The Return of the King

WHY: My cousin's royal blue ‘Voyager Classics' edition of ROTK has sat on my bookshelf for almost a decade, next to a fat FOTR movie tie-in edition of the LOTR. With uni break, lockdown, my girlfriend's reminiscence and that annual itch for an Extended Edition rewatch I decided to finally finish the literary trilogy that I struggled with so long ago due to its pacing and detail, and found myself pleasantly surprised with how epic this was.
DIFFERENCES: Since most are already aware/ others have covered it before, I'll instead recap the differences between the film adaptation and this genre classic - spoilers ahead! The war with Aragorn and ring with Frodo storylines are split between Books 5 and 6 respectively in ROTK. Book 5 picks up with Gandalf en route to Minas Tirith with Pippin, warned by the Palantir and Saruman from TTT of the danger coming to Gondor. They spot the lit beacons on their way, and Beregond and his son Bergil serve the Steward Denethor who is not mad but tired from warring with Sauron through his seeing stone. Meanwhile Theoden is already mustering the Rohirrim to arrive, and our favourite multi-race trio takes the paths of the dead alongside the very cool Grey Company of the Dunedain (rangers from the North). Everyone meets in combat with a change of wind and there is a whole other Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, a whole other group & city! Whilst this beefed-up storyline ends on a depressing cliffhanger, Sam is attempting to rescue Frodo from the clutches of an orc stronghold. Together they embark through Mordor and orc-company swinging from depressed to happy, reaching Orodruin in a surprisingly fast manner. There is a lot more wrap-up when compared to the films, describing the House of Healing, coronation and lengthy walk back to the Shire. As the elves and Mithrandir depart Middle-Earth, the hobbits face a final trial by taking back the Shire from Sharkey (aka Saruman). Frodo is severely shaken from the tolls of the ring, and finally departs Middle-Earth in peace.
WRITING: But wait! It doesn't end there. Like a literary paper, Tolkien added the Appendices. These are honestly insane, describing the history of Middle-Earth and whole bloodlines of Kings and Hobbits. We find out more about what happened to all of the fellowship members years after the LOTR, especially Aragorn whose backstory (including his romance with Arwen and travels to the North and South) is tantalisingly covered. I will admit I skipped through the entry on language, as the extremely thorough explanations just failed to add value to me, although I definitely appreciate their existence. These all just reframed to me how beautiful Tolkien's writing could be, and made me respect all the small details from his comprehensive worldbuilding.
WHO: Having read a lot of modern novels recently, it was refreshing to experience Tolkien's at times poetic and unabashedly detailed writing, in what I feel was the strongest entry in the trilogy - it is highly cathartic in one of the darkest times possible. For me, the final ranking stands: Hobbit > B4 > B5 > B6 > B3 > B2 > B1. What surprised me the most was that I am now keen to read the surrounding lore through the Silmarillion and the rest of Tolkien's works!
—
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”“There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same; for I shall not be the same. I am wounded with knife, sting, and tooth, and a long burden. Where shall I find rest?”“Well, here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace!”Then a great beauty was revealed in him, so that all who after came there looked on him with wonder; for they saw the grace of his youth, and the valor of his manhood, and the wisdom and majesty of his age were all blended together. And long there he lay, an image of the splendour of the Kings of Men in glory undimmed before the breaking of the world.

Yeah, I never thought I'd cry reading this book but I did. Twice.

The book picked up almost at a bit of weird place, where The Two Towers left off. Pippin has gone ahead with Gandalf to Gondor, Merry is left with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and the Riders of Rohan, and Frodo is now in the custody of Mordor orcs while Sam ventures to save him. Sauron is already on the alert, mustering up all the armies of Mordor to march upon Minas Tirith in Gondor.

There were parts of this book that I skimmed, particularly the battle scenes which I wasn't a huge fan of. The bits where Tolkien goes on for pages describing the scenery and landscape through which our adventurers are traversing is still happening in this book, but instead of whimsical and beautiful places like the forests of Lothlorien or the Old Forest of Tom Bombadil, we're generally getting the dark, stifling, ugly crags and deserts of Mordor, so those were much harder to read as well.

