The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien [Review]

Title: The Fellowship of the Ring
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Source: Purchased
ISBN:  0618002227 

The first volume in J.R.R. Tokien's epic adventure The Lord of the Rings"Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron." — C. S. Lewis"Exciting... Mr. Tolkien's invention is unflagging." — W. H. AudenOne Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind themIn ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told inThe Hobbit.In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
J.R.R. TOLKIEN (1892-1973) is one of the twentieth century's best-loved writers. His books, which include The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, have been translated into more than thirty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

 I'm actually taking a Lord of the Rings class in college this semester, so this review is being done after just having completed this first installment of this master trilogy. The class combines Anglo Saxon literature with the world of Lord of the Rings to allow us a better understanding of the historical and textual points of the novel as they sometimes go hand and hand.

I grew up in a house where Tolkien was a God, a demi-God at the least. My father read the trilogy when he was a teenager and since had found no other books to compare to them. I began this reading understanding more about the writer and the Anglo-Saxon world in general which made the events in this book to make even more sense and make Tolkien's achievement even greater.

For those of you who have been living under a rock for your lives, The Fellowship of the Ring is the first installment of a trilogy that depicts an epic adventure in Middle Earth, a land where hobbits (halflings), Man Kind, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, and other fantastic run amock.

This first book is a fantastic introduction and Tolkien really tries to make the reader feel how full this world is. There are paragraphs that show that everything in Middle Earth is connected, everyone having thoughts and histories all their own. This is something that really sets this series apart because of how vast an undertaking it is. Tolkien wrote the story for the language, not the language for the story as he was a linguist and medieval scholar. This tale really combined his two great loves, which is very evident upon reading because it is clear it was a work that came out of much thought and plan.

Though Tolkien did not have the entire plot planned upon first writing, he did eventually make up such a vast world that three ages of history were recorded. The small details often go missed without reading secondary material, but no question was left unanswered... except perhaps what the purpose of Tom Bombadil really is to the whole thing.

While the beginning may appear slow, there are so many quotable lines in this book that you can't help but continue. Constantly are you wanting to know will happen next in this world where anything seems to be possible.

The call back to classic Anglo-Saxon literature is one that is very apparant when this series is read with that in mind. The Anglo-Saxon culture saw exile as the worst thing that could happen to a person and community as the only way to survive. In The Lord of the Rings this idea is continued and turned on its head a bit as exile is chosen, and spoken against. Characters choose to go alone, the Fellowship is eventually broken, but no worries, after all "not all those who wander are lost..."

If you're a fan of epics, Tolkien, the LOTR movies, or would like to view Tolkien's turn on Anglo-Saxon literature this series cannot be missed!

If you love epic adventures, daring sword fights, a prince in disguise! (As Belle from Beauty and the Beast would say...) You need not look any farther, because Tolkien has it all here for you!

Highly, highly recommended.