The Two Towers Visual Companion: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion (The Lord of the Rings) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Viggo Mortensen (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The official, fully authorized companion to the second part of Peter Jackson's award-winning trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

The Two Towers Visual Companion is a full-color guide to the characters, places and landscapes of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth as depicted in the second film in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and features a special introduction by Viggo Mortensen, who plays Aragorn.

Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 full-color photographs, including exclusive images of Gollum, Treebeard and the battle of Helm's Deep, The Two Towers Visual Companion offers a privileged tour through the principal events of the second film. It begins with a recounting of The Fellowship of the Ring, and then takes the reader on the separate journeys undertaken by the Fellowship in The Two Towers.

The Ring Quest: in which Frodo and Sam journey alone towards Mordor, alone that is, except for the sneaking figure of Gollum, who has been dogging their footsteps since Moria.

The Captives' Journey: in which Merry and Pippin are carried by the fearsome Uruk-hai towards a fateful encounter with the wizard, Saruman, at the stronghold of Isengard.

The Companions' Journey: in which Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli pursue the abducted hobbits across the Plains of Rohan and into the eaves of Fangorn Forest.

Also included are a brand new map of Rohan and Gondor and a specially commissioned battle plan of the climactic events at Helm's Deep, where a brave stand will be made by the Free Peoples of Middle-earth against Saruman's horde.

The companion offers an unforgettable tour of the haunted swamp of the Dead Marshes and the lovely but dangerous land of Ithilien which borders Mordor, the breathtaking kingdom of Rohan, home of the Horse-lords, its seat of power, Edoras, and the ancient stronghold of Helm's Deep, and provides an invaluable introduction to Peter Jackson's The Two Towers.

About the Author

Jude Fisher, who lives in England, is the pseudonym of an established fantasy author with expertise in Tolkien's novels.

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

• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (November 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618258027
• ISBN-13: 978-0618258024
• Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #268,967 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Acquaint yourself with Middle-Earth, December 24, 2002

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Last year's "Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion" was a must-have for newbies to Middle-Earth, who previously didn't know what a hobbit was or what the big deal was about an elf/human romance. Jude Fisher follows up with the "Two Towers Visual Companion," to give readers little bits and pieces that aren't quite in the movies.

Fisher goes over the various people, places, and occasionally new races that are introduced in "Two Towers." She doesn't recap much stuff from the previous movie, so if you want to fully understand this book, pick up the "Fellowship" guide first. It's sprinkled with plenty of bright pictures, usually several for each character, and background information that will be new to some who've only watched the movie. (For example, the tale of Beren and Luthien is contrasted to Aragorn and Arwen's involvement, and Gollum's history is spelled out in greater detail). Fans will definitely want to check out the pictures of Treebeard, Grima Wormtongue, and the battle of Helm's Deep.

It's sort of a guidebook to Middle-Earth, and so mainly the areas of greatest activity are shown. That means not a lot of hobbit stuff. However, there's a great fold-out map of the Helm's Deep Battle, and a very poetic foreword by actor Viggo Mortenson in which he praises Jude Fisher and briefly analyzes the depths of "Lord of the Rings." (Mortenson's literary skill is never more evident than it is here)

This book is primarily intended for people who haven't read the books, but longtime fans may enjoy it as well.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "A Good Teaser for the Film", November 10, 2002

By	Jerry Parks "USAToday All-American Teacher; N... (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews

I just received my copy today, and enjoyed thumbing through the pages. Personally, I don't think it's quite as appealing as the first book, though probably only a half-star inferior. Perhaps the novelty has worn off just a tad.

The new characters are introduced, and as with the first book, there are some frightening pictures of orcs. There is also a most lovely portrait of Arwen. Gollum receives much more treatment in this book--for obvious reasons. Another highlight are the numerous quotations from the Tolkien stories, many of which just stay with those of us who have not read the original books.

The photos are great (I was quite surprised by the Ent!), but at times, I got the impression the publishers were struggling a bit to fill pages. This is a minor complaint, and the book is worth having. I do hope the slight inferiority of this one to the first is not a preview of the same regarding the film!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting Preview of Things to Come, November 7, 2002

By A Customer

As with last year's Visual Guide to "Fellowship of the Ring," this book mostly serves as a teaser for the film to come, allowing the reader/viewer to linger over some few images of the hours of pleasure ahead. Almost everyone will come away wanting more, but that is its intention. The photos give us a wonderful taste of the film's drama and epic quality, and allow a deep appreciation of its artistry. A nice little bonus is the four-page fold-out overview of the battle of Helm's Deep. I can't imagine that anyone who loved the first film and anticipates loving the next won't want a copy of this book.