Reading Lord of the Rings again, and Tolkien is just a master of world building

Himuro

Himuro

Member
I'm taking so many lessons from his storytelling. How he drills in the most minutiae details.

One thing I've noticed is his story beats and how even during a chat between two characters - in this case Frodo and Gandalf - he manages to levy a wonderful sense of pacing. People complain about his writing but it's surprisingly brisk. Characters say what they need to say and nothing is wasted.

Last time I read was three years ago. I might have to start doing this annually.

Currently on Fellowship and they just left Hobbiton.
 
Yes, it's a great book from a great writer. The Hobbit is also like that, only quite shorter and clearly not intended as such an epic, so it's less engaging and the writing can come off as a bit too terse. But the "Shadow from the past" chapter from Fellowship is a masterclass in setting up a story and getting it going.
 
NeoIkaruGAF said:
Yes, it's a great book from a great writer. The Hobbit is also like that, only quite shorter and clearly not intended as such an epic, so it's less engaging and the writing can come off as a bit too terse. But the "Shadow from the past" chapter from Fellowship is a masterclass in setting up a story and getting it going.
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Art is all about contrasts.

Like in photography what makes it compelling is the contrast in light or sometimes contrast in another way to tell story - size, emotions;etc. Houses are often painted to have contrast - cream painted house with a red-brown roof. Fashion, paintings, everything is done to create something visually striking to draw the eye

Tolkien, more than any author I've read recently, manages to weave contrast into his work. I mean, I've read LOTR multiple times now so in the larger view there's the wandering the land of Middle Earth with a stretch of nothing except the air of danger and smell of orc blood. But then when they finally reach a town or city you as the reader feel safe again. It's like an RPG in how while outside of a town you're assaulted by monsters but feel the warm safety of town once your boots brace their gates. Reading more intently I've seen Tolkien manages to weave this contrast into his very pages to constantly curate tension in the story.

Every chapter has a sense of rhythm so far. It'll start light-hearted and then transition serious then to light-hearted again. Or you'll feel safe because Gandalf is there, and then whoop, he's gone, and the safety Frodo felt under the watchful wave of his cloak and wand are gone. And we the readers feel it too.

Read Shadows of the Past and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Compare it with other fantasy novels and they just don't stack up.

Masterful.
 
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Hah, book reading thread.

Austin Powers Nerd GIF



I'm just jealous since my ADHD makes me a terrible reader
 
Dacvak said:
Hah, book reading thread.

Austin Powers Nerd GIF



I'm just jealous since my ADHD makes me a terrible reader
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Wait .. if ADHD makes you a terrible reader, does that mean that people who read don't have ADHD? 🤔

Enjoy your journey, OP. Book 3 was hard work ..
 
I'm 38 and read it for the first time last year. Amazing. Timeless. It's obviously a huge book and took me a couple months to read but there were some days where I'd just blaze through 100 pages in one sitting.

It also made me appreciate just how incredible the movies are. Obviously there were changes/omissions just like any adaptation but I was impressed at just how faithful they were for the most part.
 
Jsisto said:
I'm 38 and read it for the first time last year. Amazing. Timeless. It's obviously a huge book and took me a couple months to read but there were some days where I'd just blaze through 100 pages in one sitting.

It also made me appreciate just how incredible the movies are. Obviously there were changes/omissions just like any adaptation but I was impressed at just how faithful they were for the most part.
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I actually don't find the books that long especially compared to modern fantasy series'.
 
Dacvak said:
Hah, book reading thread.

Austin Powers Nerd GIF



I'm just jealous since my ADHD makes me a terrible reader
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I have the same problem and I found a perfect audiobook from Phil Dragash. That's how I "read it".
I wish PJ made an unabridged version of the movies . Six 4 hours movies would probably be enough
 
Ulysses 31 said:
Do the books explain why the eagles can't be used to take the ring to Mount Doom?
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Yes. Sauron is always watching - he's a giant eye for fucks sake, and would easily spot a bunch of giant eagles flying in. They are relying on him not even considering the possibility that they might try and destroy the ring. They tip him off flying giant eagles to the mountain then that plan is fucked and they are left with someone like Gandalf having to use the ring and probably becoming an even bigger asshole than Sauron.
 
poppabk said:
Yes. Sauron is always watching - he's a giant eye for fucks sake, and would easily spot a bunch of giant eagles flying in. They are relying on him not even considering the possibility that they might try and destroy the ring. They tip him off flying giant eagles to the mountain then that plan is fucked and they are left with someone like Gandalf having to use the ring and probably becoming an even bigger asshole than Sauron.
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In the books, Sauron is not described as a giant flaming eye on top of a mountain, bro. That's what Peter Jackson made of him for the movies while in the books Sauron still had a humanoid body I think.
 
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Ulysses 31 said:
In the books, Sauron is not described as a giant flaming eye on top of a mountain, bro. That's what Peter Jackson made of him for the movies.
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The movies did make "The Eye of Sauron" more literal. But the eagles would have been seen coming and been ripped apart.

