soviel wind um nichts: Mal vorweg gesagt ich lese und besitze viel Fantasy, aber es is mir ein Rätsel, was viele an diesem Buch so toll finden. Ich besitze einen Komplettband, der hier nicht aufgeführt ist. Mag sein, dass es am Übersetzer liegt aber ich habe mich durch diesen Teil regelrecht gequält. Die Geschichte an sich ist ja ganz in Ordnung, aber der Schreibstil ist total langatmig und es wird auf viel zu viele Belanglosigkeiten eingegangen, die den Handlungsfluss total bremsen.

The beginning of the book was a bit difficult to read. Once the ringwraiths begin chasing Frodo and his friends and the action begins, the book is a great read. This book, like the rest of the trilogy, talks about friendship, duty, perseverance, courage, and doing what's right. ( )

The LOTR is my favourite all time series of books and I read them every fall. ( )

This review is for the Recorded Books unabridged audiobook read by Rob Inglis.

I've recently discovered audiobooks due to a lengthy commute, and though I could do very well without my long drive, I'm glad of it because it forced me to find ways to make the time pass more quickly. I reread The Lord of the Rings annually, and decided to listen to it this year. Rob Inglis' interpretation of the classic story is a celebrated achievement in the field of recorded books and I was looking forward to starting it. I was not disappointed.

I hardly need to give a plot summary for such a work as this. Tolkien sets the stage for his epic in the humble reaches of the Shire, where a hobbit, Frodo Baggins, is given a momentous task that even the strong fear to undertake. He is aided in his quest by members of Middle-earth's various and distinct cultures, Elves, Dwarves, and Men (as well as some of his folk, the hobbits). Across the hundreds of miles between the Shire and the East lies a terrible power, unspeakable in its malice and nearly invincible in its power. Frodo's task is to destroy the one thing the Enemy needs to fully dominate Middle-earth — yes, the Ring of Power.

Middle-earth is peopled with various distinct cultures, each with its own history and customs, and brushing up against these different worlds (represented in both the various characters and in legends and songs) is one of the joys of this work. I appreciated Inglis' efforts to differentiate the characters and their respective cultures.

I thoroughly enjoyed Inglis' interpretations of the characters' voices, which he does very well with the exception of the female voices. He tries, but it's hard for a man with such a deep voice to convincingly voice Goldberry and Galadriel. He does a very good job with Gimli and most of the other male characters, however.

Inglis is very ambitious in his attempts to set music to and sing the assorted songs Tolkien included in the narrative. For the most part Inglis' melodies are passable, though I thought Tom Bombadil's song especially good. But some of the others were not quite so memorable or did not seem to fit the lyrics very well. Still, I give him full marks for trying! Writing music for all the songs in The Lord of the Rings is no small project.

The only thing I lament about this audiobook is how it does not include Tolkien's classic prologue "Concerning Hobbits." Readers familiar with the book will know that this prologue is a somewhat lengthy discourse on the history and habits of hobbits, and traces the three main families as far back as their settlement. I know it isn't essential to the story, but fans like me who eagerly drink up every word Tolkien wrote will be disappointed at its exclusion. Perhaps Recorded Books was afraid no one would ever get past the first disc if they included it. They underestimate us!

I'm thankful my library saw fit to purchase the entire work in three volumes on audiobook. This installment was 16 discs, over twenty hours of listening. But I enjoyed every word. I recommend this reading to Tolkien fans who would like to experience the work in a new way. But it's a bit of a commitment — make sure you have time for it! ( )

A story about a group of friends in a fictional world who set out on a dangerous quest to destroy the Ring of Power. Overall, very long; only for dedicated readers. Especially considering the fact that you've all seen the movie. I liked it. You people probably wont even pick it up. ( )

The Fellowship of the Ring is a unique story that anyone with a love for fantasy would enjoy! In the story, Frodo Baggins inherits everything that his cousin, Bilbo, owns after he decided to go on a "permanent journey"...including a very special ring that has many secrets within. Before he knows it, Frodo is thrown head-first into an adventure that will determine the fate of Middle Earth. This story has many great characters and tons of adventure. My only complaint is that the author sometimes goes into so much detail that it occasionally gets slightly boring. All-in-all, a great book! This has become one of my favorites. ( )

See other editions for a review. This is actually the 'ugly cover' 1968 edition that I passed over many times, as the cover was so bad.... ( )

Tolkien's writing is seminal and impressive, and deserves eleventy-one stars for the influence it's had upon the genre. The Lord of the Rings is arguably the pinnacle and very definition of epic fantasy: a coming of age story, a simple but meandering quest, ensemble cast, and plenty of mythology thrown around. Where would modern fantasy be without Lord of the Rings?

