Book Review
Title: The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings #1)
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Adult/Fantasy
Rating: ***
Review: As I mentioned in my review of The Hobbit, I haven’t read any of these books despite loving all the films. The Fellowship of the Ring opens with a lot of information concerning Hobbits, this includes the history and origins of Hobbit kind, a brief recap of Bilbo’s adventures in The Hobbit and information on where the characters we are now following ended up after the War of the Ring. By the time the tale begins we learn that Bilbo is celebrated is 111th birthday and it is possible here to figure out how many years have passed since the end of The Hobbit. We know upon his return journey to the Shire Bilbo was 52 meaning that 59 years have passed since his trip with Thorin & Co. Bilbo is planning to leave the Shire once again and not to return this time as he has left everything to his nephew and adopted heir, Frodo. With the help of Gandalf, Bilbo throws one last birthday party as he shares his birthday with Frodo who is coming of age at 33 on the same day. That very evening Bilbo is gathering up the last of his things to go travelling with dwarves again, although they aren’t named. He is supposed to be leaving behind the ring he stole from Gollum for Frodo to keep safe but Bilbo is having trouble parting with it which leads to him and Gandalf getting into an argument but eventually Bilbo relents and is leaving the Shire. Over the next few days Frodo is left to deal with the crushing mass of their relatives alone until Gandalf arrives telling him that he too is also leaving earlier than planned as he has been wondering about the ring and has to find out what it is once and for all. Frodo takes Gandalf’s instruction not to wear the ring very seriously as both Frodo and us the readers presume the questions of the ring and its origins has been bugging Gandalf since Bilbo found the ring. While the opening to the movie is a very faithful adaptation to the source material it does play with the timeline as Frodo doesn’t see Gandalf for quite a long time after this whereas in the movie it seems like days have passed rather than years.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Frodo’s fiftieth birthday is approaching and he hasn’t heard from Gandalf in years about Bilbo or the ring when he suddenly returns bearing the worst kind of news. He explains to Frodo that he has been travelling and gathering knowledge from the White Council on the great rings and has come to the conclusion that Frodo’s ring is the One Ring created by the Dark Lord, Sauron in ages past. He explains how he tracked down Gollum and got the history of how he came to possess the ring right up to Bilbo finding it and has pieced together the history of the ring before that but he can’t be sure until he does the final test. He casts the ring into the fire and words appear on it which confirm Gandalf’s suspicions to which Frodo is completely horrified and wants to get rid of the ring only to find out he doesn’t possess the will to throw it away or cast it into the fire. Gandalf explains that this wouldn’t do him any good even if he could get rid of it because it wouldn’t destroy the ring and it could fall into evil hands or the hands of its Master. He advises Frodo that he needs to leave the Shire in order to keep it safe now Sauron is aware the ring hasn’t been destroyed and knows who held it last. He also explains that after this he let Gollum go although he knows now it was the wrong thing to do as he was seeking news out of Mordor which is how Sauron came to learn of Bilbo having the ring and he along with a huntsman named Aragon tracked him down again and imprisoned Gollum. He councils the young hobbit to travel to Rivendell taking those he can trust and he opts for Sam Gamgee, his oldest friend as his father Hamfast had been a good friend to Bilbo. Together they create the story that Frodo is moving back to Buckland even securing a house there although Frodo isn’t sure if he is ever going to return to it. He and Gandalf arrange for Frodo to leave around his birthday so that he doesn’t arouse any suspicions but as he is preparing to leave the Shire, he overhears someone asking after him and decides not to look into it. Frodo and Sam along with Pippin head for Buckland as Merry has already gone ahead of them when they encounter a black rider looking for someone or something and Frodo instinctively knows to hide from the creature. Luckily, it passes by them and not long after another black rider, or the same one they can’t be sure, comes around again but the Elves heading in the same direction drive it off. These elves seems to know of Frodo because they have seen Bilbo in recent times and when Pippin mentions the black riders, they offer to take the hobbits within their company for as long as they can travel together. The leader of these elves, Gildor explains to Frodo that he has some sense of why he has left the Shire although he doesn’t know the exact reasons why and give him the best advice, he cannot being fully informed of everything going on. We can already see the timeline being moved around compared to the movies as the first part was extremely condensed but it now seems to be drawn out as we are almost 100 pages in and the hobbits haven’t even truly left the Shire yet.