So yes, while I did skim through some parts of this book, it also had so many beautiful, heart-warming, uplifting, or just hilarious parts.

I loved the Macbeth-ish part when, during the battle at the siege of Gondor, the Nazgul said, "No living man may hinder me!" and Dernhelm is like, "*But no living man am I! You look upon a woman. Eowyn I am, Eomund's daughter." And then she just swoops in and smites some Ringwraith ass. I love that we had two characters (Eowyn and Merry) that all the other warriors and men were like, eh stay at home and don't hinder us during the battle, who actually rose to the occasion and slayed them some Nazgul.

More than ever, I love the hobbits. All four of them. I love how, even though they've seen and been through some really horrible shit, Merry and Pippin just stayed down to earth and drew their courage from the way they choose to lead their lives simply. This quote from Merry in particular, after he came out through a very dangerous time:

“But it is the way of my people to use light words at such times and say less than they mean. We fear to say too much. It robs us of the right words when a jest is out of place.” - Book 5, Chapter 8 “The Houses of Healing”

choose

Firstly, when Frodo and Sam (or really mostly Sam) have destroyed the Ring and they wake up in Gondor, and everyone's bowing to them, honouring them and going, "Praise the Ring-bearers! Praise them with great praise!". I love that you have a story with all kinds of awesome, great people that could've been heroes of their own stories any day - valiant warriors, noble kings, powerful wizards, immortal and wise elves, hardy dwarves, etc. but in the end it's up to these humble, almost powerless hobbits to save the day. They have no powers, no strengths except that of will, and even that wavered sometimes, and really nothing special to make them "the Chosen One", they were just simply caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. But they persevered and made it through and saved everyone's asses. And it's not like they had superhuman strength of mind - both Frodo and Sam wavered so hard, whether in terms of how difficult the journey was or how they became tempted by the Ring. They both contemplated just giving up, especially the closer they got to Mordor. But they didn't - and they made it through! And I felt so hard the strength of their achievements, and I love how ordinary Tolkien wrote them.

I don't think it needs to be very much explained why this chapter made me cry. The bit when Frodo made his goodbyes to Sam, and they realised that they must be parted forever. And then when Gandalf said, "Here at last, dear friends, on the shores of the Sea comes the end of our fellowship in Middle-earth. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil." OH MAN. OHHHH MAN. Just typing it out makes me cry all over. It just felt like I'm on that journey with them and now it's ending and fdslajfdkls;fjkl;asdjfdls;a dissolves in a puddle of feelings

Finished my very first reading of The Lord Of The Rings this week. I phrase it this way, because when it ended, I knew I wanted to turn right back around and read it again - so I feel like I'll come back to it in a few years. I loved this third book, and felt like it was maybe the noteworthy in terms of “new experience” for me, since the films deviate in many places from this one. Sam's more central role within the story here was delightful, and the entire post-Mordor return trip home (and dealing with what had happened there) was a nice way to close the narrative.

For anyone that's interested in the audiobook experience, narrator Robert Inglis did a fantastic job, and there's a good reason they are so revered. In the 1970s and 80s, Inglis wrote, produced and acted in one-man stage dramatisations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. These performances have been described as “award winning”, and his book readings reflect this passion. I'm convinced Jackson's films took some notes from his reading. Though a more standard reading than a dramatic production, Inglis filled every character's voice with unique personality and consistency, and his singing of the songs (which both he and the producer take credit for writing the melodies to) was absolutely charming.

Okay, what am I going to say about this book that hasn't been said before besides the fact that everything you've heard about it is true? I always had trouble reading through Fellowship, but I think it just wasn't the right time for me to touch Lord of the Rings in general. Plus, as everyone seems to indicate, Fellowship is the building blocks for the journey ahead and is also maybe the weakest link in the series.
Anyhow, that all seems really silly now because the collective whole of Lord of the Rings is absolutely incredible and this ending solidifies that. Tolkien meets every lofty expectation as a master of his craft, creating believable and alive characters that by the end truly feel like friends facing ridiculous odds who you feel stupidly attached to. I especially love the themes of hope and perseverance; they really resonated. It's worth noting that I listened to the Andy Serkis audiobook, too, and boy does that man make everything come all the more alive.

