In 1954, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, wrote probably one of the most influential fantasy novels in the history of literature. He passed away in 1973, but left behind him a legacy. He immortalised his name with the story that serves as a benchmark in the Fantasy genre.
Fellowship of the Ring is the first book of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It is an epic tale of Friendship, love and heroism set in the Middle-Earth. The book focuses upon a ring. A ring that is the creation of the Dark Lord Sauron, and is piked up by probably the most unexpected creature in the world, a hobbit. Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire, gets the hold of the One Ring and passes it to his cousin, Frodo. Thus, begins the journey of Frodo, setting out to seek the fate of the ring. On the way, we meet several different characters of Tolkien’s world: the Wizards, the Elves, the Dwarves, men from important lineage and many more. Frodo sets out to seek Rivendell along with three other hobbits, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck. We are also introduced to Gandalf the Grey, a Maiar sent to aid in destruction of Sauron. He is the wisest of all and probably the character that’ll become your favorite at the end.
There’s a reason that this story is a classic. Tolkien’s descriptive narrative exquisitely depicts the Middle-World, a wold where people of different races live together. He uses excellent imagery to portray the harmonies and conflicts of the Third Age of the Middle-World. Furthermore, the author also introduces us to intriguing characters such as Tom Bombadil, a god-like being whose origins are unknown. This perfect mix of interesting characters, epitomic depiction of the scenery and min-boggling story makes this book, a justly celebrated classic.
Is Lord of the Rings the best fantasy book of all time? Yes. This book is an absolute delight for the fans of Fantasy genre. The influence of The Lord of the Rings is so universal that everybody from George Lucas (Writer and Director of Star Wars) to Led Zeppelin (Probably the best Rock band) has appropriated it for one purpose or another. Tolkien was a distinguished linguist and Oxford scholar of dead languages. This is clearly visible with the handling of languages of various languages in the book. He is also regarded as having keen interest in mythology and a keen regard for nature. The writing style is easy to understand and the locations and characters surprisingly feel very connected to the setting whenever they are used. All in all it is a near perfect book with a perfectly fitting protagonist supported by a string of amazing supporting characters in a marvelous scenery.
Rating: 5/5
Recommended to everyone :)
Notable quotes:
“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”
“It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.”
“Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones.”
“Elves seldom give unguarded advice, for advice is a dangerous gift, even from the wise to the wise.”
Na lû e-govaned vîn…
