Customer Reviews

The Lord of the Rings Weapons and Warfare

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is absolutely astonishing....224 pages of pure LOTR bliss! If you buy nothing else this holiday season, then you MUST get this book! It has all of the good facts about the folks in the three LOTR films...and it even backtracks to give us a little bit of history prior to the legendary War of the Ring. Of course, this is all done from a military/war aspect...which makes it even better! The illustrations are wonderful....the pictures are delightful and pleasing to the eye. The prose is not written for children...but it is not written in such a difficult language that a person with limited reading comprehension may not be able to understand it. I highly suggest you run right out today and get yourself a copy! You'll be glad you did!

This book is a perfect give for your LOTR addict, but hey, LOTRs fans you might not want to wait till someone gives this to you! This is simply worth every penny! Outside of the films, if someone asked me which was THE best LOTR gift to give or receive for LOTR fans, I would hands down recommend this wonderful book. It is just loaded with so much background, answers so many details, that I cannot image doing without this book in my LOTR collection.

As one who collects swords and knives, loves fencing and enjoys all sorts of books on weaponry and a hopeless LOTRs addict, this is one gem of a book. It is not thin volume, but a jam-packed book loaded with 100s of photos, maps & artwork and a forward by Christopher Lee.

217 pages of high quality pages covering every aspect of the rings. It starts with the history of the War of the Ring, the last alliance of Elves and Men, covers the Dead Marshes, with chapters on ever main character in all three films, going into the armour and the weapons they used. At the end is a glossary for quick reference.

There is not enough praise for this book. It is just likely THE BEST collectors item for the Rings and if you don't have one you are missing a wonderful item for your collection.

This book is excellent in its detail and approach. As other reviewers have pointed out there are portions that are part of the conception of Peter Jackson's and not part of the LOTR e.g., the appearance of the Elves at the Battle of the Hornburg/Helm's Deep. However, for all the incongruities between the written text and the movie this is a great book for those who love the movie and wish to understand the depth of thought involved in crafts and styling of the films. The design of the films were not random and the book shows in great detail how much deep thought went into each aspect of designing for each race in clothing, theory of historical development and weapons design.

One of the flaws of the book, however, is the pixellation of some of the pictures in the book. An example is the section on the Elven bow with a picture with an Elven warrior which was obviously pulled out of the film but not cleaned up in its resolution. Otherwise, the conceit of the book that it is an actual historical document of Middle Earth is done well.

For hardcore film fans this is a necessary book for the simple reason that there are photos and scenes that are not seen in the films at all and that includes the extended editions and the documentaries. For Elf freaks. the extra photos of Gil-Galad are a must. The book also provides back story such as, how the world did Merry and Pippin end up with perfect sized battle garments in Rohan and Gondor. Further, the history of Middle Earth were incorporated as much as possible including the appendixes so, for the purists there are levels of accuracy that can satisfy.

One thing missing was the mithril shirt and a greater discussion of mithril but this is a minor quibble in what I consider one of the best book tie ins available. There is plenty of original material for the LOTR enthusiast and definitely nice for the collection.

Remember, that this is about the movie which happens to incorporate as much of the written text as possible but it is not perfectly accurate and some of it is a conceptualization of what these civilizations would have been which, may not meet what the reader's mind eye may have thought. But then you cannot satisfy everyone. I liked it, and I have read a good chunk of the canon so for the ultra purists -- you have been warned. For the movie freaks this book is for you.

This book proves to be a great companion to the trilogy of movies based on the Lord of the Rings. But it should be clear that this book centered itself around the three movies, not the three books. All the information given in this book comes from the movie sources and where the movie sources run against the books, so does this book. With that warning, it pretty clear that this book is a fantastic reference material to the warfare aspect of the movies. It will sure to answer any question anyone may have about the weapons, military aspects and characters of warring elements of Middle Earth. Well worth the price given in Amazon.

While it's true that this book is based on movie visuals, Peter Jackson (himself a warfare afficionado and stickler for accurate battle scenes) has really done a good job of bringing warfare in Middle Earth to life. Probably every single character in the movies is detailed here (from FoTR to RoTK), along with a detailed description and multitude of pictures of their complete suit of armor, weapons, shields, etc.. Some other interesting pictures include extra scenes that were filmed for Fellowship of Gil-Galad and Elendil but were somehow cut out of both the extended and theatrical versions. Hopefully these will eventually make it into some grand release. There are also many other pictures not seen in any of the three movies thus far.

