J.R.R. Tolkien: The Fellowship of the Ring - The Lord of the Rings book 1

I read The Fellowship of the Ring a long long time ago when I was in middle school or junior high. I loved the stories then, and have always loved the movies, but I couldn't remember much of what I'd read from it. So when I found them narrated by Andy Serkis, I HAD to have them and listen to them. Let me tell you... this was a DELIGHTFUL audiobook from start to finish.

Frodo Baggins has inherited a ring from his uncle, but unbeknownst to him, it is the ultimate ring of power, forged by the dark lord Sauron. Gandalf urges Frodo to take the ring to Rivendell, where the elves will know what to do with it. Ultimately, it is decided that Frodo must take the ring into the dark land, Mordor, itself. He is to be accompanied by a fellowship of companions: Aragorn, Legolas, Samwise, Pippin, Merry, Boromir, Gimli, and Gandalf. Will Frodo be able to get the ring to Mordor?

Without a doubt, Tolkien was more interested in describing Middle Earth than the actual story, which makes some readers call the book dry. I happened to love the way this book was written, except for the council of Elrond - that chapter was probably the most difficult to get through. I still think Tolkien told a fantastic story, even if the pacing was a little slow at times.

Book one spends a lot of time setting up the world and introducing the large cast of characters. It's admittedly a little difficult to feel bad for the death of Boromir as a minor character because there isn't much time put into his development. Of course, this death becomes important later on, but the event itself isn't that gut-wrenching in my opinion. I do love the world-building aspects because they draw you into the world itself and give you a scope of how big Tolkien's Middle Earth is.

I probably have a bias towards this book - I have been watching the films almost since they came out (extended editions, duh), and I have deep love of the series and characters, and like I said, this is my second time through the novel.

I rate this book PG 13 for violence and dark themes

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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