The Art of The Fellowship of the Ring

Increíble. Me fascinó.

bit boring will read the rest though

This was my favorite book of all time!

Its funny at times the very needless things Tolkein includes in his writing but it still flows well and after seeing the movies so much I enjoy the extra details to everything. The flight from the shire dragged a bit but still a great read. 8/10

What can one say about The Lord of the Rings that has not already been said?
To discuss this book with the desire to add something new to the conversation seems as insurmountable a task as writing something more impactful to the genre of fantasy.
Everyone knows this story- it is the story of the One Ring, the Ring of Power (Isildur's Bain) which is desired by the Dark Lord Sauron to help him return to power. Meanwhile, there is the Fellowship of the Ring wherein Frodo (the Ring Bearer), Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf and Boromir are tasked with bringing the Ring to Amon Amarth (Mt. Doom) to destroy it. That is a vastly oversimplified version of the story.
However, it is with this story that J. R. R. Tolkien absolutely rewrites the script of what fantasy novels can do.

This story is simple in its set up, but, it is with this story that Tolkien creates some of the most vivid and real to life characters and a world to match, that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
Tolkien's prose is some of the most breathtaking that I have ever read, while maintaining a level of digestibility that allows for readers young and old to dive in to this lush world. I love that Tolkien is able to make each of these characters so perfectly their own characters with their own personalities without having them bog each other down. Each character is well defined, and you empathize with them throughout their part of the plights.

I think that my favorite part about this book is that it is, while being dark, and unsettling at points, is largely feel good, as odd as that is to say. It is nice to read a book wherein the good guys are good, and the bad guys are bad. There is a certain levity in this book that invites people who need a respite from the real world to sit for a while and indulge in a song or a conversation, or, the backstory of the characters, cities, towns or the world at large. The dark points of the book are well crafted to make you feel the emotions of the characters. You truly feel that you are witnessing a group of beings who are facing a task which it is against their odds to succeed, and, you feel that. The Balrog, the looming presence of Sauron, orcs, Uruk-Hai (spoiler), are all used to great effect in this book to show the threats of the world that the Fellowship is going to encounter without revealing all of the cards right away.

You could read this book every year of your life and I would wager a bet that you would be able to find something new from each read through. The amount of subtext and inspirational references which Tolkien cleverly layers throughout.

The depth of worldbuilding in this book alone, let alone the rest of the series is unreal in how in immense it is. The fact that it took Tolkien what, 12 years or so to write a whole in depth world in to existence is awe inspiring. He does not limit himself to just writing the world, but rather different species of beings, their histories, their individual languages and the histories of individuals. It is fucking nuts to think of the sheer amount of effort that went in to this series. These stories are largely the blue print that so many other fantasy novelists, general novelist and shit, even black metal musicians garner inspiration from.

You can see the immense forethought that Tolkien put in to every single instance of this book. His character building is not only well done, but it is patient. These characters grow more and more as the book continues, which makes different reveals, and different relational developments that much more satisfying. The foundational work that he puts in to this book make you immediately find interest in the successive books.
Tolkien is a well known and renowned philologist- a practitioner of the study of language and his skills are on full form in this book.
There is something so fucking satisfying about hearing song and speech in wholly constructed tongue that sounds like they are organically formed. I still find myself repeating the inscription on the One Ring. It is incredible to me that this man was able to birth this whole world and have it work so fucking impeccably.
I was originally going to give this book a 4 out of 5, as, admittedly, I do find the first 30-40 pages to drag on a little bit, when I initially read it 15 years ago, and when I just finished it. But, goddamn, I could not do that. This book is absolutely incredible to me.

το καλύτερο μακραν!

This is obviously the first of the trilogy (I will be writing them up one after another since I was lucky enough to pick them up as a set). Now at the time of the films release (which I guess was repeated with the release of the subsequent two sequels) there was so much material released about the film, the story even about Tolkien himself it seemed you could not look through the front door of a book shop without seeing something about Lord of the Rings.

However now after a number of years (including the release of the Hobbit) attention has moved on elsewhere and the draw of the books has diminished, at least it has for those who are not diehard fans or people who appreciate a good book.

So the books are about the art of the films - from concept to final design with the odd production shot thrown in for good measure. There is a treasure trove of art here which as I have stated on many occasion, without the presence of a book like this probably would never see the light of day. Which to me in criminal considering the hours talented people have put in to their production.

So for me this book spans the gap from the visual delights of the film to the classic art of the book, both from its cover and the art it has inspired over the years. You see for me the film imagery made the story its own and yet there seems to be such familiarity in every scene and this book captures that essence.

So like many a book of this type it appeals to the fan of the film as well as those who know and love the story that gave it life. This book is one of those titles you could go to time after time and find something new every time.

Absolutely beautiful and full of stunning artwork! A necessity for everyone who wants a glimpse beyond the scene at the Lotr movies and their design. The art literally made me speechless and close to tears