The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

10/10

A fantasy post right after a science fiction one? Draw your own conclusions my friends. One thing is for certain, that good old J.R.R. can weave a pretty gnarly yarn. I was raised on The Lord of the Rings. My Pa read these books to my brother Matt and I at night before beddy by. He would do the cool voices and all, his gollum voice was classic. I have since read the book at least two other times since. I don't read too many books more than once. I mean, I've read this book more than any other besides scripture.

When I first started the book I was like, "Where the h-e-double hockey sticks is Bilbo Baggins? And why should I care about this Frodo punk?" I have since repented of my rash, foolish words.

The book starts slow, but picks up rapidly once the ringwraiths get involved. Could anything be more scary than when the four hobbits are hiding in a ditch with a black rider sniffing for them some few feet away? I say nay. Plus, there is some cool action involving the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo that wasn't in the movie. Then the mystery whether Aragorn is a good guy or bad guy. Narrow escapes. The intrigue.

Then the fellowship is formed, and that is where it gets real fun. Going on a mission into the heart of enemy territory against all odds? You betcha. After that, there's only a billion other cool things that happen.

While I do think that this is one of the awesomer books ever written, I'm not one of those silly fellows who believes it's real and that Middle Earth exists. In case you were wondering.

Token Gandalf quote (or should I say "Tolkien" Gandalf quote, but seriously):

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." I guess that's why they call him "the wise".