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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The end of the Third Age, February 2, 2000
The Return of the King is the final part of The Lord of the Rings. In this last part the feeling of good versus evil reaches its pinnacle in LOTR. Tolkien gave incredible detail describing the War of the Ring, as it spanned several chapters. All of the characters are developed further, and for most of the TROTK, the story remains a two way split. TROTK has an amazing conclusion, and that is partly bad. Upon finishing the novel, I was sad that it was over, and I didn't want it to be over, because Middle-Earth is a great place to get lost in. You go on the journey that the Fellowship undertook, and feel everything that each member of the party felt. This is possible because throughout LOTR, Tolkien wrote vivid passages describing the regions of Middle-Earth, the characters, and what they were thinking. I read TROTK more slowly, because I wanted to stay longer than what the novel would allow. The four hobbits of the Fellowship become harden warriors, a trait that was virtually absent from their kind. Even though the novel finally came to a complete finish, it felt like it left room for more. It's to bad that there is no direct sequel, and while it answers most of the questions left from the end of The Hobbit, the reader can come up with plenty more questions upon finishing LOTR. Professor Tolkien did a work that was unexpected in its depth. He invented several REAL languages and writing systems, a complete history to back the novel, and created a wonderful world filled with diverse races and environments. Some fantasy authors may have tried to reach Tolkien's level in fantasy literature, but I am certain the The Lord of the Rings will never be duplicated. The Return of the King stands as the incredible conclusion of the greatest epic ever written. My only regret was that it ended.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The grand, bittersweet finale, May 16, 2002
"Return of the King" is the worthy climax to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga, the fantasy that created the genre as we know it today. Now, as the blockbuster movie adaptation is one-third over, evidenced by Viggo Mortenson on the book's cover, waves of new readers are checking out what is yet to come.The story opens where "Two Towers" left off. Gandalf has ridden to the city of Gondor with Pippin (partly to keep him out of trouble), where the forces of Mordor are attacking. There is upheaval in the city itself, as the steward of Gondor is going nuts. Merry pledges his service to King Theoden of Rohan, not knowing what is ahead for the king and his relatives. And Aragorn is seeking out allies to fight Sauron on a military scale, even if they can't defeat him unless the Ring is destroyed. His search will take him to tribes of forest-dwellers, to Gondor -- and even to summon an army of the dead. In Mordor, the unconscious Frodo has been captured by Sauron's orcs, and taken to the fortress of Cirith Ungol. Sam is desperate to free his friend, but knows that he can't take on an army, and that Frodo would want him to finish the quest. Sam manages to free Frodo from captivity, but they must still brave more dangers before they can come to Mount Doom, the only place where the Ring can be destroyed. As they travel Sam sees Frodo slipping further and further into the Ring's grasp. Will Frodo be able to destroy the Ring? Usually, the climax of an epic adventure is a disappointment. "Return of the King" succeeds in almost every way, wrapping up each individual storyline. The ending has a feeling of finality; this is one story that could never have a sequel. With his own experiences in war, Tolkien shows that in a struggle against evil, there is no true "happy ending." Even if the good guys win, there will still be scarring, and death, and haunting memories of what once happened. And even if a person survives, he will never be the same. Frodo is almost unrecognizable in parts of this book. The bright, naive young hobbit of the first book has been worn down by the pressure of the Ring, to the point where he seems to be only a pale shadow of himself. As he grows increasingly attached to the Ring, we even see him doing what seems unimaginable: threatening Sam with a dagger. Yet these actions make chilling sense, even when Frodo recovers his self-control only a moment later. It's a devastating demonstration of the hold the Ring has on him; he tries to resist it while knowing that he's falling too far into its grasp. When he lapses into depression and nihilism, the reader will start wondering if he can actually give it up. Sam has come a long way from the shy young hobbit who couldn't say a word around the High Elves. This book has him chasing orcs with Sting, carrying Frodo physically through Mordor, fending off Gollum, and acting as the ultimate pillar of strength for his crumbling friend right to Mount Doom. Merry and Pippin have changed as well; Merry is exposed firsthand to the horrifying consequences of war, and has a hand in destroying one of the most evil entities in the world. Pippin's adventures are tame compared to those of his friends (possibly because he's still an adolescent), but we see him moving past his initial flakiness in an effort to be a serious warrior against Sauron. Gandalf's true nature is glimpsed yet again, but in a subtler manner. Aragorn breaks completely from the mold of rugged ranger and into the new status as a king, leading armies (both living and dead) without flinching. Legolas and Gimli assist as well; their friendship grows deeper, even as Legolas falls completely in love with the sea. Gollum's degenerate journey remains intertwined with Frodo's, even though he betrayed the hobbits in the previous book; and the icily passionate war-maiden Eowyn affects the War of the Ring in a stunning way that nobody could have predicted. This is the grimmest of the three books in this trilogy. Aside from Frodo's emotional deterioration, we also have Merry becoming almost catatonic after the battle with the Witch King, and Denethor's descent into suicidal madness. There is a lot less humor, though it is still there: Pippin and Merry both thinking about food, Gandalf's reaction when Pippin pledges his sword to Denethor, some choice witty comments of Frodo's in the last chapters, and Gimli's half-joking threats to axe Eomer if Eomer doesn't consider Galadriel the most beautiful woman in the world. Though a section of the book near the end descends into near-biblical prose, which changes post-Gondor, Tolkien does not waver in his ability to evoke emotion. One of the most touching scenes in the book is when Sam finds Frodo naked, unconscious and being beaten by an orc. Others include Aragorn calling the dead, Merry's farewell to Theoden, Eowyn's slaying of the Witch-King, the literally earth-shattering climax, and of course the Havens scene. The story doesn't really end on the last page; for more background, especially on Aragorn and Arwen, readers should also read the appendices at the end of the book. I also advise readers to check out "The End of the Third Age," in which the unpublished epilogue of LOTR can be found. Though this is probably not canonical, it nicely concludes the story and is a heartwarming look at what happens in the years following LOTR. It's difficult, once the story has finished, to accept that one has to say goodbye to Middle-Earth and its enchanting inhabitants. But as Gandalf says, "I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil."