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the trio make it with some help in Buckland where Merry has been waiting for them although the black riders are close, they can’t cross the river without going miles around to the gate. During the following scene I noticed how Merry and Pippin changed between the books and the movies, in the movies they seem like jokers who can be serious at times as they are the youngest two of the four hobbits with Pippin being the youngest. However, in the books both are smart and capable as with Sam they spied on Frodo and Gandalf until Sam got caught and made their own plans to travel with Frodo. Once they arrive at Frodo’s new home in Buckland, Merry seems to take control of the group making sure the others are washed and fed, making sure there are ponies ready for when they leave as well as all the supplies, they could need which is more than Frodo has done as he seems trapped in his own head half of the time. However, the group decide to leave through the Old Forest for Rivendell at first light in the hopes that the black riders have had to travel around to the gate where they could be held up for a time giving them a head start. Soon after entering the Old Forest all the hobbits begin to feel something is wrong as the trees seem to be turning them in the wrong direction constantly until a sudden wave of sleepiness comes upon them and most give into it. However, Sam resists going to find Frodo who left the group to cool down only to find him being drowned by a tree, when they return to the clearly it seems that Pippin has been pulled whole inside a tree and another is working Merry into its trunk. Sam and Frodo try to free their friends with no success when suddenly Tom Bombadil comes across them and forces the tree to release Merry and Pippin before leading them to his home for the night. There they also meet Goldberry, the River Daughter and the pair are strange, the more time the hobbits spend with Tom the less meaning time has. However, we can see Tom is a very old being as he mentions being around before the elves awoke and the elves were the first race to inhabit Arda aside from the Valar, which makes me think he might be one of the blue wizards that Gandalf mentioned but I am not sure right now. By the time they are leaving Tom’s company they aren’t sure how much time has passed but there are refreshed and more prepared for what lies ahead of them or so they believe.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the hobbits fall into more danger and have to be rescued once more by Tom Bombadil where he offers to lead them to the Great Road and out of his lands so they can continue on their journey. Once on the road he tells them to ride for Bree and the inn called the Prancing Pony where they will find a home away from home and the answers they need. The hobbits do exactly that taking care not to stray as they have done before and in no time they arrive at their destination but the stares and questions they are receiving aren’t a good sign. However, the hobbits proceed inside and begin enjoying themselves, far too much in the case of Pippin as drinking has loosened his tongue and he is no longer being as secretive as Frodo wants. This information doesn’t come from his own mind, but from the mind of a ranger named Strider who he has been talking with. In order to distract the drinkers from Pippin, Frodo sings a song and dances upon the table however when he slips off the ring finds itself on his finger and he vanishes which it the worst thing that could have happened right now. Strider explains that it was a bad thing to do and wants to speak to Frodo in private later on and the hobbit agrees. Upon returning to the parlour, the inn keeper also wishes to speak to Frodo. Strider is already there and explains to the hobbits that he wants to help them and he can serve as their guide on the path they travel as he knows it well but the hobbits especially Sam aren’t convinced that Strider is on their side. However, the inn keeper shows up at the moment with a letter written by Gandalf months before which he forgot to send. In the letter Gandalf asks Frodo to set out on his journey at the end of July rather than in September because of the threat of the Black Riders which they have been dodging constantly since they left the Shire.
