The Return of the King - BookWyrm Underscore

No cover — J.R.R. Tolkien: The Return of the King (Paperback, 2020, Mariner Books | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Paperback, 544 pages

English language

Published Jan. 14, 2020 by Mariner Books | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

ISBN:: 978-0-358-38025-2
OCLC Number:: 1288027175

(1 review)

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

As the shadow of Mordor grows across the land, the Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient kings of the West, has joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard and takes part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escape into Fangorn Forest and there encounter the Ents. Gandalf has miraculously returned and defeated the evil wizard Saruman. Sam has left his master for dead after a battle with the giant spider Shelob; but Frodo is still alive—now in the foul hands of the Orcs. And all the while the armies of the Dark Lord are massing as the One Ring draws ever nearer to …

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

As the shadow of Mordor grows across the land, the Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient kings of the West, has joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard and takes part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escape into Fangorn Forest and there encounter the Ents. Gandalf has miraculously returned and defeated the evil wizard Saruman. Sam has left his master for dead after a battle with the giant spider Shelob; but Frodo is still alive—now in the foul hands of the Orcs. And all the while the armies of the Dark Lord are massing as the One Ring draws ever nearer to the Cracks of Doom.

76 editions

Bert Schal reviewed The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings, #3)

Still captivating

5 stars

Yes, I liked it. It was really great to revisit the Lord of the Rings books after reading them 20+ years ago.

So, which book is the best. Hmm, I see it as a whole so every book, every volume has its ups and downs - definitely more ups than downs.

I think I liked volume 1 - the beginning - the best. With Volume 3 I thought it would've been perfectly ok to end it with Chapter 4 of Book 6. But it went on and even though I didn't like chapter 8 I think chapter 9 was beautifully written and a very superb ending to an amazing series.

The appendix is absoluetely fascinating, even though I only skimmed it. I had to return the book to the library. The next reader was already waiting.

And where should I go from here? To quote Theoden "This journey is over, …

Yes, I liked it. It was really great to revisit the Lord of the Rings books after reading them 20+ years ago.

So, which book is the best. Hmm, I see it as a whole so every book, every volume has its ups and downs - definitely more ups than downs.

I think I liked volume 1 - the beginning - the best. With Volume 3 I thought it would've been perfectly ok to end it with Chapter 4 of Book 6. But it went on and even though I didn't like chapter 8 I think chapter 9 was beautifully written and a very superb ending to an amazing series.

The appendix is absoluetely fascinating, even though I only skimmed it. I had to return the book to the library. The next reader was already waiting.

And where should I go from here? To quote Theoden "This journey is over, maybe, but I have far yet to go."

There are still The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and other stories. But right now I'm gonna watch the extended movie versions by Peter Jackson.

If you're into fantasy, you probably know The Lord of the Rings already, and if not. Read the books, they are highly recommended.