# The Lord of the Rings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** middle-earth\ **Created:** [October 30, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620 "2001-10-30T23:04:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Oreo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c57346/32.png) [@Oreo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oreo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/1 "2001-10-30T23:04:46Z")
I’m about to dive into this book for the first time. I’ve been meaning to do it forever, and with the movie coming out I finally remembered to pick it up at the bookstore. I gather from just the first few pages I’ve glanced at that it’s going to be a deep swim. Lots and lots of detail in here. So, any advice? Should I make sure to absorb everything? I confess I tend to be a “skimmer,” unless I really adore the story and then I soak up every little detail I can. Any comments on or about this book are welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Sumac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Sumac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sumac)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/2 "2001-10-30T23:14:08Z")
Hmm, I’d pass. Some pompous Brit penned it I think. Plus it’s all made-up – not a bit of truth in there. JR Dickens or something. I hear there’s a movie coming out soon though, I’d just wait for that if I were you. ---
**Author:** ![MJH2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@MJH2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJH2)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/3 "2001-10-30T23:18:17Z")
I wouldn’t try to soak up every little detail, there are so many of them. That’s one of the things which makes the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy so enjoyable to re-read. I read it for the first time when I was quite young (c. age 12) and then again while in graduate school. I was amazed at how familiar and yet how new the story was the second time around. Tolkein had a rich inner eye for detail, particular topography and landscape. Not every reader needs to get the “lay of the land” so tangibly, so don’t feel too badly if you find yourself skimming over those parts. Do look out for characters you love to love (and love to hate), hints of Middle Earth’s vast history and the mythic sense of real otherwordliness that Tolkein conveys through his use of language and spectacle. Also remember: the story is as much about “the journey” as it is about the plot and the end result, so patience is required; but I do think you will find it well worth the effort. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/4 "2001-10-30T23:52:56Z")
Advice: Skip the Forward, the Prologue, and the Note On Shire Records. The Prologue mostly contains minutae that you won’t care about until after you’ve read the novel. The Forward and the Note contain spoilers for the plot. (Yes, it’s strange that the Forward would contain spoilers, but it was written after the book was published.) Also keep in mind that the plot doesn’t really get moving until chapter 8 or so. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/5 "2001-10-31T00:04:49Z")
More advice: Read _The Hobbit_ first. Really. There’s a lot of background in there, and character development that, IMHO, you need to read LOTR. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/6 "2001-10-31T00:18:17Z")
I too, would suggest reading \*The Hobbit \* first. If that doesn’t draw you in, to the point that you really want to digest all the details, this may not be the literature for you. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/7 "2001-10-31T00:21:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wumpus \* > \*\*Advice: Skip the Forward, the Prologue, and the Note On Shire Records. The Prologue mostly contains minutae that you won’t care about until after you’ve read the novel. \*\* Do, however, read the section “On the Finding of the Ring” (or whatever it’s called) if you haven’t read _The Hobbit_. Other than that – listen to MJH. And enjoy! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/8 "2001-10-31T00:24:44Z")
When you’re done, if you liked what you read, then try “Bored of the Rings,” the parody. Hilarious. One word of advice, buy a used copy if you can. The version in print is far far too expensive ($12+ for about 130-page book). ---
**Author:** ![Vanyel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@Vanyel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vanyel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/9 "2001-10-31T00:26:24Z")
I LOVE the LOTR trilogy and The Hobit, and am rereading them now. I would definitely recommend reading The Hobbit first, but it is not necessary. I have found that after I read all four books once, I noticed a whole lot of details when I reread them. You should be able to get the plot even if you don’t memorize all the details. I found that the first book, Fellowship of the Ring, is pretty upbeat at first, but the next book gets sort of sad, and the third gets very upbeat at the end. I don’t know about The Silmarrilon, since I have never read it, so if anyone can tell me anythig I would be grateful. Have fun with Tolkien’s masterpiece! Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lord in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/10 "2001-10-31T03:41:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Vanyel \* > \*\*The Silmarrilon, since I have never read it, so if anyone can tell me anythig I would be grateful. \*\* My friend, I have _tried_ to read _ **The Silmarillion** _. Several times, in fact. If you are expecting another LOTR, forget it. The book is more of a “Bible” of Middle Earth (Who begat who and what laws governed who and what) and was, IIRC, completed by Mr. Tolkien’s son and Peter Beagle. If you are (or plan to be) a Tolkien “scholar” you might find this book interesting, but if you just want to get to know _ **Middle Earth** _ for the sake of the tale, _ **The Silmarillion** _ IMHO, will neither detract nor enhance LOTR. Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/11 "2001-10-31T03:48:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Quasimodem \* > \*\*The book is more of a “Bible” of Middle Earth (Who begat who and what laws governed who and what) and was, IIRC, completed by Mr. Tolkien’s son and Peter Beagle. > > \*\* Wasn’t it Guy Gavriel Kay? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/12 "2001-10-31T04:30:39Z")