Therefore, to Tolkien and all of his fans, I am very sorry that I'm not actually giving this book five stars. It probably just suffers from being the first of a long trilogy, and we have to get the exposition out of the way *somewhere.* But the first half of the book just draaagged for me; I was wondering how such a boring book become a beloved classic. There's a lot of talking and explanations and making arrangements for everything.

Even the parts of exposition that should have been awesome - Gollum's moral decay, Gandalf's meeting with Saruman - Tolkien chooses to have Gandalf recount to the group later. I would have been so much more interested had the narrative diverged for a few chapters so readers could see these events in "real time," as it were. But no, a lot of the time it was just people sitting around and chatting.

Fortunately once the story gets past Rivendell, readers are fairly settled on all of the backstory and we can go off and have our adventure. Therefore the book becomes much more engaging then, the kind of fun fantasy that one stays up far too late reading. The Fellowship of the Ring finishes strong and I did enjoy it a lot; I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy now. ( )

Of course this is a very good book. It probably deserves 5 stars, but I'm not a fan of fantasy. ( )

Frodo is whisked away on a magical quest to the dreaded Mordor. Along the way comes Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Samwise, Merry, Pippin, and, of course, Gandalf. This book covers there journey through rivendell, Moria and Lothlorien. If you lsaw the movie, read the book. There's not as much action in the book, but the detail is amazing. This truly is the greatest epic fantasy of our time. ( )

The classic of classics when it comes to fantasy. I loved the first bits where we explore the life of the hobbits, which incidentally read like a sequel to the Hobbit. Things get darker from there. Lots of long winded traveling chapters, but Tolkien is a masterful enough writer that this fleshes out his world more. ( )

i only read lord of the rings a few years ago. and devoured all 3 books in as many days. What can one say other than perfection. ( )

What can you add in a review of this classic? A pity that five stars are the limit here... ( )

Ash nazg durbatulûk. Ash nazg gimbatul. Ash nazg thrrakatulûk. Agh burzum ishi krimpatul. Love this stuff. ( )

I picked up this book in 5th grade, over seven years ago, and it hasn't left my head since.
J.R.R. Tolkien is, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant writers of the 20th century.
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, following the journey the hobbit, Frodo - a very small and peaceful being - to destroy the Ring which contains all the power of the Dark Lord, Sauron - an incredibly large and powerful foe.
This book is full of an incredibly rich, beautiful and complex history created by Tolkien, with amazing description and poetry.
It reads like a real history, a story that once it grabs hold of you will never let go again.
I can't recommend it enough and I know this review is nowhere near sufficient to explain how much I love it. ( )

Without any comparison in the world of fantasy literature- or any genre for that matter. It has it all. The movies were good, but the book is a holy grail. It had the largest impact and influence on my life of any book I have ever read with the one exception being the Holy Bible. ( )

Just finished reading for the 30th time or so. Since I was in my teens, I re-read the trilogy every spring or summer.

Wow, what else can you say! ( )

I like this book because it's up my street really! ( )

A small band of heroes, the Fellowship of the Ring, undertake a dangerous but essential mission against tremendous odds to restore Middle-Earth to peace. The One Ring, a weapon with a disturbing history, must be destroyed. This book wonderfully follows the Fellowship’s adventures, as they fight their way across Middle-Earth. But tragedy occurs, and the Fellowship breaks, splitting their goals, and leaving each other much less protected. The author, J.R.R. Tolkien, develops the characters with excellent precision, and you become attached to each person, hoping that everything will go well for them. However, the world is a dangerous place, and under every imaginable shadow, Sauron the Deciever waits to strike. The book is divided into three sections, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. In all, this is the best book I have ever read, but it should not be attempted by anyone. The Lord of the Rings will have readers on the edge of their seats. C.S. ( )

Books should speak for themselves. Therefore: not a review, an excerpt.
Context: Frodo Baggins has been charged with a hopeless quest: to destroy a terrible weapon - in appearance a simple golden ring - before its creator can recover it and use it to conquer and destroy the free peoples of the world. The Ring is wholly evil and will eventually, inevitably corrupt anyone who attempts to wield it. One of Frodo's companions has fallen to the lure of the Ring and attempts to take it by force. Frodo escapes wearing the Ring, which renders him invisible but alters his senses and leaves him vulnerable to the influence and exposed to the questing mind of the Ring's maker. He finds himself on a hilltop crowned with ancient battlements surrounding a stone seat....

