The Lord of the Rings Illustrated (Tolkien Illustrated Editions)

Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest literary contributions to mankind. I have yet to see a book, or set of books, written as well with the amount of depth that Tolkien has put into this work.I'm first going to go through address each aspect of The Lord of the Rings, critiquing each of them as I go.The story is can both be described as very complex, or very simple. On this alone, I would give the book five stars. The entire story is summed up in one sentence: How Frodo Baggins rid Middle-earth of the Ring of Power. Then again, there is far more depth to it than that. There are literally hundreds of subplots, both implied and obvious. There are subplots involving main characters like Aragorn and Gandalf, and others including stories that go only mentioned briefly, like that of the balrog, or Treebeard, dwarves, and elves. Stories are alluded to and told that only hint at the depth of the world, Middle-earth, that Tolkien has created. The plot proceeds following a few storylines, the ultimate goal being to destroy the Ring of Power in Mount Doom. Along the way we meet a myriad of other characters, from half-main characters, like Eomer, to ones that are only touched on, like a few orcs. The story here is just so big, that it can't even be contained in the pages that J.R.R. Tolkien has used to write it.The interesting fact is that despite the complexity of the story, Tolkien presents it in such a way that all of the different aspects of the story flow together fluidly. So much so that it seems like the story is relatively simple. And that only continues to prove that Tolkien really knows how to write a good story.That brings me to my second point. The characters. Because there are so many stories involved in this one big story, and so many characters involved, you'd think that there wouldn't be much time for characterization, but it's just the opposite. Tolkien takes the time to develop each and every character involved, and the hinted stories and subplots only go to enhance this. With all of the back stories, we get to know more about the characters, and what they do later on in the book causes them to stay true to who they are, based on what they've already done. Suffice to say, Tolkien is a master of characterization.Moving onto Tolkien's writing style. It is absolutely flawless. His descriptions are masterful, and he doesn't fall into any of the usual faults that many authors fall into. Tolkien doesn't stop the action to use descriptions; he uses the action to channel the descriptions. His writing flows extremely well, and he moves the story steadily along while keeping consistent pacing, which is a very important aspect of any story. I really like how Tolkien allows the story to enhance his writing style. The grand landscapes, the epic battles. He captures the very essence of Middle-earth.That's not to say he only writes on a grand scale. His writing is nearly perfect down to the simple scenes that involve interaction between characters. I especially like the relationship between Sam and Frodo. Tolkien goes from long passages of beautiful descriptions, to quick sentences of action. He is just as adept at writing lengthy scenes where little action occurs as he is at bringing dramatic battle scenes to life.That brings me to how Tolkien handles dialogue. There are many passages where Tolkien uses long passages in dialogue to convey information while using only simple dialogue tags to portray the action. Some may say that the long passages are boring and detract from the story, but I say it only goes to enhance the story and create even better character development. Each character has his or her own voice, and each talk differently. This added with the action taking place in the short sentences between dialogue allows the scene to flow easily with the action never stopping while we still get to know whatever information needs to be conveyed.Tolkien writes with a certain depth that I haven't seen in many other authors. Very few people can capture the essence of a story like he could. Tolkien had a gift, and he utilized it well. He wrote from his heart, and when authors write from their true feelings, it comes out more real than someone who, say, writes simply for money. The book as a whole is simply an almost flawless example of how books should be written. Not only does Lord of the Rings have just a good story and characters, Tolkien created numerous biblical parallels. This makes a work of fiction really come alive and feel much more relevant.Lord of the Rings is the type of book that can be read numerous times. Whoever has not read Lord of the Rings should begin right now. It's worth the time put into it. I see no way for this to disappoint, if you are someone who knows a good story when you see one.There's a reason this is a classic and has gained worldwide fame and approval.

I just got the CD audiobook version of the Lord of the Rings Complete Gift Set, unabridged. It contains 46 CDs (I think it was 46?) and contains all 3 books in the Lord of the Rings series (Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, Return of the King). I double checked that all the discs worked and then listened to the first 3 chapters. I'm super excited to say the least!I won't try to discuss the actual books themselves as I don't feel qualified at this point and that discussion is probably better suited for a different venue. But this audiobook version is wonderful. Rob Inglis does a great job narrating and really makes the characters come alive. His voice is perfectly suited to match the mood of the book (in my opinion at least) and he does a great job of not droning on. He even does a darn good job of slightly changing voices for different characters. A tough chore I would think. His accent matches the feel of the story and its nice to hear him pronounce some of the harder names in the book (both character and location names).What else can I say? If your a Tolkien/LoTR fan and are in the market for an audiobook version...this is it. 100% perfect! You will not be disappointed.EDIT (4/5/2012): I've now completed the first book (yes, it took me a long time but I only listen to small sections of the book at a time while at work) and I am more impressed now than ever with this recorded version! Rob Inglis truly brings this book to life and I cannot rave enough about how enjoyable it is to hear him read this story. His character voices and moods are consistent throughout the book which really adds to the feel of the story. Rob's voice combined with his wonderful characterization pulls me into the story and I have caught myself more than once actually moving in sync with the actions of the book. For instance, Rob will describe how Frodo turned his head quickly to catch the stare of Boromir and because I have been so drawn into his reading, I have caught myself moving my head to the side as if I was looking to meet Boromir's stare. This may sound stupid or corny...in fact it sounds kinda corny to me...but I can honestly say I have never been this engrossed in a story before and it's really cool stuff.Another stand-out point in my opinion is that Rob sings the songs throughout the book as they come up and he does a fairly good job of staying in character. I'm not particularly impressed by or excited about the singing but since the songs are part of the story, it's nice that he sings the songs as opposed to just speaking the lyrics.Again, I give the Rob Inglis, unabridged audiobook version of the LOtR trilogy 5+ stars! It's rare for me to say this (just ask my wife) but this audiobook is everything I wanted it to be and more. I paid my money and I feel I got much more than what I expected to get. In my opinion, the LoTR story is one of the most epic good vs. evil story lines of all time...possibly the best ever! And Rob Inglis does an epic job of bringing this story to life. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to anyone...especially LoTR fans. It is well worth the price and I don't think any LoTR, fantasy or fiction fan would be disappointed.EDIT (11/15/2012): I just completed the second book, "The Two Towers", and have started the third book. And WOW!! The second book was better than the first! Didn't think that my enjoyment with this set would grow over time but it has. Looking back, I got this set circa 10/2011 and since then I have only gained more and more appreciation for the set. My enjoyment has only grown over time and I feel it's even a better deal now than it was back then. The entertainment value is through the roof. My advice...don't hesitate...save money if you have to and buy this set. It will be one of your best purchases ever!!!

If you thought The Lord of the Rings couldn’t get any more magical, think again. This Illustrated Edition is an absolute masterpiece. It’s like holding a piece of Middle-earth in your hands—except you don’t have to fight orcs to get it.Tolkien’s own illustrations bring the world to life in a way I never imagined. Seeing his original artwork alongside his legendary storytelling is like peeking into his mind, and let me tell you—it’s breathtaking. The maps? Stunning. The detailed landscapes? Pure magic. It’s like stepping through a portal straight into Rivendell, minus the risk of getting tangled up in a quest.Beyond the visuals, the book itself is gorgeous. The quality of the paper, the elegant binding, the sheer weight of it—it feels like something straight out of the libraries of Gondor. This isn’t just a book; it’s a collector’s item, a family heirloom, and quite possibly the One Book to Rule Them All.Final verdict: If you’re a Tolkien fan, you need this in your life. If you’re not a Tolkien fan, get this anyway—you soon will be. 🌿📖🔥