This book sometimes feels like it will never end for me. I struggled with some of the detail in the aftermath of the battle. Listening to the audio, I found Rob Inglis to be a fantastic reader. Names, songs, he does them all without missing a beat.

So how does one write a review for an iconic book released after this time with so many other reviews? I suppose I can only say what it means to me. Reading this series is an epic journey for me as a slow reader. Listening to the audiobook makes it more attainable.

As I get older, I see more and more how Middle Earth is influenced by small, insignificant acts performed by seemingly insignificant people. I see how those who saw themselves as helpless came to find bravery in their own fashion, away from the safety of home, that enabled them to make a better world at home. I hope to encourage my boy, that he will find his time and his strength to make his world a better place.

An excellent conclusion to the granddaddy of all fantasy trilogies! I will confess that this is my first reading of this book, and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed the parts of the book that did not make the movie, along with the elaboration of some things that were skimmed over in the book. I liked getting a more complete picture of Denethor, instead of the Peter Jackson version. It greatly helped to see why he was the way he was. I also enjoyed a different version of Pippen, one not so clumsy.

I'm not sure I saw Aragorn as desperate to take his throne, at least not to the degree that some other sources have claimed. Especially where he first refused to enter the city with his banner until invited.

The indexes at the end were a nice touch. I had read before how detailed Tolkien made his world, but until I read that I hadn't seen this, and the material used from them to flesh out the movies was extraordinary!

Overall, an excellent read. I little tough based on modern reading patterns, especially in the indexes, but well worth it!

What a spectacular ending to this most epic of stories!

It started with atmosphere of dread and high tension, went through tough battles - both on the marching fields and internally in the minds of our heroes, and concluded with one of the most thorough and meaningful endings.

“I tried to save the Shire and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them.”

I cried, I rejoiced, I felt understood, and I found so much meaning.

I have loved the story of The Lord of the Rings for the vast majority of my life, but I have never respected it more and I have never understood it better.

Clearly I'm in the minority here but this was just okay. I understand that it was written in 1955 and completely respect that it has inspired the fantasy genre as a whole since then, but as an actual story to consume its just not the style I enjoy. I'm glad it read the series as they are classics by this point in history but I'm happy to stick to the films, because they are the rare examples of the films being better than the books!

Summary of Trilogy: A hobbit named Frodo Baggins must go on a journey with his friend Samwise Gamgee to destroy a ring that, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, could be the end of the happy world they know. They are helped by a crew that includes two more hobbits, a wizard, and elf, a dwarf, and a couple of humans. It is a tale of friendship, self-sacrifice, and bravery.

Takeaway: Genre defining book, theologically more revealing than I think Tolkien intended. 

There is nothing that I can really write that hasn't been already written, and written better, about the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I am not a superfan. I have read the Hobbit three times I believe, but I think this is only my second reading of the trilogy and my previous reading was more than 20 years ago.

I decided to start the series because the Andy Serkis narrated audiobook was on sale at Audible. I had previously listened to the Rob Inglis version of The Hobbit, but several friends have raved about Serkis' version. Inglis' version is excellent, but I do think that Serkis' version is probably a little bit better. My only complaint about the Serkis version is that when listening with headphones, which is how I tend to listen, the dynamic range was a bit too broad. I understand why the dynamic range is wide, but I tend to listen when I am walking or doing chores around the house, and changing the volume is annoying.

I alternated between audio and kindle. I listened to good portions of the first and third books while reading the second almost exclusively. Song is so much a part of the writing that I am tempted to say that the books should be listened to primarily, but audiobooks do take longer than reading. I don't know how they prepared for the songs, but the singing portions were very well done with appropriate melodies and emotion. It does communicate a very different culture and I think that is part of why the songs are so important to the books.

I was musing on Twitter that war is my least favorite part of the trilogy. And by the end, there are far fewer battle scenes than I had remembered, probably because the battle scenes are so memorable from the movies. It is the quest and friendships that make the story, not the battles.

