Somebody encourage me....

[Lost in Coruscant]

My grandmother came to visit us back in June...of '98, and she mentioned the "Lord of the Rings" books. And a few others, but I won't get into them...:) I decided to read them. I dug around in some boxes, and found all four of them. (These are the paperback 'authorized' version. Apparently, when Tolkien originally put them out somebody took 'advantage' of him and...well, that's another story...:) Anyway, I got through "The Hobbit". Then, my mom went to the library and got me the first part of the "Lord of the Rings" duology that was on tape there. Unfortunatley, I found out that the second part is not there. And it was sooo good! The animation was excellent! Well, I then saw "The Hobbit" that new version recently put out by so-and-so...it stinks. The animation in that makes you want to take a knife and stab Bilbo through the nose. Fortunatly, I'd already read "The Hobbit" but so nothing was ruined for me. Although I never did get through it...it was soo bad... The point is, I'm only halfway through the first book in the trilogy. I saw the first half of that duology, and knowing that Gandalf won't die, though it looks like he will a few dozen times, doesn't help add to the suspense. Is there anything for me to look forward to?

[peregrin]

Is there anything to look forward to?!? Ohmygod, where should I begin? First off, let me say, put away the movies. I don't think you should have watched them first. You wouldn't read the EU before seeing SW, would you? Second, ROTK, IMHO, is the best of the three. If you don't make it there you won't know the fate of the Company of the Ring. I'm sorry, "Lost in Coruscant", I can't even begin to explain this. Can anyone help this person out? I have to go to bed. Maybe tomorrow.

[Elrond]

Uh right... Someone who knows nothing about the books... Know what ROTK means?

[peregrin]

Thanks Elrond, you were a big help. :P ROTK=Return of the King.

[ArwenUndomiel02]

i saw those movies too, ohmigod how dumb....we laughed...constantly...anyway you have got to finish them. your grandma(or whoever) gave you sound advice....i'm going to get my own copy for my birthday this month....i was borrowing from galadriel....i'm going to read them over and over.... arwen

[Darth Tater]

Wow, where to begin, what to say, how to say it? Man, you just have to read them! The surprises! The battles! The stories! Wow!

[Lost in Coruscant]

The poems, the lack of romance (who cares anyway?), etc., etc., etc. *sigh* I just looked at where I am in it.... I haven't even gotten through the first "book" yet.

[anduin]

Have you gotten to the chapter, 'At The Sign Of The Prancing Pony', yet? Once you get there things will start to pick up. Thd introduction of 'Strider', the faux pas of Frodo, the merry making of the Hobbits, all great stuff. And the chapter after that, even better!! I'll admit the first time I read LOTR, I skipped over the poems. When you read it a second time (yes, I promise you will want to) you may find out you WANT to read the poems, I know I did. You should also read the thread, "What's you favorite book in the trilogy?" (I don't think there are any major spoilers.) Play close attention to Hernalt's and Darth Tater's contributions on how to read the trilogy. Happy reading!!

[galadriel1]

You have to finish the books! There is so much to enjoy! I love Strider, but you don`t have to wait until Bree for the story to pick up. There are the Black Riders and running into the elves and don`t forget the raucous at Crickhollow! Not to mention Tom Bombadil and the Barrowdowns! And then of course we find Strider at Bree and there`s Weathertop and the Flight to the Fords and the Council of Elrond. And of course Lothlorien! And lots f great battles along the entire journey! The Battles for Helm`s Deep and the Pelennor Fields are incredible! And there are some cool surprises on the road! I read the trilogy every winter. It only takes me a couple of weeks because I get so into the story! I can`t put it down! Every time you read it, you discover even more in it. Such great anticipation at the beginning - and sadness at the end because the story is over. I always feel like I want to start reading it again right away. It is definitely the best piece of literature that I have read! For me, nothing will ever top it! Forge on, my friend! There is so much to look forward to! Trust us!btw, where are you in the books? Keep us informed of your progress. I promise - you will not be disappointed!

[Elrond]

Ya... Definatly the council of Elrond;) When I read it first, I was kind of reading it, like this is a good book, fine... Until Moria. Somehow I thought that was the first realy good bit... i don't know why, It just was. There r some realy good bits before that, though... And now i con't see why it was that bit in particular, not Weathertop or anything. Does that make even a little sense?

[bmilder]

Well, everyone's already said what I would say :P. Read them. You'll like them... I tried convincing all my friends to read Hobbit and LotR back in fifth grade... the farthest someone got was to the middle of RotK (now how could someone not finish that???) and the least far along was Jae who got to page 17 of the Hobbit :P.

[anduin]

Galadriel 1 is right, you should keep us posted as to where you are, then we could discuss it with you. I think that is why all of us wants our friends to read it, so we can have someone to talk about it with. And hell, isn't that why we are all here right now?

[Darth Tater]

How could you possibly stop in the middle of ROTK? That would drive me insane!

[Lost in Coruscant]

I'm not in the middle...I'm one-third through.

[Darth Tater]

I was refering to bmilder's friend.

[anduin]

Lost, what chapter?

[Lost in Coruscant]

I finished chapter 5, and now I'm supposed to be starting chapter 6.

[galadriel1]

What does sense matter as long as you`re enjoying the ride, right? ((giggle))I liked the part at Weathertop. And the flight to the Ford. You come to realise even more the peril of the journey and just how dangerous the journey may become. (That probably doesn`t make sense, either! haha) The Council of Elrond is eye-opening. We get to find out just what has been happening with Gandalf and find out more about Aragorn and Boromir and the lands to the South. I like that chapter a lot. And Moria--ABSOLUTELY CHILLING!Lost - you`re in Chapter 6 of which book?

