The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings, #1)

"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater."

As a girl who watches the Lord of the Rings trilogy at least four times a year, who will get in arguments with people who claim not to like it, and who even has a tattoo of the doors of Dürin on her right thigh; I figured it was about time that I actually got around to reading the books.

I know, with how much I read it's almost despicable that I have only just now gotten around to reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but give me a break. After how much I adore the movies and the entire mythology, I was admittedly a little scared to tackle these. What if I didn't like them? What if they didn't live up to my high expectations of them?

I finally found a copy of the trilogy at Barnes & Noble that I couldn't refrain from purchasing (I had been planning on reading my brother's copies up until then), and almost immediately tore into the first book. The first movie was always my favorite and I was definitely looking forward to seeing how Tolkien actually played it out.

When Frodo Baggins inherits Bilbo's estate after his uncle's departure for one final adventure, he is left with one particularly small, but very important treasure: the One Ring. It is a token Bilbo has kept with him since he won it from Gollum many years ago (as told within the pages of The Hobbit). It isn't until Gandalf, a wizard and old friend of Bilbo's, realizes the identity of the One Ring, that Frodo discovers the great danger he is in by owning it . . . because the One Ring isn't just a ring at all, it's a powerful weapon that, if the enemy gets hold of it, could mean the destruction of Middle Earth as a whole.

However, the One Ring cannot simply be destroyed by fire or force, it must be thrown into the fires from which it was forged: a place which can only be found in the cracks of doom, deep in the heart of Mordor, the lands of the enemy.

My thigh piece right next to the page from which it was
taken. :)

Frodo discovers he must be tasked with taking the Ring to Rivendell, an elven city, and present it to Elrond, who might soon discover a way to get it through the gates of Mordor. But even this task may prove too great for the hobbit. He is already being chased by the Black Riders and they aren't the only evil that the Ring calls unto itself. After all, the Ring wants to be found by it's master, and this wouldn't be the first time it has caused the destruction of the ring-bearer that carries it.

You will be happy to know, I'm sure, that I was pleasantly surprised with how much I loved this book! Like I mentioned before, I was terrified that it wouldn't be as good as the movie, even thought it is a general rule that the books are always better.

Admittedly, the book started out slow. There is a great deal that goes into Frodo and Gandalf discovering the identity of the One Ring and deciding what they should do with that knowledge. However, once things get into motion, it's nearly impossible to put it down. It's a fantasy epic that definitely earned its rank among the classics.

This was definitely one I will be rereading plenty in the years to come and I hope you will be doing the same!

Rating: ~★★★★★~

"The further you go, the less easy it will be to withdraw; yet no oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road."
"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens," said Elrond, "but let him not vow to walk in the dark who has not seen nightfall."