Ephemeris of the Mind (Book Review) The Two Towers
Time to read: 2 min read
Book Cover
It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.
Previous Middle-earth book reviews:
Review
Tolkien continues his epic from where the Fellowship splits up. There are several interwoven storylines with new characters being introduced. The first half of the book focuses on the members of the Fellowship who did not venture into Mordor, as they fight against the treacherous Wizard Saruman. The second half focuses on the journey of Frodo and Sam as they enter Mordor.
I enjoyed the first half much more, as it features gripping heroics and intrigue, culminating into one of the most iconic battles in Middle-earth lore. The second half of the book focuses much more on subtlety; Tolkien crafts a desolate and cruel atmosphere filled with unease and tension. Much like the first half of the first book, much of the second half of the second book is very slow in pacing and can be tedious if read in one sitting. This is especially the case as the first half of the second book is filled with excitement and action, although the pacing does pick up near the end of the second half.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor.
Conclusion
An amazing follow up to the first book.