Fantasy Books > T Fantasy Books > J. R. R. Tolkien

Advantages: new style of cover
Disadvantages: no pictures

this boxset is the three books in one which is good so you dont have to go out and buy them all!but generally they r good books much better than harry potter and they really capture your imagination. They have a much better looking cover than the old ones more adult if you like. It contains the fellowship of the ring, the two towers, the return of the king which all make the Lord of the Rings which have recently been made into films one for each ...
...ones or biograghys but this is possibly the best i have ever read. you havent read a book till you bought this pack of three.i think they r for every1 cos they are dark at sumpoints and happy at others .well worth a read even if its your kids book-excellent ... Read review

Advantages: Very many.
Disadvantages: None

...and so caught up in the plot that you are loathe to put it down. This award winning fantasy novel occurs some time before what happens in the book "Lord of the Rings", and thus focuses on Bilbo's adventures with the ring and Thorin's dwarves. So basically, if you read or watched "Lord of the Rings" and wanted more background information on how this ring got into Bilbo's possession this is the book to read. It's also a good book for all those who ... Read review

Advantages: Some good bits
Disadvantages: Lots of bits that won't be of interest to the average reader

...easy going. A lot of the book you will not read, there are huge sections based on the development of the languages present in Middle-Earth but the sections devoted to how various parts of the story evolved are fascinating. There are also a two new, albeit unfinished, stories. In general the book is very hard going and if you attempt to read it all you will fail, however pick and choose the bit’s that interest you and you will find it rewarding. ... Read review

Advantages: Great high adventure atmosphere
Disadvantages: Too solemn and tragic

I audio-read Silmarillion the last week-end (my girlfriend kept talking about it, so I gave it a chance). I had read LOTR a while ago and had enjoyed it although "The Hobbit" remains my favorite. As for this collection of "tales", it's a bit stuffy and too ceremonial in tone for my taste, especially the first stories, those about the creation of the world and the Valar and all that. I guess I liked the stories where I recognized things that were ...
...Gondolin and some others. But the book is full of the stuffiness that Tolkien displays quite often in LOTR, especially in the third volume, with all those farewell ceremonies and glorious speeches ad poems. After audio-reading this, I really miss the funny, fairy-like tone of "The Hobbit" so I guess I'll be reading that again. So, for "experts" who want to know everything about the Middle-Earth universe, this is a must-buy, but if you're more action-oriented ... Read review

Advantages: The movies made from the books are awesome
Disadvantages: The books are utterly boring

...to write could well be the last words i write because after this I'll probably have to go into hiding. But i thought the lord of the rings trilogy are the most boring books i've EVER read. Okay yeah the concept is great and the movies are probably my favourite movies of all time but the books where so dull i just couldn't finish reading them. I forced myself to finish the fellowship of the ring and I got half way through the two towers and I thought ...
...myself. Give me the films over the books anyday, the movies cut out all the dross and string of bad characters. Seriously guys save yourself hours and hours of talk about landscape and green hills and pretty flowers and silly songs just watch the movies and enjoy it dont touch the books they're no good. ... Read review