Lord of the Rings is over-rated

[animus]

The Hobbit was a far better book.

[BrainFireBob]

Reads as flame-bait, but what the hell?

 

The LOTR wasn't written as fantasy literature or fiction- but more properly as mythological fiction. Should be read in comparison to other mythologies.

[ironcross]

hobbit was a better book......if your a little kid.

[Ozhammer]

The Hobbit was a far better book

Wasnt it made up of three books anyway???

[Nimrod]

When I first saw the title I thought you meant the movies adn was going to agree with you.

 

As for the books, I disagree. The Hobbit was equally as good as the others and should probably be considered one and the same with them.

 

Taken as a whole though the Tolkien books and a few others are the foundations on which every respectable fantasy novel is based. They are the giants whose shoulders the likes of Jordan and Eddings are standing on.

[animus]

The very fact that it is foundation on which respectable fantasy novels are based is reason enough to consider it over-rated. Perhaps if it was a two book story it could have been saved, but instead it was a third filler. There were several points which not only distracted from the story but were boring as well.

[BrainFireBob]

So, once something is imitated, it ceases to have excellence, even if the imitations are not to the same quality?

 

Also, the "boring" parts are there for a reason. If bored, perhaps one didn't catch on to their purpose?

[SqueeEGA]

Also, the "boring" parts are there for a reason. If bored, perhaps one didn't catch on to their purpose?

 

this is an excellent point to be made to anyone who thinks WoT becomes slow and/or boring in the middle. 

 

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To say Tolkein is over rated is like saying 'The Wizard of Oz' was over rated b/c it was the first movie in color.  the fact that it was the first full color movie doesnt take away from the fact that its an excellent movie, especially when watched to Dark Side of the Moon. 

 

To say that Tolkein was over rated is like saying The Beatles are over rated b/c they were at the beginning of the psychodelic movement.  Pink Floyd, Phish, Dream Theater, Tool, and a hundred other bands, probably more, are more psychodelic than the beatles, but the beatles helped kick it off.

 

To say Tolkein is over rated is like saying that modern humans are more intelligent than ancient humans because we have computers and cars and Ipods, but without the innovations of the ancients we would not be where we are.  Granted if not for the blasphemy, ingnorence, and bigotry of the ancients we could be much further than we are, but that doesnt take away from the fact that knowledge and innovation are compounded over the years. 

 

The first gun doesent compare to the guns we have now, but that doesnt degrade the significance of the first one.

 

art started as crude cave drawings, and now http://www.babainstitute.org/alex3.jpg

http://www.futurehi.net/images/cosm_oversoulweb.jpg

http://www.alexgrey.com/

 

i rest my case.

[Zachary]

Reads as flame-bait, but what the hell?

 

The LOTR wasn't written as fantasy literature or fiction- but more properly as mythological fiction. Should be read in comparison to other mythologies.

 

That is an excellent thought. Now I see what the difference is of LotR to the Hobbit. I never exactly understood why I prefered the Hobbit to LotR, but yes, now I understand.

 

That being said, I'd just like to mention he's not bashing Tolkien, just Lord of the Rings, so I don't think talking about what Tokien's books have done for the genre, just what Lord of the Rings has done. But that's just my thoughts on the matter.

[Corbett]

lord of the rings is a great story, course it doesnt hold a candle to Wot, but thats besides the point. i just cant read tolkien. love the story but cant seem to read it.

[Tenshin_Xo]

The Hobbit was a far better book

Wasnt it made up of three books anyway???

 

In a very very technical way, its actually 6 books, but it was and is published in 3 volumes. ;)  Also according to the books themselves, The Hobbit isn't strictly a prequel to LotR, but the first volume of it.  Its all part of what is called the "Red Book of the Westermarch" is it not?

 

LotR is arguably what was meant to be the 'crowning jewel' of the world he started in the Hobbit.  Nearly everything else was meant to flesh out the details of what was mentioned in LotR. 

[safireblueyedwolfpup]

*yawns*  read all the books, watched all the movies.  I like them all the same.  They are all very good reads and watches.  And while the movie does like to "moviefy" some moments, compared to what some movies have done to existing books they didn't do a terrible job.

[Zachary]

Reads as flame-bait, but what the hell?

 

And judging from what I've seen, if you want some real flame-bait go to General Book Discussion and start a thread named "Why Terry Goodkind's SoT Blows WoT Out of the Water, Without a Doubt."

 

And then state that Terry Goodkind writing aMoL would truly make the series complete, and help flesh out a world that has, until then, been sadly flat and simple.

 

I'm actually tempted to do that, too, just to see people's heads explode.

[deansn]

The first three books of Wheel of Time (or even just the first) made into movies would be much more exciting than the LotR. Better eye candy, even.

 

If you would consider the highlights:

 

- Some hints about DR, raven, crows. Gleeman show. Peddler. Ageless look. In other words, very good introduction.

 

- The Eye of the World beginning with a trolloc raid on EF, fireballs!

 

- Moiraine stopping the fade and trollocs using earth!

 

- Min seeing images above the three's heads, then Moiraine use the image weave

 

- Shadar Logoth, Mashadar, trollocs dying to Mashadar, Fain + Mordeth

 

- Rand + Mat interactions on the road to Caemlyn, Thom fighting fade

 

- Perrin + Egwene with Tinkers and Aram and Elyas and wolves and Children

 

- Nynaeve with Moiraine

 

 

So much... Didn't even reach Caemlyn to see Elayne, Gawyn, Galad, Logain, Morgase, Elaida, Loial. The ruby dagger. The Ways. Machin Shin!

 

Fal Dara. Blight. Green Man. Eye of the World. Battle!

 

 

Sadly, the problem lies in the length of incorporating everything though.