I know a lot of people really like the Lord of the Rings series of books. So being the geek, I thought I should really read it. Can't be a nerd when you haven't. I have NEVER done the whole Dungeons and Dragons thing, you know, with 20 sided dice, no women, dark aged worlds of festering monks, smashed barrels, and large cellar dwelling rats etc. Was never my scene. First off did "The Hobbit", (my only previous exposure to it through an ancient text adventure) and then onto the "Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring". It was a strange read indeed. There were endless descriptions of endless miles and miles of countryside. That seemed about it! Any actual story, was always supposedly a story of something that ALWAYS happened before memory recalls (but seems able to recall the long trudging detail of even what color the kings hat was etc). Which they told to eachother with annoying regularity. I always imagined (after seeing the movies) this was an action thing. Twanging arrows, squelching sword play, and rocks squishing foes. Not at all. One part an entire battle (of jaw dropping vastness) was described as "...they came over the hills and they had a battle. Next morning....." Maybe not an exact quote, but you get the idea.
The books came across to me like a Middle Earth, Benny Hill show. They were chased up the hill, and down the hill. Into the forest, around the forest, and out of the forest. Even had Aragorn slapping little Frodo on the head for no reason. (Ok I made that bit up, but he should have done). And even that is making it sound more exciting that it was. Endless trudging over hilltops and fanatically detailed scenes, of woodlands, forests, escarpments (I knew there was a reason for teaching geography in schools), and surprisingly shimmery sunsets, blah blah blah... Nothing EVER happened to the people in the story, they just wandered about all over the place.
Who ever actually oversaw the adaptations for the movies, deserves a medal, as they used all the RIGHT parts of the books.
I will read the rest of them, but not until I have cleansed my palette with a novel taken from the screenplay of the apparent stinker, Fantastic 4. After that, I should be ready for the next Benny Hi...er.. I mean Lord of the Rings installment.
Click here for my audio review of these books.
Slappity slap slap
8 comments:
Gee, and I liked the books!
Actually, I caught most of the first movie again the other day, so I am about to embark on the next book in the series. I really hope this one is better balanced than the previous.
Did you not find the Fellowship of the Ring, just a little rambling?
Sometimes it takes the ramblings to set the story up. No way around it, they had quite a distance to travel, so travel they did. With the movies, I like the extended versions much more than the theater ones for tying in more with the books.
I too had started reading with the Hobbit. If you can get through that one, then LOTR is much more interesting reading.
I think a lot of it is because I am too stupid to be able to cope with the hundreds of different names mentioned within the story. To me they went on so much about other times and places, that the lack of action in the main plot, sort of made it all the same. I felt it was like reading lots of little stories in an overview sort of way with little interesting detail.
But still, onto The Two Towers, and see whats in store there.
I tend to skim through the names unless it's one of the main characters. I think you'll enjoy the 2nd and 3rd ones much better.
What I like more about the movies is that the roles of Gimli and Legolas are pretty trivial in the books, but major in the movies.
Have finished the newest Harry Potter, have to finish The Three Musketeers, then I think I'll reread the LOTR books.
PS: You're not stupid!
THanks for that vote of misplaced confidence. Good idea on the long winded sections too.
I am JUST about to finish the dire Fantastic 4 movie paperback, so then I can dive into the Two Towers.
Three Musketeers eh? Is it any good? I expect to read a review soon from you :)
A review? You ask alot. j/k Three musketeers is...interesting if you like history fiction. It's not the 'can't put it down' type for me, but enjoyable reading. If you decide to read it sometime, may I suggest the Modern Library version from Amazon.com. It's nicely translated, can't muddle thru a partially french version, and unabridged. Dumas is a good story teller.
May I also suggest the book Timeline. I liked the movie and the book. The book is more technical to a sense, where the movie is more on the romantic side.
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