Tolkien, J: Return of the King

** 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.

When I first saw the "Lord of the rings" - trilogy, I was fascinated by the illustration of the nature in "Middle-Earth" and of capital importance the whole plot. After watching the films, I took the three books up and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was overwhelmed by the extensive and laborious work of Tolkien. Of course, such novels with a potracting description of Frodo's journey to Mordor are not everyone's cup of tea, but I have enjoyed it. Very remarkable is the story line's intimately connection with all designed tongues by the author. Therefore, I maintain that Tolkien has redefined today's literature and his works show his love to languages as well as mythology. I hope my review could help you on and these books will be your choice.

Über Herr der Ringe ist schon mehr als genug geschrieben worden. Diese Ausgabe (50 J. Jubiläum) ist besonders schön gebunden und angenehm in der Hand.

Spannendes Buch, das auch in seinem Original gut lesbar ist. Jeder der das Original lesen will und Bücher auf Englisch erkunden will, kann zu dieser bescheidenen Ausgabe greifen.

It’s the second book in the trilogy and we definitely feel the darkness closing in. Not just on the obvious tag-along-pages of Frodo, Sam and Gollum but also with our friends fighting Saruman on various occasions in various intensity. We’ve left book one with a broken fellowship and are being brought along with Aragorn and co. in the first half of the book, and with Frodo’s small group in the second half. We get many examples of bravery, courage, friendship and wisdom but in my opinion there’s no-one quite as brave as Sam. He’s the youngest of the four Hobbits and also isn’t related to the other three (Frodo, Mery and Pippin are indeed related to one another). He’s Frodo’s gardener and holds him in high regard but he’s not gaining anything from his involvement - he’s basically traveling on an unpaid job. Throughout their journey, though, their friendship deepens and Sam keeps looking out for his master, keeps walking and never stops to amaze the reader with his fierce loyalty and his utter willpower. One thing I’ve enjoyed very much in this book was the depth many of the characters are written with (in contrast to the films). Frodo is such a cool characters in the book while I’m mostly bored with him during the films. Also, Faramir’s story and background is explored and explained much more which helps the reader grasping his character better. And then there’s Saruman who’s so much more imposing and threatening in the books. I loved how we get to see his way with words that makes him such an excellent enemy to look out for. I mean, he’s a wizard, so his powerful talk is not THAT surprising but I guess it’s just a part of him that’s not shown in the films. As to why it’s not a 5-star-read: There were quite a few tedious scenes - most of Treebeards appearances and also the battle of Helms Deep unfortunately. Similarly to the action packed scenes in book 1 this was just too bland for me - especially in comparison to the film. Ultimately, I loved reading about how our heroes tried to stand against the evil powers with all their flaws and skills/strengths. It shows what can be achieved when people face their fears, work together, and put aside differences and rather let their shortcomings be complemented by strengths of others.