Gandalf also reveals Strider as Aragorn and there is a verse about him proving that Strider is who he said he was and helps him gain the trust of the hobbits. That very night the riders raid the Prancing Pony in search of the ring but don’t find it or the hobbit since they slept in another room and when they wake, they find their ponies are gone as well as every other animal stabled at the inn and it costs them hours to track down another pony. Strider leads them down the road for a time as they are being closely watched before they leave it making for Weathertop as that is where Gandalf would be heading. When they get there, they find that Gandalf had already been and left three days before which meant he was in danger and it explains the flashes of light they thought to be lightening coming down from the hill three days before. However, they have to camp on Weathertop despite its openness because they can reach nowhere else before nightfall which is when the riders are at their strongest. As expected, 5 riders find them on Weathertop that night and despite trying to resist it the ring overpowers Frodo and he ends up wearing it once more despite Strider’s warning that the riders are drawn to it. Strider also knows that fire can be used as a weapon against the Black Riders and does just that. It seems without Tom Bombadil and Striders the hobbits wouldn’t have even made it this far as they seem quite cowardly, this is probably because hobbit are a race that hasn’t had much call for violence or weapons in many years and they know very little about what goes on outside of the Shire which puts them at a major disadvantage although they have the tales from Bilbo. One of these Strider recounts and I believe is gone into in more depth in the Silmarillion which is the Tale of Beren and Luthien.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the Ringwraiths attack them on the dell of Weathertop as Strider feared and Frodo is injured by one. While Strider attempt to heal the wound, he knows it is beyond him and tells the other hobbits that they have to make for Rivendell as fast as they can as Frodo is beginning to fade from the world. As they continue on with their journey they end in the same part of the forest where Bilbo and the Dwarves encounter the trolls as they still stand there as monuments of stone. However, they don’t stay long as the Ringwraiths aren’t far behind them and they make for the Ford of the Bruinen beyond which lies the home of Elrond. As they get close the encounter an elf, Glorfindel who has been sent from Rivendell to find them as he has already encounter 5 of the 9 Black Riders and knows they aren’t far behind them so they keep moving. Frodo is given Glorfindel’s horse and is instructed to make for Rivendell if they encounter the riders as the riders will follow him. Glorfindel and Strider’s worries are confirmed when 5 black riders appear behind them at the Ford of Bruinen and the other 4 pursue Frodo when the horse rides off. Frodo manages to cross the Bruinen but when one of the riders attempts it a huge flood is sent down by Elrond to wash them away. For a time, Frodo is unconscious as Elrond heals him of the wound, he received and when he awakes Gandalf who has since arrived at Rivendell fills him in on everything that has happened. When he has recovered Frodo meets Elrond and his three children, Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir, he also meets Gloin from Thorin’s company who happens to be there for the Council that Elrond is holding. However, he does fill Frodo in on the happenings of the dwarves and he does mention that he doesn’t know what has become of Balin, Ori and Oin but nothing more is said at the moment. Frodo also learns that Bilbo is at Rivendell and has been for some time and he intends to remain there for a while longer. As they all retire for the night, the Council of Elrond has been set for early the next morning. I was surprised to find we are over halfway through the novel and we have only now arrived at the Council of Elrond which takes place quite early on in the movie but I am excited to see some of my favourite characters from the movie like Legolas and Gimli.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, we see the Council begin and this is where I noted the most differences so far between the book and the movie adaptation. The Council first begins by several people including Elrond, Gandalf, and Aragorn to name a few detailing their stories and thus the entire history of the ring and why they believe that the ring Frodo carries is Sauron’s One Ring. After confirming that the ring is indeed the One Ring, they begin debating about what they should do with it, at first, they believe they should give the ring to someone like Tom Bombadil who they ring would have no power over but this is soon dismissed as Tom wouldn’t be able to keep the ring safe. They then consider hiding the ring but they know it wouldn’t stay hidden forever and would eventually be found most likely by its master which isn’t good for anyone. Finally, they come to the conclusion that they have to destroy the ring but it can only be unmade in the place it was made, in the fire of Mount Doom which means someone has to carry the ring to Mordor which no one wants to do. Frodo who has been listening intently suddenly knows that he has to carry the ring despite not wanting to and he tells this to the Council who accepts then when Sam who has been sitting quietly in the corner the whole time asks Elrond if he is going to send Frodo alone and Elrond responds by telling Sam he will be going with Frodo as it is impossible to keep them apart. As the rest of the Fellowship is chosen consisting of Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, Boromir, Gandalf, Pippin and Merry in addition to Sam and Frodo. The group spend a further two months in Rivendell while they wait for reports to come back from scouts sent all over Middle Earth before they finally leave at the end of December, the height of