The Two Towers

Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings

Paperback

English language

Published Aug. 5, 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

ISBN:
978-0-618-34626-4
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
54771295

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (317 reviews)

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduinalone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go. --back cover

85 editions

It's the Lord of the Rings

4 stars

Well worth a read

The obvious criticisms of Tolkein are that he has political ideas that are prone to fascism - the right of Kings, the romance of Anglo-Saxon/Nordic nationalism etc. I don't think that this is helped by the fact that the world is very two-dimensional and the whole story is framed in a context of Good vs Evil. Especially working class characters in this book seem to "know their place" which is a bit dull, and the men of Harad and Rhûn are often portrayed as self-evidently inferior to the men of the West.

Having said that those aspects could have been so much more, all of the rest of it is just an excuse anyway to bring a handful of Hobbits and their companions halfway across a world which is rich in language, history and culture - to have these wholesome halflings make relationships with the Great …

Review of 'The Two Towers' on Goodreads

4 stars

"The Two Towers" by J.R.R. Tolkien continues the rich, epic journey of "The Fellowship of the Ring," raising the stakes and plunging the heroes deeper into the fight for the fate of Middle Earth. This second volume is filled with memorable characters, rich landscapes, and poetic passages that shines through a somewhat odd and disjointed structure.

In this volume, the Fellowship splits into two parts. Book Three follows Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli as they chase after Merry and Pippin, kidnapped by Orcs and Urukai from Isengard, into Rohan, a fiercely independent kingdom under attack from Saurman. Book Four follows on parallel the story of Frodo and Sam as they move closer to Mordor to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom and along the way, they encounter a malevolent character lurking the shadows.

In a previous review of "The Fellowship of the Ring" I commented on the …

Review of 'The Two Towers' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Ich habe einen Kritikpunkt für dieses Band; ich finds echt schade, dass Gandalf gegen den Balrog kämpft und dann ,,zurückgeschickt wird, weil sein Auftrag noch nicht zu Ende ist". Irgendwie halte ich generell nciht viel von den ,,Mächten des Lichts" und wie sie ex machina mäßig immer im rechten Augenblick ihre Züge machen. Aber die Story von Gandalf hätte mich mehr überzeugt, wenn er allein wieder zurückgefunden hätte, wenn das Teil seiner Entwicklung gewesen wäre. Gandalf kann auch zuviel, und weiß immer Bescheid, und das wird nur begründet mit seinem Auftrag. Da müsste man mal rangehen und generell die Zaubererfiguren von Tolkien kritisieren, die ja nichtmal als mächtige Menschen entworfen wurden, sondern als göttliche Wesen, die geschaffen wurden damit es auf Mittelerde was gegen die ,,bösen Mächte" da gibt. Alles ein bisschen platt ausgemalt find ich, hätte gerne Gandalf als wen mit eigenen Interessen und Zielen gehabt, auch wenn er …

Review of 'The Two Towers' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

2018 re-read: Really enjoying this re-read and the book is still excellent.

There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.

Original reading in 2012: An epic story front to back. Everyone is in peril, everyone is battling and everything is exciting.

Review of 'The Two Towers' on Goodreads

4 stars

'Hey you!' he said roughly. 'What are you up to?'
'Nothing, nothing,' said Gollum softly. 'Nice Master!'
'I daresay,' said Sam. 'But where have you been to # sneaking off and sneaking back, you old villain?'
Gollum withdrew himself, and a green glint flickered under his heavy lids. Almost spider-like he looked now, crouched back on his bent limbs, with his protruding eyes. The fleeting moment had passed, beyond all recall.
'Sneaking, sneaking!' he hissed. 'Hobbits always so polite, yes. O nice hobbits! Sméagol brings them up secret ways that nobody else could find. Tired he is, thirsty he is, yes thirsty; and he guides them and he searches for paths, and they say sneak, sneak. Very nice friends, O yes my Precious, very nice.'
Sam felt a bit remorseful, though not more trustful. 'Sorry,' he said. 'I'm sorry, but you startled me out of my sleep. And I …

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