I purchased the softcover version, which really isn't a very soft cover at all (great quality), and the best part is that the cover doesn't really retain fingerprints.

If you're a Tolkien/movies/warfare type of buff, and you want to know all there is to the different kinds of Uruk-Hai present at Helm's Deep to why the Fountain Guards of the Tower of Ecthelion wore silk masks to a table depicting the range of arrows used in ME, then this book is definitely for you. At ~$11, this book is very worth it with its great host of beautiful glossy pictures and in-depth information.

WOW!! This is - bar none - the best "The Return of the King" movie tie-in book in the market right now. The others being "The Return of the King Photo Guide" and "The Return of the King Visual Companion.," that is. Along with Brian Sibley's "The Making of the Movie Trilogy" (released in 2002) and the "Art of" series, this is one of those books that you will want to keep and refer to again and again. It is one of the most amazingly detailed, visually rich and impressively researched books on the LOTR movie trilogy that you will likely come across.

I am a huge fan of "The Lord of the Rings." "Huge" in the sense that I have read the books multiple times in the last several years, own the theatrical and extended versions of the films, and have read Tolkien's other books - including "The Silmarillion" and "The Unfinished Tales." You may say I am more than your standard fan and that it takes a lot to impress me. This book, however, impressed me. What is commendable about this book is the amount of information it contains and the painstaking research that author Chris Smith has done to bring this book about. He clearly has done his homework and not only researched "The Lord of the Rings" books but also collaborated closely with WETA (the special/visual effects wizards behind the movie trilogy), director Peter Jackson and crew. There are references to "The Hobbit", "The Unfinished Tales," and "The Lord of the Rings" (including the appendices) sprinkled throughout this book. That, to me, is remarkable.

This fantastic book covers all of the notable warriors (good and bad), battles and skirmishes that took place throughout the trilogy as well as the respective armor, weapons, cultures, fighting styles and (where applicable) battle plans/strategies that we see in the films. For the warriors, everyone from Aragorn, Boromir, Isildur, Theoden, Eomer, Denethor, Gandalf, Legolas, the hobbits and Gimli to the Easterlings, the Corsairs of Umbar, the Haradrim, Sauron, the Army of the Dead (yes!) and the various types of Orcs and Uruk-hai are featured in this book. Their weapons and armor (weapon descriptions, names, pictures/drawings, and inscriptions, etc) are described in detail. For instance, differences between the various orcs (berserker uruk-hai, Mordor orc, Moria orc, etc) and their specific roles and functions are shown. The Rohirric and Gondorian cultures are explored - their emblems, flags, origins, weaponry, etc. There is a battle plan for the Battle of the Second Age, Helms Deep and The Battle of Pelennor Fields also in this book. Even the skirmish in the Mines of Moria is included.

In summary, even the most discerning Lord of the Rings fan will enjoy this book. If you think you know everything about the books or films, there are bound to be a few facts or images in this book that will surprise you. At 224 pages, this is a hefty book and each page is loaded with information. It is not all text, however. There are hundreds of beautiful illustrations and full-color pictures that really are a feast for those who are big on visuals. I highly recommend it!

Chris Smith's books is a wealth of images and information about all the stuff the a Tolkien geek would love. That includes me. However, my quibble, already suggested by other reviewers is that this book often takes the same liberties with Tolkien's stories that Peter Jackson and his writers took.

I believe it is important to let the books be the books, and the movies, with all their own changes to the story, be the movies. Both are enjoyable, but they are different. Unfortunately, when the movies spawn their own accompanying print support that purport to tell Tolkien's tale, with all of the movie alterations, there is something disingeuous about this. It left me feeling considerably unsettled.

Weapons and Warfare is an interesting look at its subject. Weapon and armor buffs, or Middle Earth wargamers will enjoy the pictures, but take the text with a grain of salt. After enjoying the movies, I encourage all to read The Lord of the Rings.

If you like Lord of the Rings and are a weapons fan like me, you just ran out of excuses not to buy this book. I only wish I had bought it sooner, and that's the truth. I think few people can deny that the weapons used in Lord of the Rings are some of the most gorgeous cinema arms ever produced. Whether it be the styled curve of the Elven glaive Aiglos, or the pristine steel straight-edge of Narsil, there's just something about those weapons that makes a person want to grab one and start hacking some uruks! For such arms lovers, this book takes a satisfying look at all the weapons, techniques, styles, and strategies of the combat in Middle-Earth.

