If you are a fantasy writer, The Lord of the Rings is on your Favorite Books list.
Okay, okay, this rule doesn't apply to everyone, but it does apply to me. I was introduced to this books series through the wonderful movie versions of them. I was a little girl at that point, the faithful follower of my big brother, and our family was one of the few in our church who actually had not watched The Lord of the Rings. My brother was a Star Wars fan, so of course so was I. But then Mom and Dad watched the movies, and then they let my brother watch the movies, and then I got so see the part with the Shire.
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| Taken from Amazon.com |
And then I was hooked. I finally got to watch the movies, closing my eyes at every battle scene or whenever an orc appeared. I had that movie memorized and I knew where to close my eyes, sure enough! Now, I watch the entire movie, minus a few unsavory parts.
But about now you're going, "I thought this post was about the books, not your movie-watching experience!" Well, yes, it is. The movies is what led me to the books. I think I've read them through twice, and I've waited long enough to start a third. I fell in love.
I do not believe any book can compare to Tolkien's masterpiece. There might be similar story-lines, but I haven't read anything like Tolkien's writing. For one, most don't write like the classics anymore. Not all, but most. A popular rule for writing a best-selling book now is "Throw your character into action from the very first sentence and keep him there till the end of the book." The epic The Lord of the Rings starts with an everyday event of selling a house. Yep. And the action isn't always electrifying. At points it feels that the story will never move on. But there is a charm, a beauty, to Tolkien's work that none can copy. He blends humor into grim situations, and fills his extensive world with varying cultures, unforgettable characters, dark history, and brilliant messages.
This is an amazing, beautiful, epic that deserves to be read and read again. For a fantasy writer, this is a classic series that one can learn so much from. If you haven't yet read it, I strongly encourage you to
open the pages and immerse yourself into the world of Middle-Earth.
For those of you LOTR fans out there, which book is your favorite? Any favorite characters or scenes? Quotes? Or is it just too hard to pick?
6 comments:
I love Tolkien, though I'm ashamed to say I haven't yet finished the entire LOTR trilogy. I'm on book three, but with schoolwork and my own writing, there is just never enough time! But I know the basic storyline thanks to the internet, and I must say that Eowyn and Faramir are two of my favourite characters. But my favourite scene is probably when Frodo and the hobbits first meet Strider and are trying to get away from the ringwraiths....basically, the entire first volume is like my favourite scene! :P
I have a brother going through college right now, so I know that finding time to spare when doing college homework is hard! But don't worry, summer is coming!
I haven't finished them all either, but I already love them!
My favorite quote, and this is kind of weird, is when Sam throws the apple at the guy in Brea and goes, "What a waste of a good apple."
Not that exciting or filled with wisdom, but I like it.
Actually, I pretty much like everything Sam says.
What would we have done without Sam? "Frodo wouldn't have gone far without Sam."
Ahh, summer! The only thing about summer is then you have to work to pay for the next year of university. :P But I'm excited for a lot more free time to write! I've started a "Wild Swans" retelling that I'm quite in love with so far.
Oh, and thanks for the comment on the Ice Roses portion of my blog! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm actually looking for people to read it and give me feedback as I go into draft two, so if that's something you'd be interested in possibly, let me know. :) I'd love to have another critique partner, if that's something you'd be comfortable with. :D
Yeah, my brother works in the summer too. And you got a new story idea? Cool!
I am pretty busy sometimes, but when you are ready for critique on "Ice Roses" let me know, and we could try it out! :)
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