Impression of the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

by Haldir-(V)
May 25, 2003

Tolkien Site > Tolkien > Book Reviews

           If you are one of those people who likes to go on an enchanting adventure to an imaginary place, where extraordinary things happen, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, is for you! This book takes you on a wonderful ride through the imaginary world of Middle-earth. The author, J.R.R. Tolkien, writes the book with such detail that you can picture all the creatures that he depicts. It brings you into the world of Middle-earth to watch all the events that are happening. This is a great book that people of all ages should read, even if that means having it read to them.
            In the book, each of the characters play an important part. It is the third part of a trilogy about an evil ring that needs to be destroyed. The young hobbits, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee, are on a quest to destroy the “One Ring.” They must go into the dark land of Mordor and cast the Ring into the pits of Mount Doom, to destroy it. All this while being hunted by the Dark Lord’s minions. A seemingly impossible task, done by the most unlikely people.
            While the hobbits are doing this, others in the story are making a difference in their own way. The man Aragorn goes on a quest to the city of Minas Tirith, where an attack is expected to happen. The dwarf Gimli and the elf Legolas follow Aragorn and help him in his quest.
            Meanwhile, near Minas Tirith, the other hobbit, Merry, fights in the early stages of the battle. He helps by killing a Nazgûl that brings the hopes of victory closer. In Rohan, Merry helps King Théoden and becomes great friends with him. There are many other characters that play a minor part, that you learn about when you read the books. For now, the above characters are the only ones I will be mentioning.
            This book uses great detail and is one of the most well-written books ever. It tells the adventures of many different characters; Tolkien manages to pull all the characters together to meet again. You see how they can be split so far away, and then come so close, without even knowing it. It truly weaves its way together.
The details in this book are outstanding; you can see the creature you are reading about in your mind. You can see the danger that the hobbits are in, and what the others are facing on the battle-field. Pg. 911 “With a last despairing effort Frodo raised himself on his hands, and struggled on for maybe twenty yards. Then he pitched down into a shallow pit that opened unexpectedly before them, and there he lay like a dead thing.” Sensory verbs equal a good book, and this book has plenty of detail that describes everything. Even if the reader is not looking for a lot of detail in a book, this book has enough to please someone that wants to be able to see what is happening in their mind, and one that doesn’t want to be confused with too much detail.
             This book is also quite a page turner; it leaves you wanting more when you put it down (if you can put it down). It leaves you wanting to go on to the next chapter when you finish a chapter. For example the quote on pg. 894 “… Far up above in the darkness it was answered. Out of the black sky there came dropping like a bolt a winged shape, rending the clouds with a ghastly shriek.” And it continues in the next chapter about what happened. In some of the “less popular” books, a chapter ends by something like, “…and read to the next chapter to see what comes up!” This actually has a cliff-hanger that leaves you dying for more.
            The adventures that the characters go through are amazing. The characters go from a seemingly impossible situation, to a happy “fairy land” and back to a horrible world. This book goes from bad to worse in the situations the characters go through. They eventually get out of all them, but it is a trip to see them overcome them.
            The pure genius in this book is amazing; the ability to create so many out-of-this-world creatures is astonishing. Tolkien comes up with so many creatures that no one has ever heard of, and describes them in a way that it seems you have know about them and seen them since you were two years old. It would be impossible, maybe even for Tolkien himself, to recall all the creatures, places and special items that were in this book. Although you may not want to read a book that has so many details, this book teaches you to appreciate detail.
            The book, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, is truly the best book ever. With a reading and maturity level of high school, it reads like a smooth piece of rock. It is highly recommended and is fun and exciting to read. With all the key elements of a great book, it promises a wonderful time. With all the exciting characters and creatures, you will find yourself accidentally calling your friends by one of the names in the book. This book is great and makes the reader want to jump into the book and experience all the adventures the characters are experiencing. If you have not read this book, or don’t want to, you are missing out!
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