The LotR series are the best books I've ever read. Sorry, but it's on a way different level than Harry Potter.

I have tried to read the Lord of the Rings books numerous times but for some reason I can't get into it. It written very well but it don't grab me like most of the books I read.

i read them all, but i didn't understand them a lot. anybody else who did that?

i like lotr but not as much as i like hp ive tried reading the lotr books but i cant really seem to get through them their kinda boring to me...and i cant really understand them that well :/ but i do really like the movies?!

I loved reading LOTR.I can say that the two books which influenced my life are HP and LOTR.i am really thankful to both JKR and J.R.R.Tolkein for making my life so happy now.
I learnt many things from LOTR books.Not about English language but about life and how to deal with it.

I had to read the Hobbit again before I understood the first book thoroughly. I had read it in like 7th grade so I had to read it again. I really like the 2nd book best.

I flippin love LOTR, it's like up there w/ Harry Potter to me. I read the books,and i love those to..i love to see how great the movies are compared to the writings,they are masterpieces!! I love you sir tolkien

oi!

I love Lord of the Rings too!!

I liked LotR too there's a site for HP and LotR it's not mine but it's really cool. See aragog's web >>> The ceremony of innocence then just explore the sight :flowersmile:

It's a bit of a pity that LotR was such a masterpiece. He really covered all the bases between elves, dwarves, magical objects, fantasy languages, countries, gods, mythologies... Tolkien made life bad for any aspiring fantasy writers after him - it's impossible to write a piece of fantasy without ripping something off the Middle-Earth sagas. Take it from someone who's tried.
In fact, the most convincing fantasy series I've read (other than LotR of course) is Discworld, which was created as a spoof of the genre in general. The fact that the 34th one was out last month is proof that people don't mind a little bit of borrowing as long it's not being passed off as something totally original.
I mean, look at HDM or HP! You couldn't count the number of rip-offs on your fingers. Unless you had odd hands but that's not the point.

Just wondering if anyone here has begun to delve into the Silmarillion? It's tough going at times, but facinating!

Also, has anyone else noticed similarities between LOTR and HP? Wormtail/wormtongue? Neville Longbottom/Longbottom leaf? A friend of mine and I came up with a list of at least 10 things the other day ... of course now I can't remember them all ...

ACK don't do that! You'll miss Tom Bombadil!

*sigh* An absolute masterpiece. No other author could carry off the terrible beauty of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad or the Narn i Hin Hurin, though I find Beren and Luthien overrated - well, Beren really. Luthien did most of the work there, though the end is so sad.
It's great to get the backstory for the Peredhelm, and the Akallabeth really adds to the 'LotR experience' cos you understand why Aragorn's lineage is so impressive.
But I'm rambling so I'll stop.

Oh God it's mad. Problem is, Tolkien crafted such a complete and detailed world, had so many storylines, so many characters, so many ideas and plotbunnies that it is absolutely impossible to write a halfway decent fantasy without lifting something from him.
Mind you, some of the HP ones are flagrant ripoffs.
Nazgul and Dementors.
A Dark Lord who's fallen before and comes back stronger than ever, whose a charming devil or was and underwent a fall from grace.
A good wizard wrongfully imprisoned by a corrupt one.
An adventure starting with a birthday. (Bilbo/Frodo - Harry)
A loyal best friend. (Sam - Ron)
An ally with a fiesty sister who has a crush on the hero (Éomer, Éowyn - Ron, Ginny)
Personal theory: the sister falls for someone quite like the hero (Éowyn, Faramir - Ginny, Neville)
A love interest* raised in a similar way to a hero. (Arwen - Hermione)

The list goes on and on and on. You want a really good one? Read Eragon - it's practically an LotR fanfic.

*I think so anyway

I've read about 4 pages of it, lol, I haven't had the time to read it properly yet.


Also Shelob and Aragog, Gollum and Dobby etc etc.
Well all I can say is LotR cam beore HP

I knew I'd forgotten something really obvious.

And my brother started complaining that LotR ripped off HP! I was like, hmm... 1955 vs. 1997, which one came first Aaron?

OMG we live in such a tech based society. Do people even rembember what books are these days?

I agree, Tolkien didn't leave much room for anyone else to come up with something original

I love Lord of the Rings, but I personally think that the books are a little hard to get through and that the movies are a little better.

A lot of the geology got me in The Lord Of The Rings.

I didn't really understand the descriptions that he often gave of the surroundings, and let's face it, sometimes there would be several constant pages of him describing the scenery, and I really don't know how to picture that in my head as I didn't understand a fair few of the words he used.

It was a marvellous struggle juggling between LOTR and the Oxford dictionary.

His story telling is superb, and I loved the way that he had the chronology wrong by telling us events with frodo in "the two towers" that happened simultaneously to the events with minas tirith in "the return of the king". I thought that was a good idea.
It gave more of an overall back and forth movement to the story.

I really enjoyed the hobbit, mostly because I understood it.
I liked the finding of the ring, and I liked Gandalf's presence.

Although besides those two pieces of work, there is nothing more of Tolkien's that I have successfully managed to keep in my hand for longer than an hour.

I attempted the Silmarillion, and I got bored just reading the letter at the beginning.
Too many descriptions of histories of things of other things of other things that dont mean anything to the overall story.

E.g.

"Theomer, son of Elidor, forth steward of Ivor, the second glenistor of Kilomere, in the third passing age of the sun, brought forth with him anguro, the sword of foromer, son of jaradar, son of retarder, ninth soldier of arnandeil, forth captive upholsterer of minas kingol... etc etc"

I just got totally lost and thought, "I cant read a whole book of this stuff."

Same goes for his 20 books on "the history of middle earth".

Like jesus, its too hard to read!

Soften it down, and then maybe my unimaginative mind can cope with it.

I couldnt really get into the books..........I somtimes became confuzzed......grrr I just couldnt read it

I couldn't agree more. Especially after reading a *ahem* certain part of HBP, I honestly found it hard not to think about the similarities with LotR.

I know I've probably repeated this, but I'm teaching Sindarin.....that is if anybody is interested. aNd don't act like this is a one person thing I'm teaching about 30 now, just finished off 10...