At first he could see little. He seemed to be in a world of mist in which there were only shadows: the Ring was upon him. Then here and there the mist gave way and he saw many visions: small and clear as if they were under his eyes upon a table, and yet remote. There was no sound, only bright living images. The world seemed to have shrunken and fallen silent. He was sitting upon the Seat of Seeing, on Amon Hen, the Hill of the Eye of the Men of Numenor. Eastward he looked into wide uncharted lands, nameless plains, and forests unexplored. Northward he looked, and the Great River lay like a ribbon beneath him, and the Misty Mountains stood small and hard as broken teeth. Westward he looked and saw the broad pastures of Rohan; and Orthanc, the pinnacle of Isengard, like a black spike. Southward he looked, and below his very feet the Great River curled like a toppling wave and plunged over the falls of Rauros into a foaming pit; a glimmering rainbow played upon the fume. And Ethir Anduin he saw, the mighty delta of the River, and myriads of sea-birds whirling like a white dust in the sun, and beneath them a green and silver sea, rippling in endless lines.
But everywhere he looked he saw the signs of war. The Misty Mountains were crawling like anthills: orcs were issuing out of a thousand holes. Under the boughs of Mirkwood there was deadly strife of Elves and Men and fell beasts. The land of the Beornings was aflame; a cloud was over Moria; smoke rose on the borders of Lorien.
Horsemen were galloping on the grass of Rohan; wolves poured from Isengard. From the havens of Harad ships of war put out to sea; and out of the East Men were moving endlessly: swordsmen, spearmen, bowmen upon horses, chariots of chieftains and laden wains. All the power of the Dark Lord was in motion. Then turning south again he beheld Minas Tirith. Far away it seemed, and beautiful: white-walled, many-towered, proud and fair upon its mountain-seat; its battlements glittered with steel, and its turrets were bright with many banners. Hope leaped in his heart. But against Minas Tirith was set another fortress, greater and more strong. Thither, eastward, unwilling his eye was drawn. It passed the ruined bridges of Osgiliath, the grinning gates of Minas Morgul, and the haunted Mountains, and it looked upon Gorgoroth, the valley of terror in the Land of Mordor. Darkness lay there under the Sun. Fire glowed amid the smoke. Mount Doom was burning, and a great reek was rising. Then at last his gaze was held: wall upon wall, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant, he saw it: Barad-dur, Fortress of Sauron. All hope left him.
And suddenly he felt the Eye. There was an eye in the Dark Tower that did not sleep. He knew that it had become aware of his gaze. A fierce eager will was there, searching for him. Very soon it would nail him down, know just exactly where he was. Amon Lhaw it touched. It glanced upon Tol Brandir - he threw himself from the seat, crouching, covering his head with his grey hood.
He heard himself crying out: Never, Never! Or was it: Verily I come, I come to you? He could not tell. Then as a flash from some other point of power there came to his mind another thought: Take it off! Take it off! Fool, take it off! Take off the Ring!
The two powers strove in him. For a moment, perfectly balanced between their piercing points, he writhed, tormented. Suddenly he was aware of himself again. Frodo, neither the Voice nor the Eye; free to choose, and with one remaining instant in which to do so.

Just like the rest of The Lord of the Rings series, I can't say much more than what has already been said before about the books. I can say that it has been a long time since I had read the entire series, and I am really enjoying reacquainting myself with the characters and their world. I find it interesting, having recently rewatched the movies, to see how events were rearranged and changed to fit the film version.

This is one of those books that I think everyone should read at least once. You really can't appreciate the epic scale of the story until you've experienced it for yourself. ( )

Read again over holiday break (Jan 09) and was surprised at how much I enjoyed Tom Bombadil and his wife!

The Fellowship of the Ring is one of my favorite books. This kept me obsessed with the series for quite a while, and still I cannot bear to let go of it.

-Too good to be true. Tolkien is a genuis. Pure Genuis. ( )