The Return of the King

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!