Creatures of The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings Movie Tie-In) [Paperback]

David Brawn (Author), Peter Jackson (Commentary), Richard Taylor (Commentary)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Lord of the Rings

Packed with photos, this fascinating introduction to the monsters and peoples in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy shows how the filmmakers have brought the inhabitants of Middle-earth to life for the big screen.

The book contains creatures familiar from the first film, from the benign hobbits to Lurtz, the ill-fated leader of the Uruk-hai, and includes races prominent in the new movie, The Two Towers, including the Rohirrim, the Easterlings, the Haradrim and the tree-like Ents.

Both an exciting introduction for children and a reference for adult movie buffs, there are also behind-the-scenes details on how each creature was designed and brought to life.

Includes fold-out poster.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. After serving in the First World War, he embarked upon a distinguished career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University. He is the renowned creator of Middle-earth and author of the great modern classic, The Hobbit, the prelude to his epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Other works by J.R.R. Tolkien include The Silmarillion. J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973 at the age of 81.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (December 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618258116
• ISBN-13: 978-0618258116
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #981,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Performing Arts > Film

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Introductory Guide for Children and Adults, January 10, 2003

By 

Silmarwen (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creatures of The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings Movie Tie-In) (Paperback)

Although this is the official movie guide for children to the Two Towers, I found that it was helpful for adults who are not Lord of the Rings fans and/or have not read any of the books by Tolkien. It is lushly illustrated with gorgeous photos of all of the people/creatures in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. There are also a few photos of how they developed CGI characters such as the cave troll and Sauron. Underneath each photograph is a sentence or two explaining who the person/creature is and how they fit into the story. The wording and the brevity of the descriptions make it perfect for younger readers or those looking for a quick and dirty introduction to the characters of Middle Earth including Hobbits, Ents, Easterlings, Haradrim, Uruk-Hai, Gollum, the Watcher in the Water, Dwarves, Elves, Wizards/Istari, Balrog, Gwaihir, and many more. The book also comes with a free fold out enlarged picture of Gandalf confronting the Balrog in Moria. I would recommend this book for those who are not very familiar with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and for children ages 8 and up. It is very short at app. 60 pages (most of which is taken up by pictures) and so is a great introduction. However, if you are a Tolkien fan and familiar with the stories or saw the first movie, there is nothing new for you here.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good for Some, Bad for Many, August 14, 2009

By 

Ben Sumner (Beltsville, Md. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creatures of The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings Movie Tie-In) (Paperback)

Seems to me that only die-hard Lord of the Rings fans would buy this and other similar books, but if they are indeed die-hard fans, they will learn nothing new from this book at all. It's really meant for children. There are likely many similar ones as well. It does come with a poster of the Balrog, though!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Need some tips?, March 17, 2003

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creatures of The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings Movie Tie-In) (Paperback)

The epic movie trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" was the first exposure to Tolkien's work for a lot of the people who watched it. And the fans who haven't yet read the books should check out this book, to get the tips on who and what and where and why.

Basically, this "Creatures" book lets the readers know: What's a hobbit? What's an Elf? What's an Ent? Readers of the original fantasy trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien will know all of this. On the other hand, newbies will like being able to look these things up -- especially since "Two Towers" has a lot of new material, with the Ents, Haradrim, Rohirrim, and others. The book is pretty short, and seems even shorter because it is composed mostly of photographs. These are clear, brightly colored, and great shots -- not just of stuff in the movies, but also from stuff behind the scenes.

What's especially nice are the quotes. Accompanying many of the smaller photographs are quotes from director Peter Jackson, special-effects wizard Richard Taylor, actors Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, Sean Astin, and pretty much everyone else. These quotes add insights into both the characters ("In their world, it's who you are on the inside that matters") and behind the scenes (complaints about the hobbit feet, from several actors). One of the best quotes is Peter Jackson revealing how the much-maligned Tom Bombadil almost made a cameo -- fans of the books will want to check that out.

Even if you've read the other books, this brief book will offer a few new insights and plenty of good movie and behind-the-scenes pictures.