Lord of the Rings 1. The Fellowship of the Rings The Lord of the Rings v.1

It’s not easy to rate this book. I LOVE the LotR universe as its portrayed in the films which is why there’s soo much nostalgia already clinging to the story. Nonetheless, I’ll try to review this as fair as possible. Tolkien knows how to paint a picture of the surroundings the characters (and the reader alongside) find themselves in. The scenes were coming alive in my head and I could picture the small village of Bree and the wonderous forrest of Lothlórien so clearly. The fact that these pictures were quite different to the way Peter Jackson invisioned those places makes Tolkiens way of describing even more amazing. Also, I love, love, LOVE the way Tolkien writes characters because he gives them each a very unique 'voice'. It was very refreshing to read of a Frodo who’s not quite so withdrawn and who takes initiative himself every now and then. Gandalf is just as amazing as he was in The Hobbit and even Bilbo felt familiar. Pippin and Mery get to be so much more than the comical relieve and Boromir felt even more human. Even the Orcs were more tangible and seemed more cognisant. Aragorn is the only one whom I’d wished Tolkien had written a bit more like Jackson had made him. Still, I’m in awe at how you can always tell who’s speaking or thinking, as the characters are so well established and developed within the story. The one thing that has me give this book 4/5 stars is the pacing. To me, this should have been a bit tighter - even though I know that writing styles were different all these years ago. But, as I want to be as objective as I can be with this review I have to point that out. Quite a few scenes would have benefitted from a bit more action and a tighter pacing. I’m quite sure we would have learned about the characters just as well as with his approach. The first half, especially, dragged on quite a bit. Ultimately, it’s an AMAZING fantasy story and I can’t wait to read the second and third book in the series!

Ich liebe die Filme und auch die Bücher und nach langen Jahren dachte ich kaufe ich mir endlich mal die Triologie auf Englisch. Das Buch ist wunderbar, aber nach wenigen Tagen hatte das schöne schwarze Cover schon die ersten Macken (die leider nicht aus sorglosem handling entstanden sind, sondern alleine schon durch das Lesen), die leider super auffällig sind. Das Cover ist ja eigentlich schwarz, sobald aber ein kleiner Knick entsteht (zB. beim Lesen) schimmert der weiße Untergrund durch. Nach nur 2 Wochen sind also die Ecken, der Buchrücken etc. Übersäht von weißen Punkten und "aufgeschabten" Stellen, wodurch das eigentlich neue Buch aussieht, als wäre es Uralt. Vielleicht muss ich dann einen Einband basteln um wenigstens den 2. Und 3. Band zu schützen. Die sind ja leider genauso hergestellt. Die Geschichte an sich ist und bleibt trotzdem eines meiner Liebsten "old classics", die ich immer wieder gerne lese. :)

** slight spoilers ** // Lord of the Rings. How to describe it. It truly is the idea, the story, the world that is the blueprint for every Fantasy story since. Tolkien's world building is amazing which comes through especially in this third novel, as it connects everything and gives the reader this oversight and insight. I enjoy the richness of the descriptions as it emerges you into the world of Middle Earth. But not just his detailed lore and history pulls you in (granted, it also demands perseverance), his overall skill with telling a story and developing characters and circumstances is something to marvel at. Aragorn finding his way from Dúnedain to Ranger to King was just wonderful to read .I'd still go as far as to say that he was portrayed a smidge better in the movies. Which is a fact I can't say for any other character, since they've gained so much depth with the books. I especially enjoyed following the development of Gimmli's and Legolas' friendship, and also the relationship between Frodo and Sam, Mery and Pippin. One of the best parts of this story, imo, is the end. Maybe that's because it was so new, seeing as we don't get much of this part in the films, but it signified once more how wise and good Frodo was, how much had to be done after the big war, and it gave us a much more satisfying end to Saruman. One thing I didn't understand is Eowen's victory over the witch-king of Angmar. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Tolkien wrote Eowen as a woman who wants to fight herself, who finds meaning in fighting for what is dear to her. Still, the hook with "Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!" and her being able to kill him because she's no man but a woman felt flimsy. To me the meaning of "no living man may hinder me" lies in the word "living" not "man". With the fact, that the words "man" and "men" also stand for "human" and "humans" (even more in older literature) I always felt it wasn't so much a question whether or not the witch-kings opponent was a man or a woman but rather that there's just no living human power that could harm/hinder him. Maybe I'm wrong on that and I find something that explains this further in some of Tolkien's many other books - or someone can enlighten me :) Nonetheless, I massively enjoyed the story on a whole and particularly this third book, and I think every Fantasy genre reader should read at least the story of Lord of the Rings (1-3) and maybe The Hobbit.

J.R.R Tolkiens "lord of the Rings" is definitly a classic and a must-read for fantasy-lovers. I read these books every year and fall in love with Middleearth once again every time! Nothing will ever beat this series for me...

Nach langem hin und her habe ich mich endlich doch dazu entschlossen die Kult-Reihe "The Lord of the Rings" von Tolkien zu lesen (bzw. zu hören). Ich kann "The Fellowship of the Ring" jedem Fantasy-Fan ans Herz legen!