The Fellowship of The Ring

The Lord of Rings is considered a classic among many fantasy novels and may be the reason we find fantasy such a great genre in this generation. However, the little action, and constant description of the land is not what many readers want to read in a book consisting of magical powers, powerful rings, colossal trolls, and elves. The Lord of the Rings starts you off in a small town in The Shire. Bilbo Baggins is celebrating his eleventy-first birthday and is going out with a bang. He plans to leave his rather large house to Frodo and wants to journey eastward with his dwarf friend. Bilbo has limitless money from an adventure that other hobbits consider strange, and he is thought to be very eccentric. Bilbo is kind and gives his money away but people are always wary. When he has his extravagant party he brings all his best friends and relatives to the house and announces his departure. At the end of his speech Bilbo magically disappears into thin air and everyone thinks this is part of the party so no one cares that he is gone. Bilbo sneaks into his house and meets Gandalf, who was awaiting his return. Gandalf says his farewells but really wants to talk about the ring that Bilbo has. Gandalf wants Bilbo to give him the ring, because he thinks Bilbo is becoming too dependent on it. At first Bilbo doesn’t want to give it up but in the end he gives the rings to Frodo and leaves for Rivendell. 17 years later Frodo, living his mansion alone, gets a guest. It’s Gandalf, who tells Frodo the origin of the Ring and tells him to venture away from The Shire and go to Rivendell. When Frodo leaves, 3 hobbits and loyal friends, “If by my life or death I can protect you, I will,” (said by Aragorn) join his company to get Frodo to Rivendell. Then the company adventures far and wide to restore order in the Middle Earth. 

           When you pick up a book called The Lord of The Rings you imagine great battles and action but is not exactly what you get. You get some action scenes but they are normally two to three paragraphs tops. In place of the missing action you get amazing descriptions of lands beyond your wildest dreams, characters that you could almost touch, and objects you feel like you could hold. Tolkien the author has amazing adverbs and adjectives. Writing descriptively and detailed is one of his many strengths. “The night deepened. There came the soft sound of horses led with stealth along the lane. Outside the gate they stopped, and three black figures entered, like shades of night creeping across the ground. One went to the door, one to the corner of the house on either side, and there they stood, as still as the shadows of stones, while night went slowly on. The house and the quiet trees seemed to be waiting breathlessly.” He also is great and definitely dedicated to creating world in which a reader will feel a part of and can imagine every little hill and plain in all of Middle Earth. My last strength Tolkien puts in his books is an amazing plot and mystery behind the adventure of Frodo. You can see the history and understand why Frodo has to do what he asked of by Gandalf. You are told in not only the introduction but also in the book the corruption the ring can do and understand why Gandalf doesn't want handle the ring. One strength I felt that was used too much and cost Tolkien a perfect book was the over using descriptive language. Tolkien describes every pebble and weed along the journey which just drags on the book and puts the reader in a dead state. "At the top, as high as Gandalf could reach, was an arch of interlacing letters in an Elvish character. Below, though the threads were in places blurred or broken, the outline could be seen of an anvil and a hammer surmounted by a crown with seven stars. Beneath these again were two trees, each bearing crescent moons. More clearly than all else there shone forth in the middle of the door a single star with many rays." This also keeps Tolkien from writing action scenes because he spent 50 pages on the scenery. This seems to be one of the biggest and only weaknesses blatantly evident in The Lord of the Rings.

Finally, everything considered The Fellowship of the Ring is an A- for trying to be too descriptive. The plot and history in the book is just astonishing and can really be considered a new world in itself. Readers can see this when Gandalf tells Frodo about the Ring and how it was made by Sauron. The characters and their development are progressive, unique, and relatable. Frodo has a strong will but bends to Sauron's will because he is mightier. Tolkien doesn't make Frodo some superman. Frodo also loses lots of weight throughout his journey. History in this book really contributes and can be found in the actions and decisions of many the characters. Instead of going through the top of the hills because of the old ancient god who has killed many in the past they went to Moria.  The book feels as if it is a living thing and you are watching from above as you travel into Middle Earth. Overall the book made the reader involved and definitely imaging a vast world, in the end it is a great read.