Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Probably one of the greatest stories ever written, it is up there with Dostoevsky's The Brother's Karamazov, Tolkien is the master and Godfather of the fantasy genre. Readers under 15 might find this book a little challenging. I'm sure they could read it, but they may not be able to appreciate it as well as someone a bit older with a few more experiences under their belt.
The beginning, the first 100 pages or so, starts off slowly, as the main character, Frodo, is still at home in Hobbitton, and hasn't begun his adventure yet. That's okay, as it gives a reader the chance to dip their toes in this new world and to be introduced to Frodo in a nice old fashioned way. But when he leaves Hobbitton, his adventures start rolling down the hill with the momentum of a meteor crashing to Earth. It's amazing how fast the story goes for a book that's hundreds of pages long. Like all good fantasy novels it is complete with wizards, dwarves, elves and intangible evil. But the most special part is Tolkien gets at the essence and nature of land and forest and elves in a way that no other writer has, and it is worth reading this story for that fact alone.
No one on this planet should go through life without reading this story, and that includes all of you anti-fantasy people, too!
The beginning, the first 100 pages or so, starts off slowly, as the main character, Frodo, is still at home in Hobbitton, and hasn't begun his adventure yet. That's okay, as it gives a reader the chance to dip their toes in this new world and to be introduced to Frodo in a nice old fashioned way. But when he leaves Hobbitton, his adventures start rolling down the hill with the momentum of a meteor crashing to Earth. It's amazing how fast the story goes for a book that's hundreds of pages long. Like all good fantasy novels it is complete with wizards, dwarves, elves and intangible evil. But the most special part is Tolkien gets at the essence and nature of land and forest and elves in a way that no other writer has, and it is worth reading this story for that fact alone.
No one on this planet should go through life without reading this story, and that includes all of you anti-fantasy people, too!
