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J.R.R. Tolkien: The Two Towers - The Lord of the Rings book 2

 To continue my reading of The Lord of the Rings, I listened to this one on Audible. I listened to the Andy Serkis recording which was AMAZING! He is such a good narrator and voice actor. I enjoyed his narration thoroughly.

The Two Towers picks up the story of the fellowship of the ring (now divided) practically where it left off. Frodo and Sam are desperately headed toward Mordor to dispose of the One Ring, while Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas pursue the Orc army who took Merry and Pippin toward Isengard. Frodo and Sam meet an unlikely guide, Gollum, the wretched creature who once possessed The Ring. Gollum agrees to lead Frodo to Mordor, and having no one else to guide them or trust, Frodo and Sam follow him through the dangerous lands leading to Mordor. Meanwhile, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas hunt down the orc army in Rohan, eventually finding that the men of Rohan have already decimated the army for them. Merry and Pippin have escaped, and the trio meets a familiar friend: Gandalf, returned from his encounter with the Balrog. Gandalf sets them on a new mission, assuring them that eventually, they will be reunited with the hobbits. Their mission is desperate: protect Rohan from the oncoming onslaught of the enemy, then make their way to Minas Tirath to make their last stand while they wait and hope that Frodo will accomplish his mission. Can they rally the Rohirram, shake off Isengard, and succeed against the forces of darkness?

This has always been my favorite of the trilogy. I love Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli's story. I love the battle for Helm's Deep in the films, and I loved it just as much in the book. I loved the added depth to Faramir's story (who got the short end of the stick in the films), and how noble his character truly is. The films don't do him justice. In all, this book lived up to my expectations for the series, and I highly enjoyed listening to Andy Serkis narrate.

I would give this book a PG-13 rating for violence, and I gave it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐



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