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lizziestudieshistory's review against another edition
5.0
Only used it for Fellowship of the Ring and half of Two Towers for now!
I'm marking this as read because it's clogging up my 'currently reading' pile - it truly is fabulous for Tolkien enthusiasts to explore Lord of the Rings to a ridiculous level of detail... I LOVE IT
I'm marking this as read because it's clogging up my 'currently reading' pile - it truly is fabulous for Tolkien enthusiasts to explore Lord of the Rings to a ridiculous level of detail... I LOVE IT
aront's review against another edition
5.0
I recently reread (for the nth time, although for the first time in years) “The Lord of the Rings” along with this reader’s companion. If you are one of those people who became a LOTR fan in your youth, learned how to write in Elvish, love the Simarillion, and read the book many times, I highly recommend reading it again along with this commentary. It helped me appreciate even more how the depth of Tolkien’s academic scholarship permeates every word in LOTR. It also helped change my mind and I now consider Tolkien not only a great story teller and world builder, but an incredible writer. I even for the first time appreciate and enjoy his poetry.
I should add that 57 years after I first read LOTR, I appreciate even more his incredible world building, and his deep exploration of human psychology in a fantasy setting. He is truly the master of the genre and has never yet been surpassed. But he also deserves to be appreciated as a great writer, not just in his genre.
As a side note, perhaps it is related to my current age, but I now find LOTR incredibly sad and depressing. The commentary just helped deepen that feeling. I never before fully appreciated how Catholicism is such a pessimistic religion and how deeply it’s despairing view of human nature permeates Tolkien’s writing.
I should add that 57 years after I first read LOTR, I appreciate even more his incredible world building, and his deep exploration of human psychology in a fantasy setting. He is truly the master of the genre and has never yet been surpassed. But he also deserves to be appreciated as a great writer, not just in his genre.
As a side note, perhaps it is related to my current age, but I now find LOTR incredibly sad and depressing. The commentary just helped deepen that feeling. I never before fully appreciated how Catholicism is such a pessimistic religion and how deeply it’s despairing view of human nature permeates Tolkien’s writing.
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I cannot believe how full of useful information this book is. It was an incredibly insightful addition to my book club's months-long reread of LOTR this year. I will certainly be revisiting it on my next reread.
willgalltall's review against another edition
5.0
For me, this is essential reading if you want to know every connection to Tolkien's thought process and how certain quotes, characters, locations and everything else came to be.
I can only imagine the amount of time and effort that Hammond and Scull must have put into this, and it was perfect to have alongside reading The Lord of the Rings.
The style of this book meant for me that it's something I wouldn't read cover to cover, but it very much a reference book, and something I think I'll find myself picking up from time to time.
A great addition to my Middle Earth collection.
I can only imagine the amount of time and effort that Hammond and Scull must have put into this, and it was perfect to have alongside reading The Lord of the Rings.
The style of this book meant for me that it's something I wouldn't read cover to cover, but it very much a reference book, and something I think I'll find myself picking up from time to time.
A great addition to my Middle Earth collection.
nickynak3's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0