Lord of the Rings

[pagemap]

I just got done reading the hobbit, I can say that it was entertaining. I am going to read "the fellowship of the ring" next. My plan is to get the entire series read before the movie's release.

Who else has read the entire series, and would you say the books get better or is there one book that stands out as the best?

[MusashiM]

I would have to say that the books get better. I don't think a single one stands out... maybe Return of the King, but if you are planning on skipping any, don't. Go in order, cuz you'll get lost if you don't.

Also, IMHO, some of the stories, although not directly related to the storyline of Lord of the Rings, like Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales are actually better than the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

[Nija]

The Hobbit made me fall asleep every single time i tried reading it. So i gave up.

[topane]

Hard to judge which one was the best. I would say The Fellowship of the Ring if I had to make a choice.

[attgig]

Originally posted by pagemap
I just got done reading the hobbit, I can say that it was entertaining. I am going to read "the fellowship of the ring" next. My plan is to get the entire series read before the movie's release.

Who else has read the entire series, and would you say the books get better or is there one book that stands out as the best?

Originally posted by Nija
The Hobbit made me fall asleep every single time i tried reading it. So i gave up.

that's my problem too nija..
I'm currently in the second chapter, but on hold cause I'm reading Desecration (u know, that left behind series).

anyways pagemap, that was my plan too, but I'm havin a hard time..
but from what I've heard, the hobbit is the slowest book in the series by far, so if i gotz discipline, and can get through it...hopefully....

[Markel]

It's been a long time since I read the series (I read The Hobbit in high school before most of you were born, and the trilogy for a class in college), but I would definitely agree with the opinions that say to read the books (including the Hobbit) in order, or you will miss out on much.

[brainsmile]

you had a college class that assigned this?

[Markel]

Originally posted by brainsmile
you had a college class that assigned this?

Yeah. It was a literature class called "Modern Mythology". It was a quite popular class. We had to read one book of the trilogy each week (for 3 weeks), which I found kind of hard because I had to force my way through them and couldn't enjoy it as much.

[fakesurfers]

The LOTR trilogy is way better than the Hobbit. His other books (i.e. Silmarillion) generally are too dense for anyone but the most rabid of fans. I dont reading it before the movie is necessary though. If they do a decent job, you wont be able to stop yourself after you see the movie anyway...

[Markel]

Originally posted by fakesurfers
The LOTR trilogy is way better than the Hobbit. His other books (i.e. Silmarillion) generally are too dense for anyone but the most rabid of fans. I dont reading it before the movie is necessary though. If they do a decent job, you wont be able to stop yourself after you see the movie anyway...

The prof that taught the lit class I mentioned above visited Tolkien while he was working on the Silmarillion, and even got to read the manuscript. My prof said that Tolkien would never finish the Silmarillion (which, as I understand, is true - he never really finished his work on it).

[MusashiM]

Originally posted by Markel

The prof that taught the lit class I mentioned above visited Tolkien while he was working on the Silmarillion, and even got to read the manuscript. My prof said that Tolkien would never finish the Silmarillion (which, as I understand, is true - he never really finished his work on it).

I think you're right, because the Silmarillion was supposed to be a history of Middle Earth, from the beggining till the LOTR (thanks for the shortcut fakesurfers) so,in theory, it might never end.

It has been a long time since I've read any of the books though. I read the trilogy in 6th-7th grade, and the Hobbit, Unfinished Tales, and Silmarillion in High School. I should probably dig them out and give them a read before I go watch the movie.

[ironchef]

I just finished the trilogy about a week ago. Very good read, though toward the end there is just too damn much walking! Of the three, I'd have to say that Return of the King is my favorite, but the Fellowship is great too because you get to know things as they were when the Shire was fat and happy.

I'm really excited about the movie though! I can't wait for it.

[MusashiM]

My only concern about the movie is (and this has been my concern for most movies that have come out in the last 10 years or so) the acting. I've finally started to believe that modern-day special effects can actually capture the grandure of some of the more epic stories/novels, but it seems that as special effects improve, the acting gets more and more horrid. I really hope I'm wrong about this though.

And if any of you are wondering about the validity of my argument: The Mummy. Need I say more?

[Markel]

Originally posted by MusashiM
My only concern about the movie is (and this has been my concern for most movies that have come out in the last 10 years or so) the acting. I've finally started to believe that modern-day special effects can actually capture the grandure of some of the more epic stories/novels, but it seems that as special effects improve, the acting gets more and more horrid. I really hope I'm wrong about this though.

And if any of you are wondering about the validity of my argument: The Mummy. Need I say more?

Well, since the movie is entirely an animation, the quality of the "acting" depends on how good the animators can make it be. (From the trailer I saw, it looks pretty good.)

[MusashiM]

The actors aren't animated. And even if they were, a lot of people, IMO, overlook the importance of voiceovers. They don't consider it an important aspect of acting.