The Fellowship of the Ring - the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's three-volume epic, The Lord of the Rings - is set in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, a place of high and heroic adventure populated by many strange creatures - most notably hobbits, a peace-loving "little-people" with furry feet. Hobbits are cheerful and shy, enjoy large meals and long naps, and almost never lock their doors at night. But dark forces from the enemy land of Mordor threaten these lovable beings, along with the other inhabitants of Middle-earth - dwarves, elves, and even men.
A the center of the saga is Frodo Baggins and the magical ring he inherited from his older cousin Bilbo (hero of Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit), a ring that has the power to corrupt even the strongest soul with a lust for power. From the wise wizard Gandalf, Frodo learns that he must abandon …
The Fellowship of the Ring - the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's three-volume epic, The Lord of the Rings - is set in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, a place of high and heroic adventure populated by many strange creatures - most notably hobbits, a peace-loving "little-people" with furry feet. Hobbits are cheerful and shy, enjoy large meals and long naps, and almost never lock their doors at night. But dark forces from the enemy land of Mordor threaten these lovable beings, along with the other inhabitants of Middle-earth - dwarves, elves, and even men.
A the center of the saga is Frodo Baggins and the magical ring he inherited from his older cousin Bilbo (hero of Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit), a ring that has the power to corrupt even the strongest soul with a lust for power. From the wise wizard Gandalf, Frodo learns that he must abandon his comfortable hobbit hole in the Shire and with a band of brave companions, set off on a perilous journey to save the ring from enemy hands. They are pursued along the way by Orcs and the terrifying Black Riders commanded by Sauron the Dark Lord of Mordor; and they are hunted by the treacherous Gollum, who once owned the ring. But Middle-earth dwellers of all sorts also come to the company's aid, as their quest takes them to Rivendell, Moira, and the Elvish land of Lorien. Yet the most dangerous part of their journey is still to come - a desperate trip into the shadowy depths of Mordor to destroy the ring once and for all. "No imaginary world has been projected which is at once so multifarious and so true," wrote C. S. Lewis after The Fellowship of the Ring was first published in England in 1954. "Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron."
--back cover
re-read annually until Return of the King came out as movie
5 stars
Fantastic read. I own the old German translation, thank God, and as a special hardcover edition in a single red volume with silken bookmarks and bible-thin pages. Very beautiful.
The old translator had a direct line to Tolkien himself and discussed best translations of the intended tone and spelling. Why German publisher Klett-Cotta would commission a new translation after the movies had come out is beyond me.
And how Frodo is Sam's "boss", der Chef, in the new translation says everything about the inaptitude to capture the medieval-like setting.
Does anyone who read both translations prefer the new one?
Review of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
My impression of the movie is that it's kind of like a nature documentary of New Zealand. My impression of the book is that that's not necessarily inauthentic, but I enjoyed the lore, and having a map was also helpful for following what was going on. In short, there's a reason the song lyric currently in my head is "I like the books way better than the movie, because some parts got left out."
Review of "The Fellowship of the Ring" on Good Reads
4 stars
"The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien is the kind of book rich in details that one can find themselves getting lost in. Imaginative, magical, engrossing, and brilliantly constructed, the individual text is part of a larger novel title "Lord of the Rings" which is a amazing work of the imagination which often overshadows what is sometimes slow pacing and one-dimensional characters.
One is struck by the level of detail Tolkien put into creating his literary world. The details are so well drawn and defined and the background so deep that one often forgets that they are reading a work of fiction and not a long-lost history or legend. This is where Tolkien's background as a linguist and folklorist really shines, utilizing standard folkloric techniques and creates rich languages for his text.
"Fellowship" follows the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherited a mysterious golden ring from his …
"The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien is the kind of book rich in details that one can find themselves getting lost in. Imaginative, magical, engrossing, and brilliantly constructed, the individual text is part of a larger novel title "Lord of the Rings" which is a amazing work of the imagination which often overshadows what is sometimes slow pacing and one-dimensional characters.
One is struck by the level of detail Tolkien put into creating his literary world. The details are so well drawn and defined and the background so deep that one often forgets that they are reading a work of fiction and not a long-lost history or legend. This is where Tolkien's background as a linguist and folklorist really shines, utilizing standard folkloric techniques and creates rich languages for his text.
"Fellowship" follows the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherited a mysterious golden ring from his Uncle Bilbo (the main subject of the novel "The Hobbit) which turns out to be the Ring created by the Dark Lord Sauron. I do not want to give too much away because as much as people may know the story, it is enjoyable to go along for the ride. Tolkien often noted that he did not create an allegory or metaphor of his time but that he was creating something that people would read and enjoy. The books one strength is that it shifts tone over the course of the novel so quietly that the awareness of the darkness behind everything comes upon the reader as a surprise. What makes this novel stand out is that it is not just an entertaining story but one that is "experienced" by the reader. Highly recommended.
Review of 'The Fellowship of the Ring : being the first part of The Lord of the Rings' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
Ugh...my copy does NOT have the movie on the cover. Even though the LOTR is my favorite film series, this still annoys me to no end.