As I said I am not a Tolkien scholar. I have never read a biography of Tolkien and I have never read a commentary book on the Lord of the Rings, although I do have Fleming Rutledge's book and plan on reading that one. But I have understood that Tolkien did not think he was writing a “Christian” story and did not like people suggesting that there were Christian allegories in the books. That being said, I think that there is a lot of theology. Christian obligation and calling to do good and work toward justice, even if it is personally difficult is throughout. The concept of the way sin breaks not just personal, but social systems is very well illustrated. And the way that even good people with real virtue can be corrupted by access to power. The right use of power and the corruption that power brings is a very significant theme. I think there is some irony to Tolkien talking so openly about power and systems in the trilogy and the fact that there is so much controversy about the “Marxist” roots of that discussion today. There is also a nearly Christian sense of providence or election throughout the books without any referenced God or prophecy that was directing.

One critique is how much Tolkien uses the colors black and white to mean good and evil, and then references how people look to correspond with their goodness or evilness. The bible also uses black and white colors as a reference to good and evil, but the people of scripture were various shades of brown. There was no one in scripture that we would today call “White”. But the trilogy frequently speaks of the beauty and light skin and hair of virtuous characters and of the dark skin of the evil characters. In the context of our racialized history and racial hierarchy, the uniformity of Tolkein's descriptions suggests that there was an underlying understanding of race that was connected to sin in the books even if it was not explicitly described as racialized.

Early on in the books, the fighting was almost entirely between humans/hobbits/elves on the one side and orcs/trolls/other evil creatures on the other. That led to a more lightness, joking quality to the fighting. As time went on, the horrible reality of war was more clearly described. The way that war can impact people over a lifetime was communicated and as many have suggested, I do think Tolkien's experience with WWI was carried through. The broad anti-industrial language also likely reflects the reality of pollution in the UK during Tolkien's life. But I never really understood what these factories were doing other than creating pollution. They did not seem to be producing good, but only darkness. And maybe that was the point.

I think I probably need to read this trilogy again because it is designed to have layers of meaning. I know many people have read it 10 or more times. I won't ever read it that often. But I do think that I need to read it at least one more time. Maybe with my kids in a few years.

“I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.” Well, I'm glad you feel that way Gandalf, because I'm definitely weeping! Ugh, I knew this was going to fuck me up and I STILL reread it. Will no doubt finish my tandem rewatch of the trilogy and sob some more. Especially since the last time I encountered this story I did not have the background regarding the author's war time experience and that context just makes the whole thing ache a little more. It features such a poignant portrait of a person who came back from strife he felt a duty to defend against, to find that after loss and trama and injury, he can't rejoin his life as he did before, even if the evil was defeated. And now for more Kleenex! 😭Having the three volumes fresh in my mind makes me marvel at how strong an impact the ending had, because so much of the action of the second and third books doesn't involve Frodo at all, and yet it's his fate that turns on the waterworks. The time of Merry with the Rohirrim and Pippin with Gondor are perhaps the most captivating sections of the whole series for me.  For a while there it starts to feel like Aragorn's series, and then any bit with Eowyn happens and I want more of her! Between the books and recent rewatch of Two Towers my main question about the almost thing with her and Aragorn is whether she actually wanted him, or wanted to BE him? Ride to glory, be a warrior and king. All the gender(role) feels.I am grateful to the films for giving Arwen a more prominent part, as she feels a bit too tacked on to the end as a love interest in the books. While we're on the subject of things done differently, the emphasis on bloodlines and rightful kings doesn't do much for this modern reader, though when it comes to questionable content, the use of slur-adjacent physical descriptors associated with certain ethnic groups being attributed exclusively and repeatedly to various mosters/villains is at least as big a racist red flag. Too easy to picture passages being coopted for skeevy white supremacist motives, even if that was in no way Tolkien's intention. Objects being used for good or evil and the tendency to corrupt (rings, palantir) is a running theme in the series. I suppose books run the same risk, though the interpreter of the text has at least as much power as the book itself. Take care what messages you take away.