[galadriel1]

All this talk is making me want to read it again! I usually save it for the winter months. I don`t know if I can wait until January!

[Elrond]

I got all my friends onto LOTR. Only 2 of them stuck with it. Gandalf and Aragorn... wait a sec... U dont know them. Never mind. They were round chamber of the sages, but latley they haven't been on. Aragorn got banned from the net by parents, and I don't know why gandalf isn't on. She (yep, SHE) still has my FotR book. This is just not on!

[Darth Tater]

LiC, how do you like the books right now? Getting more interessting?

[Lost in Coruscant]

Like? I wouldn't say that.... I'm on Chapter six The Old Forest in the first book, The Fellowship of the Ring. I've gotten through The Hobbit, though.

[ArwenUndomiel02]

i liked the hobbit.....when i read it i didn't know there was even a continuence!(sp) arwen

[galadriel1]

Ahh, you`re in the early part of the jorney then. Should be just about to Bombadil`s soon. You`re getting into the good stuff now. So you didn`t really say if you liked it or what. By the sound of your posts, you`re not really into it yet. Keep reading! It gets more and more exciting as you move on. It`s easy to get a bit lost on the first read. There`s so much to take in. Don`t try to overanalyse. Just enjoy the read. It`s a most fascinating journey!

[Darth Tater]

LiC, I almost gave up the book at that point. Keep going, it'll be worth it.

[galadriel1]

Definitely keep on the journey! It is so worth it! If you get too bogged down or fall into despair, just invoke the words "A Elbereth Githoniel!" Help will be on the way! :-)

[Lost in Coruscant]

Okay, I got through chapter 6...I'll post about it later.

[anduin]

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow; Bright <font color=blue>blue</font color> his jacket is, and his boots are <font color=yellow>yellow</font color>.

[Hernalt]

Just wait for BOLT... (force-reading BOLT may be worse than boot camp...)

[Darth Tater]

LOL. LiC, keep pushing through! This is when it really gets good (although by the time you're reading ROTK everything else stinks in comparison.)

[Elanor]

LiC, I agree with those who have posted so far. I am a big (actually little--I am a hobbit in middle earth) fan of this trilogy, and read and discuss it with my (Earth) brothers. It's just so HUGE! Sometimes you feel overwhelmed by all this Numenor stuff and the power of great people like Gandalf, Galadriel, etc. But throughout LotR, the story is almost always told from the point of view of the least enlightened person--have you noticed that yet? Usually a hobbit, sometimes Gimli. You said, "lack of romance". You must be a female like me, because I can't completely enjoy a story that has no romance. But LotR does! At least three romances (one is my (middle earth) parents), and they're not bad. . I most enjoy the character development in this trilogy (that's one reason I never got into the Silmarillion--the characters didn't seem real). Sam especially grows and changes, and all the others learn and improve themselves. Eowyn, Gimli/Legolas, Treebeard, Faramir, Denethor . . . How can you miss out on meeting these people? . Definitely lose any impression you got from those cheesy movies. Use your own imagination, and don't accept anyone else's images that don't agree with your own. My (earth) brother and I have ongoing disagreements about appearances and pronunciation, and we always have to back off and let the other one keep their ideas, even if they're wrong (!). . Good luck in your journey, Elanor Fairbairn of Westmarch

[Darth Tater]

What Elanor said. Where are you now?

[Lost in Coruscant]

I'm still were I left off. I haven't had a lot of time to read, and with my mom bringing home a new baby soon, I probably won't have much time later. I'll try to get through another chapter, if for no other reason than to say that it is preferable to C.S. Lewis's "Out of the Silent Planet".

[Hernalt]

Just wait, LostinCoruscant! There will come a day when you, too, will look back with fondness on the work of the 'greats'. (Once you realize how much **** is out there.)

[Darth Tater]

What Hernalt said.

[dmaul96]

I don't know what is going on, but I going to say Tater is wrong.

[Darth Tater]

Can't you feel the love in this room?

[Hernalt]

Well, I have yet to finish HOME. I want to read Azimov's Foundation series the whole way through, plus Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. If you ever read HOME or BOLT, don't read the footnotes - they will slay your momentum.

[galadriel1]

You haven`t finished the series? I`m shocked! I figured if anyone would get through it, it would be you! :-)

[Lost in Coruscant]

Ack! I'm closer to finishing "Out..." but I'm still at the beginning of 7 in Lord of the Rings...*blushes*

[Darth Tater]

LiC, you've got me on the edge of my seet! I just don't understand how someone can have so much trouble reading LOTR. Oh well, keep us posted.

[Lost in Coruscant]

Lesse... They just left whats-his-name's house, and they just waved bye bye to the pretty lady.

[anduin]

You mean Bombadil and Goldberry? ;) Do you like it any better yet? Things will start to get more and more interesting from here on out, I promise :) Keep it up and keep us posted.....

[Darth Tater]

"pretty lady" lol! :)

[bmilder]

"Bye bye, Pretty Lady!" :D :P

[ArwenUndomiel02]

"What's-his-face?" "Pretty Lady?" Someone's not paying attention to what they're reading!

[Elanor]

Well, if she spends all her time reading x-wing books... *sniff*

[Lost in Coruscant]

Not all my time...I can't get the third for a while.

[Elanor]

Oh, all right, LiC. Just get with it! ;)