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Dust off a seat and discuss a good book here...you do read, right?

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago

It’s been several years since I last read Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, so yesterday I decided it was time to give it a readthrough again, starting with The Hobbit.  Since the story is on my mind, I invite anyone who is interested to share their thoughts on the books – or the movies, if you’re more familiar with them.

Do you enjoy Tolkien’s books, or are you not so impressed?  If you traveled to Middle-Earth, where would you like to visit?  Anyone in particular you’d like to meet, or avoid?

Personally, I fell in love with the books when I first read them many years ago.  I’d gladly visit the Shire and meet the hobbits.  I’d also like to visit Tom Bombadil.  I found him quite the intriguing character.  It’s a pity he was cut when they made the movies, although I can understand why they chose to do so.

Any thoughts from you?

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago
I should give LotRs another go sometime too, it's been awhile. I don't think Tolkien himself thought as much of The Hobbit--it had to be a children's book to be publishable at the time when he obviously had far more ambitious things he wanted to write--but having read and reread it so many times as a kid is a big part of the reason I love it so much.

What the movies did to The Hobbit needless to say was horrifying to me on a lot of levels and I prefer to pretend they don't exist.

The Shire would still be a great place to visit though.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago

I wouldn't say the what the movies did to The Hobbit horrified me, exactly, although I would have been happier without all the changes, many of which seem to be to have been made simply to make three movies out of the book.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago
Kids who watch The Hobbit first are going to wonder how Legolas lost so many of his superpowers in between trilogies if nothing else.

LOTR trilogy honestly had enough material that even five or six movies would have made sense. But stuffing and stretching the slim standalone Hobbit into three three hour movies was ridiculous, and they're just...bloated and bad and completely off tonally so that most of the charm is gone.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago

I've only read the Hobbit and that was when I was a real youngling. I can't remember too much of what actually happened but I'm pretty sure the world influenced me a lot in my illustration. I had the movie thing? On VHS. Watched it religiously.

Wait, the Hobbit is a prequal, right? I just walked into my roomate's room and she has the entire collection in a neat little box. I'ma pounce on dat (right after I finish Narnia).

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago

Tolkien wrote The Hobbit first, and it covers events that took place bore LOTR.  They made the movies in the other order, though.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago
Throw some Redwall and Watership Down into the Narnia/Hobbit mix and that would be the ultimate nostalgia trip for me, wow.

I lent my old LOTR set out and never got it back, I guess it's time to get replacements for that empty spot on the shelf.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago

Loved Redwall as a youngling. Those books influenced me waaaay more than most anything else... For years, all I drew were mice with tiny swords. Had this program back in the day called "Little Authors" or something, I was elected every year. After reading Redwall, I only ever entered books about a Hedghog lady named Humney and her quest to restore the Hummingbird's Gentian crystal back to the royal family. There was a final fight with an evil shrike and everything. My sister went to the same convention -- Her stories were similar, all about a legendary bunny hero named Jeremy and his fight with the barbaric wolf Scar... She only wanted to here stories about animals.

I don't think I had fun reading Watership Down, but I certainly have fun remembering it. Isn't there a movie? I wanna see it. Gimme gimme. 

EDIT:

Now I gotta see, what the hell.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago
As a kid I didn't like the cartoon because I became irrationally annoyed at how none of the characters' voices fit with the way they were in my head. A hilarious number of young kids have probably received it though because of parents going 'aww! rabbits! how cute!'

The book is hands down my favorite novel of all time, like the comfort food of books. I just view it as basically the perfect adventure story. It's got the formula down; epic journey with the underdogs learning to rely on each other and overcoming impossible odds through heroism and trickery, ultimately uplifting but with just the right amount of pathos, and I love the characters and the world building and the prose itself. I've probably reread it....~15 times? First time in the 5th grade, still young enough for a lot of it to go over my head, and then for awhile there it became a once a year thing for me.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago

I enjoyed Redwall and the Narnia books.  Wasn't too keen on Watership down, though.

Lord of the Rings

6 years ago
You're dead to me.

Lord of the Rings

5 years ago

:D I love C. S. Lewis’s Narnia books too! They are so awesome!

Lord of the Rings

2 years ago

How dare you! Watership down is an amazing book, and even though I just started reading it like a week ago I am loving it so far. 

 

Edit: Oh... this is just an old thred that some random newb posted in. Sorry. 

 

Lord of the Rings

2 years ago
Watership Down IS an amazing book though. You'll probably fund rereads even more enjoyable, I first read it about your age and the were some details that went over my head that I didn't pick up on till a few years later. Genuinely the one book I've read more times than any other too, there was a period there where I was basically rereading it once a year.

And I guess DavidG might very well be literally dead by now, to everyone. He was pretty old.

Bryce is probably a bot.

Lord of the Rings - A Masterful Passage

5 years ago

5 years ago I posted a passage from LOTR I dug it back up to dump it here. 

