LOTR..any good?

Question

Lord Of the Rings.. Shpuld I read it!? I have read good and bad reviews. Help. Give me your opinion.
Thanks
Merry Christmas :)

Answer 1

here's what happened to me.. i love reading. but sometimes it's hard for me to get into things w/ tedious prose. so i had tried to read LOTR Before the movies came out.. but i couldn't get past the 1st couple of pages! i watched the 1st movie, and i started reading the book again.

OMG it was a Totally different world~ peter jackson did SUCH a great job in shaping the characters, the background, the Shire, hobbits, orcs, gandalf, that suddenly the book came to LIFE in my imagination. so much in fact, that parts that weren't in the movie, i still imagined with the characters Frodo and Sam (from the movie!). i finished the trilogy after reading nonstop, and it was just amazing. if u've seen the movies, i really encourage u to read, it's so fun. and the parts Not in the movie are actually really awesome, like Tom Bombadil!!! :)

Answer 2

Lord of the Rings is the most widely read book except for the bible . . . would so many people read a bad book ?
The hard part of LOTR are all the names but if you see the movie first to get the hang of it, then reading the book will be easier AND there is way more stuff in the book than the movie.
Also you need to start with the prelude, the Hobbit . It was written for kids back in the 30s and is an easy start for kids . Then you can go on to LOTR .
It was the most fabulous book ever and should not be missed . You can do it !

Answer 3

I enjoyed the books. After reading LOTR I wanted more, so I read The Silmarilion and then The Hobbit. LOTR is an incredibly well crafted trilogy. The sheer amount of work and imagination that it took to create the world of Middle Earth, its inhabitants, their languages, and even songs, histories, etc...it's astounding. I have to admit, the better part of the first book is a little taxing to get through but if you can stick through it, it does pick up and then it's tough to put the books down. Definitely one of the best pieces of literature I've ever read.

Answer 4

I read allot and I must say that LOTR is one of the best that I have read. The text seems a little off when you first get started but give it a few chapters and you won't regret it! Ther is so much great stuff in the books that never made it to the movie. Be sure to read The Hobbit prior to the LOTR series.

Answer 5

The books are this absolute mine of genius, but they're poorly executed.

Pros:
They've got this fantastic story, they pretty much began the entire fantasy genre of modern fiction, they're practically required reading as far as video games are concerned. They have created an entire world and it's entrancing to see how much thought the man put into his books.

Cons:
The pacing of the plot is terrible and all of the books are frustrating to get through. Tolkien's poetry is sometimes good but mostly sucks and I caught myself skipping all the poems and songs and whatnot because it bored me. There are many points in the series where if you put the books down, you really aren'y inspired to pick them back up.

If you watched the movie and liked the story, then you should read the books. They are much more in-depth and if you read them then all of these little visuals that are never explained and throw-away references sudedenly make sense. The movies become much richer if you've read the books. I liked the movies more becuase I felt that they took all the brilliance of the books and packaged it better, but I wouldn't have been able to come to that decision if I hadn't read the books as well.

Start to read it, and if you can't get through it, then wait a couple of years and see if your tastes have changed. That happens to me a lot with classics like that.

Answer 6

Yes, though I would suggest reading the hobbit it first. It explains how Bilbo got the ring. Great books, though admittedly rather long. I first read them when I was 11, and have reread the more times then I can out.

P.S I agree whole-hearted with Meagan, many books I couldn't get through i tried later and loved, and the poetry and songs do kinda lag a bit, but you don't have to read them, it doesn't affect the story.

Answer 7

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are classics and yes you should read them. Even if you are not into fantasy type books.
It is my understanding that the newer box set is not very good quality and maybe you should pick up something older at a used book store.

Answer 8

I have only read the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring) but I enjoyed it very much. Why not start reading it and see? You can always stop if it (Lord of the Rings) doesn't suit you.

Answer 9

There is a definite difference between the movie versions and the books, so don't expect to really compare one with the other. The books are more detailed of course, but the movies really took the meat of the books and translated it well to the screen. Reading the books is definitely worth it, with the movies improving much overall.


Thomas

Answer 10

I started reading LOTR after reading Harry Potter, at the beginning it was difficult getting into it. It took me many days just to get past the prologue; but after a few chapters I got hooked.