Rating: 
Summary: The new epic, the new myth
Review: In a rising tide above the rapidly aging Pottermania comes the sweep of Tolkienmania. In preparation for the three new live-action movies, the famed trilogy is rereleased in a gorgeous new all-in-one volume with movie cover art (tastefully done, it's not just a collage poster or anything)Years before, the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron was discovered in the possession of the creepy Gollum - and came into the "ownership" of Bilbo Baggins, a pleasant hobbit in the middle of an adventure. Now, it is given to his relative Frodo, who soon encounters creatures both mesmerizing and evil in the Shire. Wizard Gandalf has him head off to the elf city of Rivendell, but along the way he is attacked and nearly killed by the sinister Black Riders. It is determined at Rivendell that the One Ring must be destroyed, and that Frodo's the hobbit to do it. With Gandalf, he sets off with a group of companions: the hobbits Sam, Merry and Pippin, men Aragorn and Boromir, elf Legolas, and dwarf Gimli. They travel across the length of Middle Earth, from the beautiful gardenland of Lothlorien to the rotting wasteland of Mordor. Aragorn and the others will attempt to save the city of Minas Tirith from the armies of Sauron. Frodo and Sam will try to take the Ring to Mount Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed. But that will take a terrible price. When this book was first published, Tolkien had no idea that he would jump-start the fantasy genre from an odd little collection of fiction to a major part of the book market and would inspire more ripoffs than any other author in history. Lord of the Rings is a sweeping epic of good and evil. Cliche? It is a cliche now, but it's also that LOTR spawned. What sets it apart is two things: the Judeo-Christian morality and ethics that Tolkien held so dear, and the crafting of Middle-Earth. If one carefully examines the themes of temptation, redemption and punishment, as well as the innate nobility of the heroes. I also advise, to get the full effect of Tolkien's beliefs, that you read the Silmarillion. Middle Earth is perhaps the most intricate fantasy world ever created, with Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster trilogy's world as a close second. Tolkien crafted not just geology and various species for his world; he also created a religious background, complete with a God and a pantheon of deitilike angelic creatures, individual languages, cultures, and several outlooks that are alien to the other species. Add to this his poetic, strong descriptions, pleasant dialogue, occasional song or poem, and you have a true classic. The classic status is cemented into immortality by the fact that this was the first widely-read fantasy. A recommendation: If you've already read the trilogy, then you may want to read two other intelligent trilogies, "Children of the Star" and "Riddlemaster." Though they cannot match JRR (who can?) they are two of the best. If you are one of the few people who has never read this trilogy: Put down your Harry Potter and read the story that introduced the world to fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: AN EPIC MUST READ MYTH!!!!
Review: When Tolkien created Middle Earth, he created a new mythology that people would read long after his death. The Lord of the Rings is an inspiration for many modern day writers as well as readers. The culters brought out in the book seem real. The characters are rich. The story is classic. No one can go through life without ever experiencing such a wonderful story. The story is about a hobbit, Frodo, who is given the ONE RING that can destroy all of Middle Earth if it is put into the hands of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron. Now, this simple innocent fellow, who lives in a part of the land where nothing bad ever happens, must travel out into the dark and evil realm of Middle Earth to throw the ring into the fires where it was created. The past converges with the present in order to save the future of their world. The epic war of the ring has begun, and the Halfling must fulfill his quest or all would be lost. If you haven't read the book, there is no time to waste. The movie will be out soon, and books are always better than their film adaptations.
Rating:
Summary: Value Far Exceeds the Price
Review: At this time I don't think I need to go on about "The Lord of the Rings" being the best fantasy epic ever written. Anyone who enjoys reading about a different world will enjoy these tales of brave deeds done in Middle-Earth. Instead I'm going to say that if you're going to purchase this book, I recommend the one I did. I bought the Hardcover version with Illustrations done by Alan Lee. I think everyone should consider this one. I know we're not babies anymore who need pictures but I found that the pictures greatly increased my ability to imagine this facinating land. Sometimes you can't get the full image of Minas Tirith in your head by just words and Alan Lee always kept my mind more amazed. Overall, buy the "Lord of the Rings" if you haven't yet. Then consider the Hardcover Illustrated Version when you do.
Rating:
Summary: The original modern day epic
Review: I intend to be brief since so many others have said so well what I would say. But I have to note that the Lord of the Rings story is one of the best epics ever written and one of the few that has withstood the test of time with out failing or being out done. Other authors have tried to recreate the scale and emotional depth that this story holds yet few to none have acomplished so well what Tolkien did. All I can say is give it a try and see where it takes you.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece of Creativity and imaginiation
Review: I have read and re-read this work of the master of authors more than 30 times over the years and it is a work that never fails to amaze or impress me, I cant recomend any other book more highly than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing.
