"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.