A clear Tolkien-copy, especially at first, the more the story progresses the more variation is introduced. The attraction of the story, for me, is the development of the setting, and the difference in scale and size between Brooks' story and Tolkien's. There is also a strong sense of nostalgia for this book for me, since it was one of the first fantasy novels I read. In other words, I love the book, but I recognize that it is far from perfect.