Lord of The Rings (The Fellowship of The Ring) - J R R Tolkien (Book)

96/100 of #100bookpact

Lord of The Rings (The Fellowship of The Ring) - J R R Tolkien

What do you do right after you finish a Book Series that you end up loving big time? You just cannot pick it up again from the very start and re read - do you? I guess the only solution is to pick up an equally good or may be a better series (not sure of that yet) and read it. In my personal opinion no other series could have come any closer to what I finished (Harry Potter) recently which I may end up loving big time just like the other (that I expected). With those thoughts I picked up "Lord of The Rings" Trilogy, hoping it works for me the way it has worked for my friends. Long back I had seen the three movies based on the three books and loved them big time, I can still not forget some extra ordinary visuals. Now after a decade with hardly any memory of them on my mind (barring those awesome action sequences and Gandalf) I sat up to read this one. These are three fat books - the bigger the better it is for us readers, almost 600 or more pages per book, written in stages between 1937 and 1949 (Unbelievable). Totally excited. 

First book is basically the introduction of all the characters and the background on "The Ring", how and where it came from with what powers (not in great details). Totally loved the Hobbit world details, their way of life, those awesome birthday parties celebrating 100+ years, imagine a Hobbit becomes an adult only after he crosses the mid 30's, they live up more then 100+ years. Frodo Baggins the Ring bearer is told by Gandalf the Grey about extraordinary powers of The Ring and what they should do with it before the Dark Lord gets it back from these guys. Gandalf kept reminding me of Dumbledore - dunno why but I guess others too will connect with his character in the same way I believe. The treacherous journey of Frodo the hobbit with his close friends especially Sam Gamgee and his mule (Bill) is hilarious and keeps the reader entertained throughout (the lackluster narrative). Unfrotunately it didnt work the way I expected it will although it kept me glued to it but this is one book that I am definitely not reading again that I knew right after I had hit the half way. I wont call it boring but nothing great either. It does sets up the introduction but takes too much time in coming to the point. By the time the reader is introduced with all the creatures, some who are with Frodo and others who are in their pursuit to get the Ring. There indeed came a time when I actually kept the book aside but as I have never left a book unread (midways) I picked it up again and finished it (and I am glad I did it). 

By the time the first book ends, it loses quite a few of great characters (I so much wish at least one of them makes a re-entry and you know who) as Frodo's journey continues to an unknown unseen mountains to put an end to Ring's powers. Hats off Tolkien's wild imagination for all those characters, creatures, places, mountains, rivers, valleys, warriors and wars etc and all that - unfortunately its a little too much to keep a track of (as per me) or may be this is just a start and I may be judging it too early. As I pick up the second book again with great expectations that everything will start falling in place now - lets see how it turns out to be. 

If you have read the series and liked it - do let me know if I am the only odd man out to feel this way or you too had the same feelings? Did it work for you?