Back to the book-this was a lot slower going than I remember. I think I really did skim over some of the longer-winded parts. Still love Tom Bombadil, though!
Wirklich gut und als Hörbuch grade zu perfekt für unterwegs! Immernoch schade, dass das Buch kaum Frauenfiguren hat. Selbst Arwen schien engelhaft blass; erst Galadriel hatte ein bisschen mehr Kontur (sehr große Frau mit ungewöhnlich tiefer Stimme 😍)
Review of 'FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS MTI' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Picked this one up pretty late in my life, and it's so worth it! I first saw the screen adaptations and loved them, but this is one of those rare occurrences when both movies and books are as excellent. Now on to the next one!
Review of 'The Fellowship of the Ring' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This is another one of those books I started and put away unfinished many times when I was in school. Now, after discovering Goodreads, I found the motivation to finish it.
I'm glad I finally did. It's good... but it's not as outstanding, jaw-dropping, eye-popping-ly good as everyone makes it out to be. I'd give it 3.5 stars.
One thing I can say about Tolkien is that he absolutely could write! His talent for describing in excruciating detail every single leaf on every single tree is admirable - but it gets a bit much. The book took me just less than two months to read, and if I were to hazard a guess, I probably took in... 60% of it. Tops. I have a tendency to "zone out" while I'm reading, and have been known to read twenty pages or more and have no recollection of what I've just read. …
This is another one of those books I started and put away unfinished many times when I was in school. Now, after discovering Goodreads, I found the motivation to finish it.
I'm glad I finally did. It's good... but it's not as outstanding, jaw-dropping, eye-popping-ly good as everyone makes it out to be. I'd give it 3.5 stars.
One thing I can say about Tolkien is that he absolutely could write! His talent for describing in excruciating detail every single leaf on every single tree is admirable - but it gets a bit much. The book took me just less than two months to read, and if I were to hazard a guess, I probably took in... 60% of it. Tops. I have a tendency to "zone out" while I'm reading, and have been known to read twenty pages or more and have no recollection of what I've just read. That happened a lot with this book.
It's a good story, though. As other reviewers have mentioned, a lot of the things in this book can be interpreted as being clichéd, but you need to understand that they're only clichés NOW, because Tolkien invented them! And that's how I tried to read this book. I read it for the HISTORY of the fantasy genre, the history of wargaming, of Dungeons & Dragons and just about every fantasy role-playing game, story or movie that has come since.
For people interested in the history of the genre, or people with loads and loads of time to read, I highly recommend this book. Will I be reading the other two parts? Probably - I wouldn't be able to stop myself!
Review of 'Fellowship of the Ring - Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, JRR [Paperback ]' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien is the kind of book rich in details that one can find themselves getting lost in. Imaginative, magical, engrossing, and brilliantly constructed, the individual text is part of a larger novel title "Lord of the Rings" which is a amazing work of the imagination which often overshadows what is sometimes slow pacing and one-dimensional characters.
One is struck by the level of detail Tolkien put into creating his literary world. The details are so well drawn and defined and the background so deep that one often forgets that they are reading a work of fiction and not a long-lost history or legend. This is where Tolkien's background as a linguist and folklorist really shines, utilizing standard folkloric techniques and creates rich languages for his text.
"Fellowship" follows the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherited a mysterious golden ring from his …
"The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien is the kind of book rich in details that one can find themselves getting lost in. Imaginative, magical, engrossing, and brilliantly constructed, the individual text is part of a larger novel title "Lord of the Rings" which is a amazing work of the imagination which often overshadows what is sometimes slow pacing and one-dimensional characters.
One is struck by the level of detail Tolkien put into creating his literary world. The details are so well drawn and defined and the background so deep that one often forgets that they are reading a work of fiction and not a long-lost history or legend. This is where Tolkien's background as a linguist and folklorist really shines, utilizing standard folkloric techniques and creates rich languages for his text.
"Fellowship" follows the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit who inherited a mysterious golden ring from his Uncle Bilbo (the main subject of the novel "The Hobbit) which turns out to be the Ring created by the Dark Lord Sauron. I do not want to give too much away because as much as people may know the story, it is enjoyable to go along for the ride. Tolkien often noted that he did not create an allegory or metaphor of his time but that he was creating something that people would read and enjoy. The books one strength is that it shifts tone over the course of the novel so quietly that the awareness of the darkness behind everything comes upon the reader as a surprise. What makes this novel stand out is that it is not just an entertaining story but one that is "experienced" by the reader. Highly recommended.
Review of 'Fellowship of the Ring - Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, JRR [Paperback ]' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
1.5 stars.
Yes, I understand this is a classic, and I'm giving up my nerd cred by not liking this, and how can I possibly be a fantasy fan if I don't like this, etc.
But I just didn't like it. It was long and boring and tedious and I kept trying to skip the 20-page descriptions of the history of a single field only to discover a few pages later that somewhere in that 20-page history is one essential piece of information critical to the plot so I'd have to go back and re-read the 20-page history.
I appreciate that Tolkien was a genius who invented languages and built a rich, complex world, and that he was attempting to imitate medieval writing (I can't say whether he was successful -- I've not read much medieval literature). But it wasn't my cup of tea.
