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The Fellowship of the Ring

Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings
Jul 13, 2020Star_14 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
As a lifelong fan of the movies, I came into the Lord of the Rings' book series with high expectations, and boy did it deliver. It's certainly different from the movies (especially different from the controversial, action-filled, overly-franchising Hobbit trilogy from 2012). As soon as you start reading, you can wholly understand why Tolkien's last name became an adjective. It's akin to the way J. K. Rowling's (tweets aside) writing style became so iconic, with her whimsy and creative world-building. The Fellowship of the Ring isn't necessarily timeless in the conventional sense, as it is very different from modern literature, but it has timeless themes and well-recognized brilliance, regardless of its publication date of 1954. Tolkien's work was most definitely affected by the events of this time period: the Cold War, the maintaining of the Civil Rights movement, and the economic shift of power from Europe to America, Japan, and Russia (then the USSR). Themes of the Cold War can be found in the orcs serving an industrial powerhouse headed by Sauron that only aims to destroy its enemies. Themes of the Civil Rights movement can be found in the racial discrimination between the hobbits/dwarves and elves/men. This book is reflective of Tolkien's time, but is also a reflection of a talented man with some groundbreaking ideas.