Book Review: The Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring

When comparing his works, there's a clear and distinct difference between J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series of books. The Hobbit was in essence written initially in tribute to Tolkien's young children, with a more light-hearted tone with smaller scale stakes throughout it's narrative. As his children grew older however, Tolkien wanted to reflect their new found maturity in the world they helped him create. That's how The Lord of the Rings was formed in many respects as it took the whimsical world into a new age of darkness and tension. This new transition was not in vain however as by growing the series up in line with his own offspring, the world of Middle Earth expanded and brought in a reader-base unlike any other; to which it now spans a whole franchise across multiple forms of media.

The first book in his legendary trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring spans around four hundred and seven pages. It serves as the primary introduction to the core storyline that this trilogy follows and introduces us to a plethora of characters both new and previously seen in The Hobbit. In the new age of Middle Earth a shadow from the East is spreading it's dark influence across the lands. Sauron, the dark lord of Mordor has been slowly regaining his power and rebuilding his army. His longevity is tied to the One Ring, a dark trinket which Sauron imbued with his power during it's initial forging. After the events of the Hobbit the ring found itself in the ownership of Bilbo Baggins, but Bilbo soon hands the ring down to his nephew Frodo Baggins after he leaves the Shire. Gandalf the Grey soon confirms the One Ring's existence and tasks Frodo and his fellow Hobbit friends to venture out to the elven territory of Rivendale to meet with the Elrond and his council in hopes of forming a fellowship who may take the One Ring to be destroyed in the fiery pits of Mount Doom residing in Mordor.

As this narrative stretches across three book entries, I will try confine my review to the narrative components of The Fellowship of the Ring. In a lot of ways I really appreciated the amount of world building Tolkien managed to implement in this story. The book is mainly a set up for the core narrative that follows but it never feels derivative because of that. Tolkien for better or worse takes his time in introducing you to this world brimming with so much detail. He ensures you fully understand the stakes of this new age through the characters that inhabit it. The use of pre-existing characters and story points from The Hobbit helps make this world feel more dynamic in a lot of ways too. It says one thing that Tolkien is able to elaborate so much on the new age of Middle Earth and set the scene for the dark adventure that looms ahead. It's a thoroughly engaging story for the most part, if you can forgive the heavy setup that Tolkien has to establish for the first half of it's page count.

I think the other thing that impresses me to no end in regards to this book is the obvious maturity in tone. The Hobbit was always intended to reflect the whimsical delight Tolkien's children showed during the time him writing it but in The Lord of the Rings case you can see Tolkien wanted to evolve the world and show it's maturity in reflection of the aging of his children. Those whimsical motifs are still there, but Tolkien adds a grand sense of drama and tension that gives the series a much appreciated redefinition. I think it reflects the capability of a good writer when he can evolve his work in such a fashion. The dramatic sequences in this book are so well detailed and fully realised to the creative vision that Tolkien was filled with.

That creative vision while fundamentally brilliant is still difficult to get along with in conjunction with Tolkien's writing style. As with his previous book I read, I just find the man doesn't know when to stop describing a scene for his own good. I appreciate it's his vision and he wants to realise it to his full extent, but as a reader I feel he sometimes lingers way too long on scenes that don't necessarily require all that much effort. What that then does I find is holds me back from reading some of the more engaging and exciting sequences in the story which this story does brilliantly. I know it's a product of the time and it's a choice Tolkien took to not let any detail of his vision be lost so it's a negative I will happily deal with if it means the story can continue to be creative and fulfilling.

In retrospect I'm disappointed it took so long for me to jump into the books of Middle Earth. I'm having a really fun time getting lost in this world. I am totally here for the new found maturity that Lord of the Rings is displaying too. Fellowship of the Ring plays a pivotal role in setting up this adventure with it's vast locales and compelling characters, I cannot wait to see what else lies in wait for me to discover in the second part; The Two Towers.