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Gift for the Ages, May 8, 2006
"The Lord of the Rings" is so secure at the pinnacle of all fantasy that any review of it risks presumption. The measure of this work's greatness can be found in the thousands of lesser works it has inspired, some in imitation, most in homage--all pale reflections of the world, the wisdom, the wonder of Middle Earth.
Over the years, I have re-read this masterwork at least two dozen times. Yet it never ceases to delight me with new revelations. Over time, these revelations have evolved from discoveries about the book to reflections about myself. This is art in its highest form: it inspires, indeed, demands self-understanding.
In my younger days, I was drawn to the clash of armies, the glory of battle, the valour of Aragorn and Eowyn, the sacrifice of Theoden and Faramir. But as I have aged, it is the suffering of Frodo and Sam that most moves me. The deepest courage is not found in battle, but in the act of bearing the heaviest burdens alone, beyond help, beyond hope, beyond endurance, beyond even despair--"that which we are, we are; /One equal-temper of heroic hearts, /Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will /To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
This work is perfect in its completeness. It lacks nothing and is endowed with themes both timeless and universal.
Consider the role of pity. We contemplate this theme for the first time when Gandalf reflects that Bilbo spared Gollum's life for pity. Then consider Frodo's first meeting with Gollum: "now that I see him, I do pity him." Or Gandalf's rebuke of Denethor, "...for me, I pity even [Sauron's] slaves." Faramir's pity for Eowyn--"do not scorn pity that is the gift of a gentle heart"--lifts despair from her soul and permits her to live and to love again. And the pity between Frodo and Sam is the bond that endures at the last when even flesh and spirit crumble. Not least, Tolkien commands our pity: and we, in the act of offering it--to Frodo, to Sam, most especially to Smeagol--take the world of Middle Earth as our own.
Consider also that the little people do the bravest deeds and tread where the great dare not: the quest of the ring is undertaken not by Aragorn, nor even by Boromir, but by a timid hobbit from the Shire, whose quality is not in his pedigree or his strength of arms, but in his will and his strength of character. "If you do not find the way, no one will", Elrond tells Frodo, and, "This is the hour of the Shire-folk". Sad that since Tolkien wrote his majestic work, his erstwhile followers and imitators have fallen back on such tired cliches as swashbuckling heroes and impossibly clever heroines. The magnificence in Tolkien's creation is not to be found in the strong, but in the humble. It is about a gentle hobbit like Sam, who likes his beer and tends his garden and thinks simple thoughts, but who would stare down death while fighting orcs and trolls and giant spiders, not because he thinks himself noble or brave, but because he is far beyond the noble or the brave. Frodo and Sam are names for you and I.
Consider finally, the sacrifice: Gandalf's sacrifice in Moria, Boromir's sacrifice at Amon Hen, Theoden's sacrifice on the Pelennor fields, Aragorn's readiness to sacrifice himself times beyond count. But the theme of sacrifice is most profoundly embodied in Frodo. He willingly assumes a burden that endangers not only his life, but his soul. His ordeal through Mordor and his piteous struggle up the slopes of Orodruin successively leave him with no possibility of relief, of return or, towards the end, even of release. He has long left behind any hope for himself. He goes on because he alone is charged with undoing a great evil and must destroy it or die in the trying. Beyond the terrible burden of the ring, he bears the more terrible burden of his duty to all the peoples of Middle Earth. And at the last, when he saves Middle Earth, he does so for others, but not for himself.
In the end, "The Lord of the Rings" is not about highbrow thematic concepts, mythic saga or epic heroism. While it is all of these things, it is also something better and simpler: a story for you and for me, centred not on impossible superheroes, but on little people--"The Odyssey" reshaped for the common folk. The enduring power of this work is ultimately founded in its simplicity. In "The Lord of the Rings", Tolkien successfully reaches the heights that all great art attains: he captures the essence and purity of transcendent truths; yet brings them home to the simplest and most innocent of sensibilities--a timeless creation not just for us but ultimately of us.
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