy, you may be in for a bit of a rough journey. Several sections of this book can feel like a slog, there are chapters in this book that feel completely out of place and irrelevant to the story, the constant usage of songs feel extremely outdated, and the massive infodumps can be off-putting. But the story itself is absolutely wonderful, engaging, epic, and is simply a joy to read. It's a timeless story that will never go out of style - and the more you learn about these characters the more fun they are to read about. While I realize it can be blasphemous to say that I do believe the movies are better than the books, you owe it to yourself to read this book if you haven't already.
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