Review: It's the best Saga that I have ever read. Tolkien make a perfect description of all his world, you can really see it between the lines. He creates a new mithology much complete that the mithology that we studied. I read the four books twice and never is enough.
Rating:
Summary: I really thought I would hate it...
Review: Ok I'll start out by saying that I've never been much of a Fantasy genre fan, LOTR and D&D and all that stuff never really appealed to me. Last month I was stuck at the airport for 12 hours so I decided to buy a book to pass the time. I saw LOTR and since it was really long and I had a lot of time to kill, plus I knew there was a movie due out I figured I'd buy it. Normally I'm a fast reader but for some reason it took me a long time to get through the whole book. Some parts are really slow and boring, but they all build up to something, even if it something which seems irrelevant such as the origins of pipe-weed. Finally I finished the book and I wasn't too sure if I actually liked or not until a couple of days later when for some reason I kept going back to the Index, and Appendixes and rereading certain parts which would raise my curiosity which would in turn take me back to read other parts and discover events and subplots I had totally missed. Now I'm seriously pondering rereading the book or maybe buying the hobbit or the one that goes after LOTR which I don't even know what its called. The fact is I'm hooked and I wish I would've read it when I was younger so I could enjoy it even more now. By the way since in many of these reviews people mention their favorite character I'll mention mine too. It's Bill yes Bill. All book long I kept wondering when they would mention Bill again or they would find him or whatever, towards the end I had almost forgotten about poor old Bill.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful epic quest tale in a believable imaginary world
Review: This book truly fulfilled my expectations. After hearing here and there that J.R.R Tolkien is amazing, I decided to try the 1400 and more pages that compose this trilogy, but don't get scare by the huge page volume, because when you pass the 100th page you are so immersed in the story that reading another hundred seems like something you have to do right away. Easy to read novel, but time consuming. While reading TLOTR you get immersed in whole new world, which is completely believable and fully described, from the strange and interesting (in physic and personality) characters, to the geography. The latter comes with maps!, which are indispensable to follow and enjoy the story to its fullest. While reading you are able to see in these maps the development of the quest (you should know that there is one), how much has passed, how much is coming, try to guess what direction will they take...across the mountains?, through this river or crossing that forest....The maps, the characters, and the journey make the book. Don't make the mistake of underestimating this book, I've read it right after Dostoievsky' Karamazov Brothers and Kafka's Metamorphosis, and I cannot say that they outstand TLOTR in quality. Even more, it's truly refreshing to read something completely different from all that we usually do. Another thing I want to add...you know how most people while growing up start loosing interest in things like video games or TV cartoons?, really, this may also apply to this book. I'm 25, and I recognize the possibility that I could've enjoyed more this novel when I was 16....and also that maybe I wouldn't have enjoyed it that much if I were 50. Its known that while years pass we loose our ability to feel surprised and amazed by new things...so read TLOTR while you still have your imagination running and have fun.
Rating: 
Summary: Not perfect, but beautifully written
Review: I am not a fantasy reader, and I am in my twenties. Yet, I am rather enthralled by LOTR. I vaguely remember reading the first part when I was 13, but by the time I decided to reread, I could remember it but vaguely. It's a very different experience now. Not only has my taste in heroes changed (it used to be Legolas, but now is Aragorn), but I remember being on the edge of my seat at 13. I am not now: I have read many books with more exciting plots. I can also see problems with this book. It would be better to have interesting women characters (Arwen and Galadriel are very firmly in the background). The epic style of narration, while beautiful, distances me from the events depicted. And because the individuals are also archetypes, I am not as attached to them as I could be. However, the book's weaknesses are also its strengths. I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the language. It truly reads like an epic worthy to be put next to Beowulf or the Illiad. I am astonished at a creation of a complete world, and my overwhelming impression is of bright colors and beautiful lines. There are images that will linger in your mind. If its literary analogy is an epic, its imagery reminds me of a pre-raphaelite painting. It takes a while to get into the book: I didn't really get into it until Strider appeared, but with a book that length, it is understandable, and even proportional. The beauty of language is not matched by its characterisation: the characters are not fascinating sharply drawn people, but somewhat distanced. But even so, it's an exciting glittering tapestry that I do recommend
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good for Abbridged 1979 recording
Review: My only complaint is that it's abbridged. The voice actors are quite good and the music fits very well, creating the appropriate mood nicely. Every now and then the sound effects are a little cheesy (Gandalf's magic) but overall quite well done. Excellent for introducing the story to someone who doesn't have the time to read it.
| 
