Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) The Fellowship of the Ring
Time to read: 2 min read
Book Cover
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
Previous Middle-earth book reviews:
Review
Tolkien returns to Middle-earth with the first part of his epic Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Ring follows Frodo Baggins, the nephew of Bilbo Baggins (from The Hobbit), as he’s tasked with the desperate task to destroy a powerful ring in order to prevent the Dark Lord Sauron from conquering Middle-earth.
Tolkien builds upon the world he started in The Hobbit, further exploring the diverse cultures and languages of Middle-earth. He doubles down on the use of language to both subtly and explicitly showcase different cultural features of each race, such as through means of songs and poems. He also gives detailed explanations of Middle-earth’s geography. I had to use the maps included with my edition of the book to make sense of everything.
Unlike The Hobbit, however, this book is much more serious and features a darker tone. Tolkien expertly builds suspense as Frodo and company are forced to encounter the various hazards of Middle-earth all while being chased by the evil servants of Sauron. The pacing is very slow as Tolkien thoroughly sets up the backdrop for the main conflict in the later books. Unfortunately, this meant that many parts of the book felt tedious to read, especially the first half of the book, where much of the writing is about the aforementioned discussions on Middle-earth geography and culture, as well as a very slow build-up for the beginning of Frodo’s adventure. Luckily, a full in-depth understanding of Middle-earth geography and culture is not required to enjoy the story. The pace also picks up in the second half of the book.
Conclusion
The set up for an epic adventure.