When I read the Fellowship of the Ring, the first book of The
Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was slowwwww going. Tolkien seemed to describe every
petal, every flower, every pebble encountered by the hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry
and Pippin on their epic journey to destroy the One Ring.
Why destroy the One Ring? Because it was the ring created by the Dark Lord Sauron to rule over the other Rings of Power in his bid to conquer all of Middle Earth. I’ve never been a fan of descriptions anyway
so to plod through this first book at the grand age of 11 or so was excruciating. :P
But I’m so glad I persisted with it because despite the pace, the events of the book were stunning and unexpected to my 11-year-old self. And so, I went on to read the fascinating second book, Two Towers and the exhilarating conclusion in The Return of the King because the saga ended up being a
mind-and-life-altering experience.
Tolkien came up with such fascinating and enduring characters as the tree-like Ents, the enslaved wraiths called the Nazguls and Gollum with his ‘precious, my precious’
refrain.
The Lord of the Rings is the first fantasy series I’ve read
and J. R. R. Tolkien’s skill at creating a whole new world, an extraordinary world with new species and rules but with relatable characters is awe-inspiring. It was TLOTR that made me aware of stories that are not only
fictional but are set in a world that is entirely made up, in other words high fantasy.
I fell in love with the idea of high fantasy and at the time I scarce
imagined the impact it would leave on me. This was when I was still happily
spinning yarns for the sake of pranks or just entertainment. I had not yet thought that I
could write my own stories.
But years later when I finally decided to try writing my own
book, I realized Tolkien and his world had worked their magic on me. I ended up being drawn to telling stories set on worlds that I bring to life with their own rules, species, powers, cultures, currencies, religions and even curses! :P And yet, with issues that serve as a mirror to our own world.
Sometimes I have so much fun at world building that I almost
forget to write the story itself! :P Thank you, J. R. R. Tolkien. May you inspire generations of readers and writers to come. :)
Hobbit Hole: Image
Courteys: Jeff Hitchcock, CC BY 2.0
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Hello Rajani Didi , I loved this write-up so much, especially because I had just finished reading the series, less than a month ago, actually, while juggling my online classes. Actually, they are so spellbinding that I ended up reading the books even while attending the online classes. Mute �� and get lost in the world of Tolkien—hee-hee!����
ReplyDeleteAnd to imagine you read that at the young age of 11! I am eighteen and I have to admit it was not an easy read. Yes, the beginning was sooo slow, but by the end of the book, I ended up loving these lengthy descriptions! I am all awe of Tolkien for imagining something so vivid that you are compelled to think, was it not actually happening, has the author not lived through all these to be able to picture the scenes in such a realistic way?!
My favourite characters are Sam, Merry and Pippin, and Eowyn, and yes, the Ents. Which are yours?
BTW, I wish the Ents were still there in our world, they can surely teach us humans to love and protect trees and our dwindling forests, right?
I can't wait to re-read the Lotr books again, Didi, reading them once is never going to be enough, no? I would love returning to middle earth, again and again ❤
Hugs and lots of love, Di,
Your fan.
Thank you for sharing your experience of reading the books. :) I like to imagine that all these wonderful stories, worlds and characters are as real as you and me, perhaps on another world. :D It must have been good fun to read the books along with your online classes. That way you are juggling two interesting worlds. :) As for my favourite characters from the books, the Ents definitely and Sam. What a loyal friend! I also love Gandalf. Unlike a certain elder wizard in another series, we see Gandalf in action instead of the whole world going on about how powerful he is! :P A big hug and a lot of love right back! :) - Rajani
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