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: What’s published as _The Silmarillion_ is actually several separate works. If you find the _Valaquenta_ and such tedious (I couldn’t read it the first time I tried it, either), you can safely skip it, and go on to the _Silmarillion_ proper. Mind you, those other parts are good, and well worth reading if you enjoy that sort of stuff, but they’re not necessary to enjoy the rest of the book. The thing I’ve noticed with Tolkien is that he’s not the greatest with beginnings or endings… Which makes some sense, since he tends to write the sort of story that doesn’t have a real beginning or ending (two of the characters comment on this in the second book, when they realize that they’re living the continuation of the ancient legends they’d heard as children). The sole exception to this is the Silmarillion, in which, of course, the beginning is The Beginning. The long and the short of it is, it takes a few chapters for Tolkien to hit his stride, so please, don’t give up on the book until you’ve given it a fair chance (at least where they enter the Old Forest, or the scenes in the inn at Bree, in LotR, or the encounter with the trolls, in _The Hobbit_). I would also second the recommendation, by the way, that you read _The Hobbit_ first. Either work can and does stand on its own, but they also add a lot of richness to each other. If you’re planning on reading both anyway, you might as well read them in order, especially since LotR contains some pretty significant spoilers for _The Hobbit_. Then again, though, a lot of that is probably already spoiled by the movie trailers, anyway, and neither story relies too heavily on suspense… It’s your call. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/13 "2001-10-31T04:43:16Z")
**Vanyel** — that’s Quenya, isn’t it? Meaning ‘Fair Star’? _Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo_ ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/14 "2001-10-31T06:15:38Z")
I’ve read LOTR about twenty times (first time was when I was about ten). Each time, I always noticed something new… it’s THAT detailed. So, no, don’t try to absorb everything in one go. If you MUST focus on certain parts, I would recommend the Mines of Moria and the battle of Helm’s Deep. And everything else. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Vanyel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@Vanyel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vanyel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/15 "2001-10-31T06:56:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jomo Mojo \* > \*\ ***Vanyel** — that’s Quenya, isn’t it? Meaning ‘Fair Star’? > > _Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo_ \*\* I got my name from Mercedes Lackey’s excelent _Heralds of Valdemar_ books, from the main character in Magic’s Pawn. He is the last of the Herald-Mages. ---
**Author:** ![MJH2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@MJH2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJH2)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/16 "2001-10-31T12:13:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alessan \* > > Wasn’t it Guy Gavriel Kay? \*\* **Alessan** , yes. Christopher Tolkein’s forward in _The Silmarillion_ acknowledges GGK’s assistance in compiling and editing the work in 1974-1975. I believe GGK has assisted in editing most, if not all, of Tolkein’s work for posthumous publication. I have read parts of this work and enjoyed some of the stories. But one has to be something of a fan of Anglo-Saxon literature to really get into it. Think “_Beowulf_” with a kick. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/17 "2001-10-31T13:38:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pesch \* > \*\* The version in print ($12). \*\* Ka-Ching!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/18 "2001-10-31T13:39:53Z")
The silmarillion picks up after you get past the begats and they start killing each other. I ran a Fantasy Hero campaign set in Middle Earth once, and wrote up a short History of Middle Earth from the point of view of the player characters. The first and second ages were summed up about like this: Creation. Lots of singing and dying. Woe, destruction, and wondrous things. On to the Third Age. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/19 "2001-10-31T13:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Quasimodem \* > \*\* completed by Mr. Tolkien’s son and Peter Beagle. > \*\* Peter S. Beagle? A Fine and Private Place? (something) of the air? (wherein “he smiled like a zipper”) ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620/20 "2001-10-31T14:34:51Z")
\*\* Wasn’t it Guy Gavriel Kay? \*\* [/QUOTE] I stand corrected. Thank you! Quasi [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lord-of-the-rings/90620.md?page=2)