Regardless of any of that, you should read the books. They're classics for a reason.
 
Ulysses 31 said:
In the books, Sauron is not described as a giant flaming eye on top of a mountain, bro. That's what Peter Jackson made of him for the movies while in the books Sauron still had a humanoid body I think.
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I think in the books the only description of him in present day is as an eye with his vision 'stabbing' out to view things.
It's hard to tell if it is literal or figurative, the movie version wasnt jarring on anyway - but the main takeaway is that he is constantly watching and specifically for the ring as that is the one thing he needs for total victory and the one weapon that might allow someone to usurp his power. Being kind of a power hungry asshole - he never considers that his enemy might choose to forego that power and destroy the ring instead. That is the key to the fellowships mission, a small group that might go unnoticed as Sauron is expecting a ring bearing general leading a massive army against him.
 
poppabk said:
I think in the books the only description of him in present day is as an eye with his vision 'stabbing' out to view things.
It's hard to tell if it is literal or figurative, the movie version wasnt jarring on anyway - but the main takeaway is that he is constantly watching and specifically for the ring as that is the one thing he needs for total victory and the one weapon that might allow someone to usurp his power. Being kind of a power hungry asshole - he never considers that his enemy might choose to forego that power and destroy the ring instead. That is the key to the fellowships mission, a small group that might go unnoticed as Sauron is expecting a ring bearing general leading a massive army against him.
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In the books there's references to him having a physical form at the time the story is taking place. For the films Jackson wanted something that they could use to show his presence and they went with the idea of the eye.

But yeh, part of the reason the plan with the Hobbits works is that they aren't powerful creatures like the eagles or Gandalf. Sauron, in his hubris, couldn't consider that a creature like a hobbit could play such a large part in his downfall.
 
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I have my lord of the rings sitting next to my horus heresy books just above my berserk manga. Got to have the classic titans.
 
Lets get really divisive. Friendships are about to be broken, brothers will war with each other, families torn asunder over this issue.

His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings.
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...suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall...
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So, does the Balrog have actual wings, or just cast "shadows like wings"????

JDXzGLw.jpeg
 
jason10mm said:
Lets get really divisive. Friendships are about to be broken, brothers will war with each other, families torn asunder over this issue.




So, does the Balrog have actual wings, or just cast "shadows like wings"????

JDXzGLw.jpeg
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It has wings. Because it looks cooler with wings.
 
LordPezix said:
I have my lord of the rings sitting next to my horus heresy books just above my berserk manga. Got to have the classic titans.
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Check out the Prince Of Nothing and the Aspect Emperor Novels by Scott R Bakker. That is my favorite fantasy sereis of all time. Very dark and not for the faint of heart.
 
Dacvak said:
Hah, book reading thread.

Austin Powers Nerd GIF



I'm just jealous since my ADHD makes me a terrible reader
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I usually do a chapter a night for books, feels right. But last year I just started giving books the attention I would give things like movies and often I can kill a 2-300 page book in a night.
 
Ulysses 31 said:
Do the books explain why the eagles can't be used to take the ring to Mount Doom?
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Well, the whole reason they send the Fellowship is to do this whole thing stealthily. Flying in when Sauron's Eye can easily spot them would defeat that. Sauron could easily just send his forces (or at least significant parts of it, including the Wraiths and Witch King) to anyone just trying to fly to Mount Doom. I don't think Tolkien directly states it like this, but even to a retard like myself, it became apparent that just flying in is doomed to failure and would, at worst, deliver the ring directly to Sauron.
 
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poppabk said:
Yes. Sauron is always watching - he's a giant eye for fucks sake, and would easily spot a bunch of giant eagles flying in. They are relying on him not even considering the possibility that they might try and destroy the ring. They tip him off flying giant eagles to the mountain then that plan is fucked and they are left with someone like Gandalf having to use the ring and probably becoming an even bigger asshole than Sauron.
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Sauron is not a giant eye. He asked if the books answer the question.

Sauron had many flying troops (mounted Nazgul). Flying wouldn't be an option. The only reason it worked was because Aragorn and other forces acted as a distrction for Sauron. Sauron had many troops and a full army.
 
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Ulysses 31 said:
Do the books explain why the eagles can't be used to take the ring to Mount Doom?
Click to expand...

NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt said:
I wonder about that too
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Besides the fact that would make a very unexciting story, the Eagels are not just big birds. They are Maiar-like beings. They have speech, intelligence and free will. They can be easily corrupted by the ring just like any other race in Middle-Earth.

They're also not servants. Gandalf wouldn't have asked as he would have know the proposition was too dangerous and would have been rejected.
 
I agree. Further, If you enjoy reading an author paying attention to the little details during conversations in public, I suggest:

1. CB Strike series, by "Robert Galbraith"

2. infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace
 
I didn't like the book but I'm watching The Two Towers extended cut right now and these movies are still total and definitive.
 
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