moraa
Written on May 13, 2020
I kind of enjoyed it...?
I think it was mostly nostalgia though.
The second instalment of Tolkien's epic tale, adapted from the original BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Having fled the Shire in their escape from Sauron's Dark Riders, Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring have journeyed to Rivendell and beyond. Their mission is to reach the Mountain of Fire in Mordor, where the Ruling Ring can be destroyed, but already their campaign is in jeopardy. Gandalf has fallen into an abyss, and Boromir has fatally succumbed to the power of the Ring. The others are besieged by an army of orcs - save for Frodo and Sam, whose journey down the River Anduin is being watched by a dark and shadowy figure... Widely regarded as a broadcasting classic, the BBC Radio dramatisation of 'The Lord of the Rings' stars Ian Holm, Michael Hordern, Robert Stephens, John Le Mesurier and Peter Woodthorpe.
©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
- ISBN10 1405646209
- ISBN13 9781405646208
- Publish Date 3 September 2007 (first published 11 November 1954)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher BBC Audio, A Division Of Random House
- Imprint BBC Digital Audio
- Edition Unabridged edition
- Format Audiobook (MP3)
- Duration 4 hours and 29 minutes
- Language English
Reviews
I kind of enjoyed it...?
I think it was mostly nostalgia though.
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on May 1, 2019
While as a whole I think The Fellowship of the Ring is a more successful novel in that it feels like things are actually getting done, I do find The Two Towers more enjoyable. With the fellowship separated, the pacing of the story really picks up, and I found my attention was less apt to wander. Tolkien’s writing is very dense, and for myself, I have to focus extra hard to make sure I’m actually paying attention to the story and not just letting the words slip through my brain unabsorbed.
Depending on whether you like all the characters or just some of them, The Two Towers may be an extra chore. I’m fortunate in that I love Merry and Pippin’s adventure with the Ents, and I enjoy Sam and Smeagol, and the feats of Aragorn and Co. I’ll be honest – if Frodo went off on his own and didn’t have Sam there with him, I’d likely be bored to tears for the most important storyline in the trilogy. Tolkien does a very good job balancing his characters, and it’s so important in a long-winded epic fantasy. Without likable characters, the drudgery of this type of writing would repel the average reader, leaving The Lord of the Rings to be a piece for deep fan speculation.
My biggest complaint with The Two Towers is that even though it seemed to be moving swiftly, nothing happened. There was a small battle that took out a minor character, but there were whole scenes that added nothing to the plot. A lot of time in the beginning was spent speaking of the dead. When Aragorn and Co. meet up with Merry and Pippin, we are told about a past battle rather than experiencing it ourselves. There’s a lot of dialogue where there should be action. It gets boring. At the beginning of The Two Towers, there’s no real direction, and at the end of The Two Towers, the groups have made commitments, but haven’t made it very far down the road. It leaves a lot for The Return of the King to cover.
Even without any real feel of progress, this book is enjoyable enough. Characters who felt flat in the first book have fleshed out a little bit – Legolas’s love for Fangorn Forest gives him some depth, for one. While Merry and Pippin still blend together and Aragorn’s complexities are still mostly conversation, there’s hope for these others as the trilogy continues.
As with book one, the bits and pieces I find particularly interesting seem so short. I remember being fascinated by the Dead Marshes in the film, and I was hoping for a little more depth about those in The Two Towers. The magic of Middle Earth is a constant fascination to me – particularly magic of the dead. The Barrow King, the Dead Marshes, even the naming of Sauron as The Necromancer. For LotR fans out there – is there more depth on these things in the appendices or other works?
As a whole, The Two Towers reads better than The Fellowship of the Ring and of course, we need to know what happens to everyone, so it’s on to The Return of the King! Nonetheless, for casual readers I still feel pretty confident in saying that the films with Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, etc., are a pretty good overview of the story for those who find the books daunting.
sa090
Written on Oct 26, 2018
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The book like it’s prequels is just filled to the brim with overblown descriptions, sometimes it was interesting, but most of the time I kind of wanted to know what happens next and just skim through them. The issue here is that I have seen the films many times before, so I know how it proceeds in them, but I wanted to see the book’s interpretation of them and I like the film version better. For a final war filled with fantasy and how it proceeded, I know that I enjoyed it better in that format.
The thing that surprised me though is that the quest in the book is completely separated into two narratives like the prequels, it’s not entwined at all. I find that somewhat strange because the story is supposed to come together and having a more interlinked narrative will surely help, but I guess Mr. Tolkien had his own thoughts as to why this needs to be done this way.
