The Two Towers by J R R Tolkien

The Two Towers (Señor de los Anillos) (Lord of the Rings, #2)

by J. R. R. Tolkien

First ever illustrated paperback of part two of Tolkien’s epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, featuring 16 colour paintings by Alan Lee, Conceptual Designer on Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.

Frodo and the Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in the battle with an evil spirit in the Mines of Moria; and at the Falls of Rauros, Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape the rest of the company were attacked by Orcs.

Now they continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin – alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

JRR Tolkien’s great work of imaginative fiction has been labelled both a heroic romance and a classic fantasy fiction. By turns comic and homely, epic and diabolic, the narrative moves through countless changes of scene and character in an imaginary world which is totally convincing in its detail.

Part of a set of three paperbacks, this sumptuous edition is available in a smart new livery, and is illustrated in colour by Alan Lee, award-winning artist and Conceptual Designer on Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY.

Reviewed by funstm on

5 of 5 stars

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The Lord of the Rings is not The Hobbit. If you have tried The Hobbit and didn't love it, you're probably not going to like The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit is the epitome of the perfect fantasy tale. The kind you want to sit around a campfire and hear told with dramatic exaggeration. It has a dragon and dwarves, a wizard and one lone hobbit who turns out to be the bravest of them all.

But The Lord of the Rings is not The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings is The Hobbit's meticulous, older and more serious brother who is going to sit you down and tell you an epic tale of adventure that spans four ages with maps, appendices and side trips delving into the history of many people and a world of places. If you don't like the base elements of The Hobbit, you're going to hate Lord of the Rings because The Lord of the Rings is just a long drawn out, denser version.

J.R.R. Tolkien has not just written a story. He's written an entire world of stories. He pretty much spent a lifetime writing and bringing to life Middle Earth and it's freaking incredible.

Is it perfect? No. But any criticisms don't detract from the highly imaginative work this is - or from my enjoyment of it.

5 stars. It's a classic.

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