Is Lord of the Rings worth reading?

[Valley of Death - Member]

I've seen the movies and enjoyed them, but not as much as everyone else. I think its because for some reason I feel like the movies don't take me into middle earth. Obviously I cant start a new series or book before I do multiple reads on aMoL But after that, is it worth it to read the books? When I am watching the movies I can't stand Frodo, he is just so annoying but I love the other non Frodo and Sam characters.

[John E. Kelley - Member]

The books are more than worth it. For world-building, Tolkien is one of, if not the, best. If you didn't feel pulled into Middle Earth in the movies, you will reading the books.

 

And Sam is easily one of the top five fantasy characters ever written. I hear ya about Frodo however.

[Rasheta Ardashir - Member]

*agrees with Ishy* I'm not a fan of Frodo, but Tolkien is the godfather of fantasy. Everyone else has been inspired by him. Although if you haven't read it the Hobbit is a good starting point, he's less wordy in the Hobbit and the story was written for children so its less "deep" then LoTR is.

[Lenlo - Member]

Id say its worth it to read the books they are amazing. As a warning though the worst thing you will run into though his Tolkien describing scenes. I swear he loves it to much. 2 pages for a scene is abit crazy.

[dicetosser1 - Member]

too much for a scene says someone who read RJ lol

 

 

You gotta read the books but my advice is to start with the Hobbit. You miss out on things otherwise.

 

 

Also  Frodo is only there so that Sam has someone to save !!

 

Sam ftw!!  I also really like Merry and Pippin after they meet Treebeard  before that they are just ok

[Wren Sedai - Member]

Tolkien isn't a page-turner.  He's a story-teller and his stories are the kind that are told over a warm fire with friends and a tobacco pipe.  In terms of plot or description, there are better written books but I guess I don't read Tolkien for word variety or vivid descriptions.  I could go into a goof-ball schpeel about character growth, wisdom literature and *cue sitar music* the spiritual journey but I don't think I could keep a straight face in the process.  Still, if you read Lord of the Rings with those things in mind, you'll walk away with something like insight and not a lot of fantasy material offers that.

[Turin Turambar - Member]

I say they are certainly worth reading. I found book Frodo more sad than annoying. In the movies he is.

 

As is the case with all good books, they are nearly always better than the film. LotR us as well. Besides, then you can experience the awesome of Silmarillion.

[Treebeard - Member]

I say they are certainly worth reading. I found book Frodo more sad than annoying. In the movies he is.

 

As is the case with all good books, they are nearly always better than the film. LotR us as well. Besides, then you can experience the awesome of Silmarillion.

Silmarillion is good ( my favourite (maybe) of the books Tolkien wrote) but it is as my family who i have bullied to read at least the first page - it can be dull in the extrem and the lague is like an old ( very old) history book . ( in their opinion at least :( )  

[SesameTree - Member]

Most of the cliches in modern fantasy come from Tolkien.

 

Elves, orks, dwarves all came from him. And like many here said he is unsuprassed in describing a world.

 

I would reccomend you to try out Silmarilion, even though it is very different from the rest of the books.

 

[Agitel - Member]

It depends on how much of a reader you are. Tolkien writes in an elevated style which some may find difficult to read or immerse themselves into. It's a bit different than contemporary fiction. With that said, Tolkien was really my first foray into the fantasy genre and I love it to pieces. I'd understand if it's not somebody's thing, though. What Tolkien truly loved were languages and inventing them. To some degree the story itself is inspired by Tolkien's love for languages and his desire to create a setting and background for them.

 

FELLOWSHIP starts off a little slow -- the beginning is a bit of a hurdle, though once your past I think you'll fall in love. I would suggest reading The Hobbit, first. This story was written for children, but it's not too long, is an easy read, was appreciated by Tolkien's contemporary peers, and provides some background for the whole universe and the events that set LotR in motion, anyway. Plus, it would be new to you, unless you've seen the newest movie, and even then you have only seen the first half or so.

Edited December 20, 2012 by Agitel

[Hallow - Member]

Lord of the Rings is great, although it's probably my least favorite of the "main" books set in Middle Earth (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, The Unfinished Tales and Children of Hurin).

 

PS: Incidentally that's the reading order I'd recommend for the books as well.

[Hagazussa - Member]

I am a bit ashamed that I as a huge fantasy fan have never read Lord of the Rings, I have tied so many times but while the story is great I find them written in a boring way so I end up putting the book away before finishing again and again, however so many others love this book so I think that it is definitely worth a read, I am in the minority who do not really care that much for the book and prefer the movies.

[Agitel - Member]

I am a bit ashamed that I as a huge fantasy fan have never read Lord of the Rings, I have tied so many times but while the story is great I find them written in a boring way so I end up putting the book away before finishing again and again, however so many others love this book so I think that it is definitely worth a read, I am in the minority who do not really care that much for the book and prefer the movies.

 

How far into the books did you get? It's perfectly fine if it wasn't to your tastes. If you stopped early, though, I have to say it picks up once the Fellowship leaves Rivendell.

[Hagazussa - Member]

I have gotten to the part when they got to Rivendell, thank you for the advice I will try to read a bit further from that then and see if I like the books better a little further into them.

[Red2111 - Member]

so, on friday i went and saw the Hobbit. then Sat, TBS was running a LotR's marthon. i've actually never seen the movies, but found myself watching, concurrently the last half of fellowship and then the other two.

 

upside is, its got me wanting to read the series, as i never did get past Elronds in Fellowship and have heard many people say the same as Agitel. bad news, i have to re-buy the first book, as many year ago my cat knocked the book into the toilet in an attempt to steal my book mark.

[Jhirrad - Donor]

Yes /endthread

 

Seriously, they are canon and should never be skipped.

[zshadez - Member]

I found LoTR amazing reads for when I couldn't fall asleep at night. 2-3 pages and I was out. :D

[Black-veiled Aiel - Member]

Absolutely! a must read. Tolkien and Jordan - no other writers have ever gotten me so immersed in their worlds.

 

 

As has already been mentioned, Start with the hobbit to get some background, then LOTR. The Silmarillion is the best of the lot.

 

 

[bimber - Member]

hmm dunno i would suggest going with Silmarillion first since it is the beginning and creation of Middle earth...yes many dont like it coz it starts boring as hell and very hard to keep going as its basicly a history book but once you keep pushing and pass the boring parts you'll unmask a jewel that you will love and i cant keep thanking myself that i didnt stop reading it coz it was so worth it at the end :)

 

also IMO its better after it to jump on Children of Hurin then on Hobbit and leave Lotr for last as its the last story so more things will make sense 

[Ashaman Valen - Member]

From what I remember of reading them, they are not the easiest reads. I went through the first two books pretty quickly, but I had trouble getting through the last one. It's been over 10 years since I read them but I definitely recommend them.

[Darksmoon - Member]

Lord of the Rings is a must read for Fantasy readers.  Tolkien laid the ground work for fantasy today.

[Northoceanbeach - Member]

Wow! I clicked the post and expected myself to be the lone post that found the books hard to get into. I figured everyone woul be a diehard Tolkien fan!

 

I saw the movies first. Wish I hadn't. Fridco is better in the book. Sometimes it's like that iffy don't like the actor or the way the actor portrays the character.

 

I don't like Sam that much either but once I got into the books and I had started and stopped twice previously I've got to say they are as famous as they are for a reason.

 

You won't regret it. I think Sam and frodo's relationship strange, but I also don't like the way women are in WoT. But I like them anyways.