I do wish that some of the characters were more memorable, namely the new ones that came popping up at some times. It’s not as bad as Mr. Martin’s usage of new characters that ultimately don’t need to be there, but I still had some difficulty at first trying to figure out if I heard their names before or it’s the first time I’m seeing them and such. The similarity in the tones when listening to the audiobook, didn’t make that differentiation that easy, but I do find the audio version to be easier to go through than just the book.
Other than that, I really enjoyed to see how some characters changed when compared to how we started, how the journey changed their perspective on some things and the differences between film and novel. With famous stories like these, where the adaptation has truly done it justice, it’s difficult to try and write elaborately about it because I’m just going to be comparing between the adaptations and no one wants that lol.
I enjoyed my revisit to Middle Earth and I’m surely not ready to leave any time soon, a rewatch of the Return of the King is a must before I move on to the Hobbit and then the lore.
Final rating: a somewhat weakish 3/5
inlibrisveritas
Written on Sep 16, 2017
Rinn
Written on Mar 7, 2016
2016's re-read was also as part of a buddy read over at Dragons & Jetpacks, and an event on my blog called 'March into Middle-earth'.
- My thoughts on Chapters I - V
- My thoughts on Chapters VI - XI
(Will be updated as each post goes live on my blog)
Also a fangirling session with Claire:
- Part One
- Part Two
Annie Jackson
Written on Sep 5, 2013
Liz (Bent Bookworm)
Written on Feb 15, 2013
Tolkien's world is rich and his characters almost walk out of the pages at you. This is a comfort read at it's finest.
CrowNoYami
Written on Dec 27, 2012
Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews
Written on Nov 2, 2012
We begin with t he Fellowship broken, Sam and Frodo are off to Mordor, Boromir is dead, Merry and Pippen have been taken by Orcs with Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli following their trail.
In the first half, we flip-flop from the kidnapped hobbits and the three compainons. Even though they are under brutal, orc smelling conditions, Pippen still manages to use his head and drops a clip the fellowship will recognize and warm the trail. Merry and Pippen manage to escape during an attack and run in with talking trees. Like Tom Bombadil, I could have forgone the Ents, I'm not saying they didn't have their use as they help Saurman go bye-bye but at times I found them a little dull like winter bark on a tree. And don't get me started on their songs...
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli do discover the clip but stop to help the Rhoan army fight against a band of orcs. Aragorn is his usual cool self with Legolas and Gimli (who have now become BFFs) begin a contest as to who kills the most orc. It's a little disgusting in my opinion but I like that Tolkien is showing that prejudice between elves and Dwarves are beginning to fade away. After battle they discover a white hooded figure and lo and behold, Gandolf didn't die, the four then take a detour to Rhoan in ask of support before fleeing to discover the Hobbits. Of course Merry and Pippin are found in good health and spirits and are reprimanded in jest for all the fun they've been having. With Isengaurd captured and Saurman out of the way, the group discovers a magic ball, palaantiri as powerful as the one ring, all of which Pippen finds out the hard way. With the grouping in as good of spirits as can be book three comes to a close.
Book Four
Is it wrong to say I love Gollum? He is just so entertaining with his prolonged sssss and placating those tricksy Hobbites while screwing them over at the same time. Sick I know, but some times I feel he is the comic relieve at the end of a dark tunnel.
Frodo and Sam continue on the quest meeting up with that slinky Smeagol with Frodo's trust being the only thing keeping him alive, but at this point it is obvious that precious is possessing Frodo and only keeps Gollum around out of compassion and a common interest i.e. The One Ring.
The two companions (Gollum slinking away at this point) meet Faramir, Boromir's brother and as different as night and day. Faramir offers help without the threat of taking the Ring but Frodo, who foolishly feels he must carry the burden alone declines and continues on the perilous way.
While Frodo is becoming more and more pathetic, weakened by the Ring, Sam must take leadership tentatively stepping up from his position of servant. Samwise is a bad-ass. Frodo's life becomes endangered, (due to his blind trust in Gollum I might add) leaving Sam to take his master's sword Sting, killing a disgustingly foul beast, baring the Ring to continue on the quest his master started, and through loyalty is determined to save Frodo. Its always the quite ones.
It is so common for the second book in a trilogy to fall flat and feel like "filler" in between book one and three; this was not the case with The Two Towers, in fact it was even more enthralling than The Fellowship of the Ring, which is a difficult feat. I loved the second installment of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, leaving me starving for more.
sleepseeker
Written on Apr 25, 2011