winter, which means the weather is also going to be against them. The first part of their journey is fairly easy but as they approach the mountains known to the Dwarves as Moria lies beneath them, Gandalf and Aragorn disagree about the path they should take. Eventually, Gandalf yield and they opt to try the mountain pass first but they are soon trapped in a blizzard which threatens to be the end of them so they have no choice but to journey down again. This leaves them with no choice but to go through Moria although most of the company are against it, after Gandalf figures out the password which takes a lot longer than the movie they go down into the dark. As only Gandalf has passed through Moria before as Gimli is too young to have been here before, they find themselves unsure of the best path to their destination of the eastern gate. By the time they get close the decide to rest for the night before figuring out their final steps in the morning and that morning is when they find the tomb of Balin. Gimli’s reaction here was hard to read as we know most of the Dwarves from Thorin’s company are still alive and don’t know what became of Balin, Ori and Oin because most Dwarves won’t come to Moria and Gimli is going to have to carry back the news of their demise although we don’t know how they died. However, since entering the mines Frodo hasn’t been able to shake the feeling that they are being watched and followed which seems to grow stronger with every passing hour they spend in Moria.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, the fellowship are soon set upon by orcs and while there is a brief battle, they escape relatively unscathed although Gandalf is the last to leave and he spies something which frightens even him. At the bridge which will lead them out of the mines, they are set upon by the Balrog or Durin’s Bane as the dwarves call it and while the others flee to the exit Gandalf turns to fight it and while he succeeds in holding it off it eventually grabs him and pulls him down into the darkness. The rest of the fellowship escape the mines but mourn the loss of Gandalf, their friend and guide. Aragorn now takes up the role of leading the fellowship as they head towards Lothlorien one of the last havens of the elves which pleases Legolas greatly. They camp just inside the woods of Lorien until some elves come to great them and take them into the trees for the night which is lucky as orcs soon pass that way. However, the fellowship can’t be taken into Lorien without having Gimli blindfolded as they won’t take a dwarf into Lorien freely. However, Aragorn stops the argument but asking for them all to be blindfolded so that Gimli won’t be singled out although he is content if only Legolas shares in his blindness. As they are being led into Lorien, word comes from the Lord and Lady allowing all the fellowship even Gimli to walk freely into their home. Once inside they are taken to meet Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel who rule over Lorien and all are overcome by the light and peace they find there. However, Sam and Frodo meet Galadriel alone as she takes them to her mirror which shows the past, present and future to the watcher. Here Frodo learns of the eye watching him and seeking him which terrifies him but he also sees that Galadriel bears one the three great elven rings, Nenya and she informs him if the One Ring is destroyed then the power of Nenya will also fade forcing the elves to depart Middle Earth forever but it is something that needs to be done.
Shortly after this the fellowship are preparing to leave Lorien but their path is difficult since most want to make for Gondor to summon armies and aid but the ring must be taken in the opposite direction to Mordor. This means either the fellowship with have to forsake help and walk to their death or risk delaying the destruction of the ring which is just as bad. Although the final option hasn’t been spoken about which is the breaking of the fellowship so both quests can be done. During this time, we see the friendship between Gimli and Legolas grow into what we know is going to become a friendship that will last a lifetime. As they travel down the Great River, they reach the point where a decision must be made to go east or west and that decision falls on Frodo alone and he knows his companions will follow him no matter the directions he chooses. Frodo is thinking of heading to Mordor alone when Boromir approaches talking about the ring and Frodo realises Boromir’s heart has fallen to it which started back in Rivendell and flees using the ring. By the time Boromir returns to the others to tell them Frodo has vanished they panic and begin searching for him. However, during this time Frodo has made it to the boats and is planning on leaving when Sam finds him, together they set out towards Mordor and pray that the rest of the fellowship will be safe upon their travels and that they will meet again someday.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Fellowship of the Ring as it gives us a lot of history of Middle Earth and its people which we don’t get in the movies which I have to say are extremely faithful adaptations for the most part. However, I can see why many people find Tolkien’s writing dry and boring because The Fellowship especially is very drawn out focusing far more on the journey rather than the destination with little to no action throughout. It is also a drastic change The Hobbit which is fast paced and action packed as it was meant for smaller children. I will be continuing on with the series as I planned as I know that the action is really going to begin now that the hobbits have set out for Mordor and the rest will be moving towards Gondor. That being said, it was a bit of pain to get through this one despite its short length because it was so slow which is reflected in my rating.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Also see: The Hobbit, Or There and Back Again
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