Beginning in the Second Age with the Noldorian Elves and Númenórian troops, the book follows through to the beginning of the Fourth Age, and covers all manner of races and their styles, armor, and weapons in between. The book also does in-depth profiles of crucial characters and their arms, such as Gil-Galad, Elendil, Isildur, Elrond, Boromir, Faramir, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Théoden, Éowyn, Éomer, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli. Even a yet-unseen profile of the Mouth of Sauron! As well, the book examines locations of several crucial battles and battle plans, including the battle at Gorgoroth, Amon Hen, Moria, Lothlorien, Helm's Deep, The Pelennor Fields, the Siege of Gondor, Morannon, and Amon Sul.

Illustrated with hundreds of colorful pictures from the movie and conceptual illustrations (many pictures, especially of the weapons themselves, are new, but the illustrations for the most part can be found in The Art of Return of the King), it's quite worth reading again and again, or keeping it on your coffee table to emphasize for guests how kooky over Lord of the Rings you are.

The book's style is that of an actual history book from Middle-Earth itself, by which I mean it uses language such as "artifacts have been unearthed in Mordor", or "eyewitness accounts testify that such-and-such", discussing it as if it were history, not myth. Oftentimes, the author attempts to justify book-to-movie alterations by quoting "conflicting accounts". (The book, of course, focuses on the movie weapons, in case you were in doubt about that) Parents should be advised that this book discusses balrogs, trolls and uruk-hai in detail, including many photos of these grotesque warriors, so if young children are about, it would be advisable to remove this book from their reach.

I found it an excellent read, and if you can't find any other reason to purchase this book . . . there's a picture of Legolas inside. ;-)

"Not another 'Lord of the Rings' tie-in book!" you may be groaning. In the wake of the hit movie trilogy, there have been plenty of books of photos and Middle-Earth info -- some good, some bad, some just blah. But don't start shunning the book displays just yet: "Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare" has plenty of good information yet.

It handles the more militaristic aspects of the "Lord of the Rings" films: Loads of swords, arrows (like the giant uruk-hai crossbows called "sappers"), shields and armor. There are also the more unusual allies that our heroes pick up (the unstoppable dead army of Dunharrow), battle plans (a step-by-step examination of the Pelennor Fields battle), unconventional weapons (the mumakil or "oliphaunts"), and sinister fortresses (the Black Gate).

There's also relevant biographical info about certain people like Elrond, Eowyn, Faramir, Eomer and Aragorn, and it stretches back to the first film with its stuff about Weathertop and Isildur. And, as a bonus, the extremely articulate Christopher Lee (the amazing actor behind Saruman) writes a brief but bright foreword, in which he talks about his love for myth and fantasy, the Tolkien books, the movies, and finally about what he hopes "Weapons and Warfare" will offer to the readers.

Admit it -- even the most peaceful person gets a little thrill when watching a hero felling a dozen evil beasties with a big legendary sword. There's something intensely exciting about swords, arrows and all medieval warfare, however bloody and freaky it may be. "Lord of the Rings" has an extra bonus: There's not only the multiple human civilizations (Gondorians, Rohirrim, Easterlings, Haradrim), but also Elves, Orcs, and Uruk-hai, as well as the ancient Numenorean civilization. More to love!

The only problem with the book is simple: those seeking information about how the authentic weapons, armor and war formations were created will be disappointed. So if you want to know about how they made all those weapons at Weta, how they managed to plan all those battles, you're out of luck. And if you're a book purist, you will be equally out of luck -- it sticks close by the films.

Even people who aren't fans of military history may be intrigued by the level of detail and richness in the "Lord of the Rings: Weapons and Warfare." And, of course, Rings fans should check this out pronto.

Generally it's quite a good one - lots of interesting details, nice photos, logical and easy narrative, etc. It is a reasonable contribution to the collection of the LotR books.
But why have I put only 3 stars? Because this book is based on the LotR film and not on the LotR books, except for the issues that were not covered by and revealed in the film. As a fan more of the LotR books and the STORY itself than of the film I was slightly disappointed with the author's approach to some developments that were covered wrongly by the film in the first place and therefore commented respectively in this book. For instance - death of Saruman is narrated as in the film and only a reference appears that "according to some scholars" Saruman was stabed later on in the Shire. Come on, everyone who was READING LotR knows whow Saruman ended according to the J.R.R.Tolkien himself so how can someone tell us such nonsense! While I can understand P.Jackson who was trying to cut the story into the film I can't accept people writing something as a documentary and distorting the truth.