Why is Lord of the Rings such compulsive reading?

Answer 1

Hello skycat. i read Lord of the Rings years ago (1970?) with a couple of mates I used to trip with. I loved it. I bought it (then) in old money for £1.50. I loved the beginning, the middle and the end. I was totally entranced by it. I gave it to my father in law who thought it was a masterpiece, then tried it on my mother in law, who couldn't get on with it at all! I still have that old edition. I think Tolkien is superb. I still (at age 56) shiver at certain bits. My kids read it and loved it. This doesn't answer your question. It is just so magical, so mysterious, so different, so ABSOLUTELY COMPELLING. I have worked in a bookshop for 6 years and still nothing approaches it.

Answer 2

The Hobbit was very interesting, and a lot of fun to read, but it's also told in a very specific style: Tolkien kinda writes the thing as if he's sitting in front of a bunch of people, telling the story. It doesn't read like a usual book and some people I asked found it annoying. As for the books, they're also very interesting, but also very long. The first time I read the series I actually got bored and skipped halfway through the last book to the end. Then I began watching the movies, and after seeing the first two reread the series and found them to be quite different from the books. The books have a lot more adventure packed into them, little side-stories I guess you could call them since they didn't affect the main plot enough for the movie directors to have to include them, but I think it makes the books all the more interesting. Another reason you should read the books is because the portrayal of the hobbits (especially Frodo) is very different in the books than in the movies. In the movies Frodo seems like such a wimp; so do all the hobbits, really, but in the books it's a lot different. Go ahead and read all the books! Just keep in mind that for the LOTR series you're going to need a lot of time if you want to read them right after another.

Answer 3

The Lord of the Rings was the first series of books which created a totally believable fantasy world with fleshed out characters and history and languages. It was quite an achievement and, if you do manage to read them all, they will blow you away.

Having said that, I'd like to say that books like the Lord of the Rings could never get published today. The marketing department at the big publishing houses would simply throw up their hands and say "We can't market it." and they get the final say these days as to whether a book gets published or not.

Oh, you might be interested to know that the movies improved the books by cutting out the deadwood and integrating story lines Tolkien added in the Silmarillion to the movies. The whole romance between Arwen and Aragorn was in an appendix and not integrated into the story of The Lord of the Rings. I suggest you watch the movies FIRST, then take a stab at the books. There will be some chapters you can safely skip and others you'll want to read for more detail. Denethor's madness is better explained in the books and Saruman's fooling around with the Palantir.

Answer 4

I guess it hits different people at different times, and is compulsive for different reasons.

It is well written, overall, although Tolkien's style changes considerably from beginning to end - he gets more pedantic as the books go on.

I first read LoTR when I was about 11, and over the next few years I must have read it 14 or 15 times. Much as I still love the books, and thought the films were phenomenal, I find it very difficult to read the entire trilogy nowadays - I tend to pick up specific chapters rather than start at the beginning. Then again, I suppose I know it too well!

(By the way - note to "je t'adore" - Harry Potter and LoTR are *not in the least* similar. That isn't to say that if you've enjoyed one you won't enjoy the other; but don't embark on LoTR expecting it to be *anything* like HP)

Answer 5

Toilken created an absolute masterpiece the the years to come no one has able to create such an fantacy adventure.The Lord of the Rings is a classic

Answer 6

Tolkien was a really great writer of fantasy. If anybody has ever visted Moseley Bog Sarehole mill In Birmingham where the books was based upon. you would see how his imagination run wild an applied this in his writing. My parents live in the next road to the mill and its the most beautifull settings and surroundings there.

Answer 7

Why are the Potter fans always insisting that those books are as brilliant as the Lord of the Rings???
Please... first of all: Rowling stole a lot of her ideas from Tolkien (if you have read LotR, you KNOW it!!!). Potter is fun, but has not HALF the depth of LotR. It might be more popular because it is a "cheaper" version of it. Easier to read, to follow and to understand. Basically the children's version of the Tolkien books.
LotR is so much more than that. Stop comparing those books Potter fans. Especially, if you haven't even read Tolkien.

Answer 8

It takes us into another realm. It is fantasy with hobbits, humans, wizards, elves, orcs, and gollum. Tolkien was such a great writer that he made the Middle Earth so believable. I re-read them after seeing the excellent motion pictures.

Answer 9

It's not. It's a good story, but I hate Tolkien's writing style. I get bogged down in the battle details of The Two Towers every time I try to read it. Since the movies have been made, I've given up. Thank god for Peter Jackson.

Answer 10

Because the background creates a complete mythos. Tolkien was a language scholar, especially dealing in Old English. He translated several volumes. He first started off by creating a family of languages for his own amusement From this, he developed the history of Middle Earth. As a result, he had a consistent background for the development of his stories. This consistency draws you into his world. Although fantastic, it is believable. And he has the ability to create memorable characters and high drama. His use of language clearly shows that that is his field of expertise.

Harry Potter has a long way to go and will never have the high drama and longevity that Tolkien's work has.