" The drums rolled louder. Fires leaped up. Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great as a forest-tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains. Long had it been forging in the dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay. Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, Orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it. But about the Gate resistance still was stout, and there the knights of Dol Amroth and the hardiest of the garrison stood at bay.

Shot and dart fell thick; siege-towers crashed or blazed suddenly like torches. All before the walls on either side of the Gate the ground was choked with wreck and with bodies of the slain; yet still driven as by a madness more and more came up. Grond crawled on. Upon its housing no fire would catch; and though now and again some great beast that hauled it would go mad and spread stamping ruin among the orcs innumerable that guarded it, their bodies were cast aside from it; Grond crawled on. The drums rolled wildly.

Over the hills of slain a hideous shape appeared: a horseman, tall, hooded, cloaked in black. Slowly, trampling the fallen, he rode forth, heeding no longer any dart. He halted and held up a long pale sword. And as he did so a great fear fell on all, defender and foe alike; and the hands of men drooped to their sides, and no bow sang. For a moment all was still. The drums rolled and rattled. With a vast rush Grond was hurled forward by huge hands. It reached the Gate. It swung. A deep boom rumbled through the City like thunder running in the clouds. But the doors of iron and posts of steel withstood the stroke. Then the Black Captain rose in his stirrups and cried aloud in a dreadful voice, speaking in some forgotten tongue words of power and terror to rend both heart and stone. Thrice he cried. Thrice the great ram boomed. And suddenly upon the last stroke the Gate of Gondor broke. As if stricken by some blasting spell it burst asunder: there was a flash of searing lightning, and the doors tumbled in riven fragments to the ground.

In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face. All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dínen.

'You cannot enter here,'

said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted.

'Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!'

The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.

'Old fool!' he said. 'Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!'

And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade. Gandalf did not move."

- From The Return of the King

Lord of the Rings

5 years ago

:D I love The Lord of the Rings, it is an epic masterpiece! The Hobbit is awesome too! It has been a long time since I have read any long story, yet I remember these well.

I definitely enjoyed Tolken’s books and was impressed. The characters felt so real that I would have loved to meet all the good guys in the stories. I would have loved to visit all the places (The Shire for sure!) in the stories including the dangerous ones, if I could safely do so. It would definitely be awesome to be able to visit Bombadil, Goldberry, Gandalf, Strider, the elves, and all the hobbits!

P.S. There really was a race of hobbit-like people on earth at one point.

Lord of the Rings

5 years ago

You definitely should visit the places! They don't disappoint and you can do the Tongariro Crossing- which is very safe and popular- and you can go to Mt Doom (Mt Ngauruhoe)! The Shire is awesome, it is a complete set, not halfdone backdrops and it really felt like it was real and hobbits lived there. Exploring the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings locations also brings you to the most stunning places in New Zealand, like the Sounds/ Fiordland

 

Edit: Oops, didn't realise how old this thread was eek

Lord of the Rings

5 years ago
No one ever posts in Reading Corner, necro all you want in here.

That's cool though, I didn't realize NZ had all that but I knew LOTR was filmed there, makes sense to cash in on that. I would love to see The Shire. Did they find any really short people to hang out there in costume?

Lord of the Rings

5 years ago

 

As a country we are very proud of being the filming location! In fact the airport in our capital city has Smaug, which is almost the same size as in the films placed in the entranceway as well as a giant Gollum hanging from the ceiling! Gollum is about 12m long and actually quite scary as he looks down at you. There is also two giant eagles from the ceiling with a 15m wingspan, one of which carries Gandalf. 

The Shire is really quite amazing. Sir Peter Jackson's attention to detail is incredible- he even paid people to walk in between clothing lines to make it look like it was in use. It is just like how it is in the films, I was half expecting to se Bilbo or Frodo come around the corner. As for costumes, heaps of the staff dress up, but tourists go all out with elf costumes, wizard costumes and of course hobbit costumes. It isn't so much a cash making thing- its more that we are insanely proud of being the location and take joy in sharing the amazing sets. 

Personally, I think it is pretty cool that I can say I have conquered Mt Doom!

 

Lord of the Rings

5 years ago

It's the first time I want to visit a country for its airport.

Lord of the Rings

2 years ago
Reading the Lord of the Rings is the right decision. I have always admired Tolkien's talent in writing works. He wrote so many masterpieces that it is impossible to count. Each of his books creates a new world that you want to return to again and again. A genius! A real genius!

Lord of the Rings

2 years ago

He wrote so many masterpieces that it is impossible to count.

 

Aside from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, which other ones are you thinking of?

Lord of the Rings

2 years ago
Reading the Lord of the Rings is the right decision. I have always admired Tolkien's talent in writing works. He wrote so many masterpieces that it is impossible to count. Each of his books creates a new world that you want to return to again and again. A genius! A real genius!

Lord of the Rings

2 years ago
Okay, I think it's time to throw this one into Mt. Doom.