Entertaining and Profound | The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings

Gotta love these Charnwood books! | The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings | J.R.R. Tolkien

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	• The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien Mariner Books, 2005 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 378 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Book of Dreams

For I am too young to read this book, I secretly read it at my cousin's house.I understood most of the
words.At my school I am a score of 1023,which meaning I can read the Assasination of John F. Keneddy, and
Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets and I am 9 years old.I read the beggining and my cousin probaly read up
to Helm's Deep (the last part of the book) but he still said it was harder than trying to read an acient
article from 200 A.C.So I belived him for a word I do not get is Herosimiam.But it is the worlds best book.

Entertaining and Profound

This second volume in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is faster-paced than the first and grapples more directly with the dual nature of good and evil that is at the heart of each of the three books. Each element of good has its opposite. There is the dark tower and the good tower of Gondor (hence, the "Two Towers"). There is the good hobbit Frodo and his opposite Gollum who, it is hinted, is a distortion of what was once a hobbit-like creature. There are elves and orcs. There is the good wizard Gandalf and the evil Sauron.

Yet, while these pairs are opposite, they are also linked. Even Saruman was at one time a good personable fellow. Gandalf fears the ring because he can see himself becoming like Saruman and Sauron.

Tolkien writes near the end of the book that the ring itself brings great power and insight, but not courage. Hence Gollum wears the ring and is sniveling; Sauron, we know, would not be so; and Frodo and Sam find courage from within. All these beings, it seems, start out as morally equivalent and should see themselves in the other. It is only after the repeated stresses of power and experience that we morph toward one pole or the other until we can barely see the resemblance. What is to account for which pole one morphs toward? I don't think it's some form of inherent virtue as much as it is chance and the cumulative force of making many good (or bad) choices that ultimately so forms our character as to overwhelm us.

This book introduces the most appealing character in the work -- the ents. Whatever the metaphorical significance of these enormous, tree-like creatures (perhaps, like Tom Bombadil, they represent beings with a more perfect communion with nature than man is capable of), they are so charismatic and lovable as to steal the show.

Mr. Inglis' reading is itself a work of art. He's a Shakespearean actor with the ability to give each character its distinctive voice. He interprets the text without overwhelming it. Inglis has a few peers, but there is no better reader.

This is an entertaining story and great literature.

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Gotta love these Charnwood books!

I'm on the plus side of 50 and I'm finding it more difficult to see the small print in some books. These Charnwood series of books are just what the doctor ordered for me and those like me.

I recommend this series to everyone that would like to continue reading after they "can't see" any longer,(j/k).

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800 Little MP3 Pieces, In No Particular Order

This is, as other reviewers have said, the only unabridged BOT version of this classic book. Rob Inglis does a great job reading.

But: If you plan on downloading CDs onto your MP3 player, keep reading.

The book is broken into 48 CDs (all 3 books (16 CDs per book)). And each CD is broken up into 3 min tracks (about 275 tracks per disc).

And no freaking consistent organization.

Each CD has a completely (ugh!!!) different way of titling the tracks.

So, my Ipod now has 800+ 3 minute LOTR tracks . . . in no particular order!!!

There's no way I can listen to the book in chronological order. Instead my Ipod shuffles randomly between tracks, changing every 3 minutes.

It's a disaster.

But I love this book. So, I'm listening anyway.

It's the equivalent of cutting the book into 800 pieces, throwing them in the air, and then reading them: William S. Burroughs, please meet J.R.R. Tolkien.

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A Bridge Between the Beginning And the End

With the Fellowship broken Sam and Frodo set off to fulfill their destiny alone, following the path into the fires of Mordor while Aragon, Legolas and Gimli set out in pursuit of their captured hobbit comrades, Merry and Pippin. The novel is split into two parts consisting of the friends' separate adventures as the tale of Middle Earth continues to unfold. The world teeters toward the brink of dark destruction with its fate resting squarely on Frodo's shoulders.

Tolkien's second installment in the beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy captivates the reader with the same magical gravity and mystical allure as the Fellowship of the Ring and its predecessor, The Hobbit. However, this book did not seem to posses the same depth of substance. As a bridge between the beginning and end of the series it had more of a transient feel; a piece rather than a whole.

As always Tolkien writes lyrical flowing prose which captures the very spirit and dark majesty of Middle Earth. He paints vivid pictures of fanciful landscapes, gruesome battles and creatures both terrifying and beautiful. Though the story does tend to drag at several points it never truly grows boring; Tolkien's masterful storytelling and flowery descriptive language is enough to compensate for lags in action. In the end Tolkien leaves another nail biting cliffhanger that will have you clambering for the next part of this epic adventure!

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For over fifty years, J.R.R. Tolkien?s peerless fantasy has accumulated worldwide acclaim as the greatest adventure tale ever written.
No other writer has created a world as distinct as Middle-earth, complete with its own geography, history, languages, and legends. And no one has created characters as endearing as Tolkien?s large-hearted, hairy-footed hobbits. Tolkien?s The Lord of the Rings continues to seize the imaginations of readers of all ages, and this new three-volume paperback edition is designed to appeal to the youngest of them.
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elvensmiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, still it remained lost to him . . .

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