The Fellowship of The Ring: Book Review

The Fellowship Of The Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954. Genre: Fantasy

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three books that tells about Frodo Baggins son of Drogo and his quest to cast the Ring of Power into the fires at Mt. Doom in Mordor. The story takes place in Middle Earth and begins in the Shire where Frodo is living with his elderly cousin Bilbo Baggins. Frodo is left with the ring and leaves with Sam, Merry, and Pippin to bring the ring to Rivendell. During their journey they are repeatedly bombarded by Black Riders from Mordor. Then when they make it to Bree they find a ranger named strider who is really Aragorn and a king. Aragorn leads the four hobbits to Rivendell where they take council with Gandalf, and Elrond. During the council Frodo volunteers to take the ring to Mordor, and so the fellowship was formed from the elf Legolas , the dwarf Gimli, and the men, Aragorn, and Boromir, and the wizard Gandalf, and the four hobbits. Then they go through the land to get to Mordor through the long abandoned mines of Moria, to Lorien, and down the Great River.

The book jacket reads “Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron.” – C.S. Lewis

This book is written by J.R.R. Tolkien who uses a lot of description to draw a picture for a reader. He uses similes and metaphors and describes everything to the fullest extent. He sets up an exciting atmosphere for the reader. I have read only one other J.R.R. Tolkien work and that was The Hobbit.

J.R.R. Tolkien also uses much description in The Hobbit. The Hobbit is about Bilbo Baggins and The Fellowship of the Ring is about Frodo Baggins. Also in The Hobbit Bilbo finds the ring and his goal is to help a group of dwarves take back Dale from the Dragon Smaug. The Fellowship of the Ring is a tale about Frodo and how he is trying to destroy the ring. The two stories build on one another like one whole story and the four books act like all one story.

“It came to the edge of the fire and the light faded as if a cloud had bent over it. Then with a rush it leaped across the fissure. The flames roared up to greet it, and wreathed about it; and a black smoke swirled in the air. Its streaming mane kindled, and blazed behind it. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs.” (321) [the description of the Balrog].

I love the Lord of the Rings series not only because it is fantasy but because J.R.R. Tolkien can draw me into his story with intense scenes and an intriguing story line. This novel shows that even the smallest creature can make a big difference. I have always been small and I think that size does not matter it’s your courage and effort that makes you great.