And so time to board the boat and leave with Annie Lennox singing me away but before I do so here are my final thoughts on my rematch with LOTR 27 years later those final chapters to explore

Chapter 3 - Mount Doom aka Hobbits Walk The Line

I’ve not been impressed much with the walking of this story but this chapter gorgeously works to make you feel the world is on a knife-edge. A fifty mile trek into Mordor. It’s less a walk and more a sacred pilgrimage for Frodo and Sam - they even discard everything they don’t need. This feels all the way a one way trip and we feel the weight of the Ring on both of them. The shock then of Frodo saying he won’t destroy it works really well and we feel its all finally lost only for Gollum to arrive and while this is very convenient it is very poetically done that the one person who loves the Ring so much brings about its destruction . But when Frodo says while volcanoes explode around him that its the end we feel like the epic tale has finally been told and yes indeed Sam Gamgee rocks

Chapter 4 - The Field of Cormallen aka What happend while I was saving your A£$%$$?

There are many jokes about LOTR having many endings but I’m not sensing this book doesn't need them due to the scale of the story. What is the point of winning if we don’t see the changes it produces - even if that is the restoration of the Divine Right of Kings? You can’t not enjoy Sam and Frodo’s joy at meeting the crew again. It feels like an epic victory a great war finally over centuries in the making. I think this one works really well

Chapter 5 - The Steward and The King aka Insta-Love in Middle Earth

Faramir and Eowyn feel a little lost in the story after the main battles and Tolkien’s cunning plan is just to marry the two off. Its fascinating the lack of SArwen in the novel and yet is deemed not right for Aragorn and so off to manage a destroyed town the newlyweds go. The crown and tree scenes though really work to show that the Good guys have finally won.

Chapter 6 - Many Partings - What About the Eagles?

So after a lot more rebuilding, dishing out of kingdoms and titles rather than a fast eagle lets go back all along the way to visit the people we’ve met and see how they’re doing. Feels a bit convenient and oh look saruman is around but surely no one will let him do anything more evil as he walks away untouched. A rather dull set of scenes.

Chapter 7- Homeward Bound - Ops Gandlaf needs to conventiently vanish

Its nice to see the Prancing Pony and remind us how far we have come but is this really needed? A littler prep for the surprise to come but yet again Gandalf finds an excuse to vanish without warning - how plot-convenient!

Chapter 8 - The Scouring of The Shire aka - New Hobbits on the Block

Surprise if you let an evil wizard out he may want revenge on your home. Who knew! It is well done though and seeing Hobbiton going the way of Heavy industry and losing its innocence is actually quite effective. It’s a reminder our Hobbits have been to war, seen things and gained particular sets of skills which all go to plan and then annoyingly it’s Grima who despatches a wizard. That feels a little cutting out the ending and it’s overall more an interlude than a final final battle - too sad to let your characters go JRR?

Chapter 9 The Grey Havens aka It is Done

So we get to the end and while we do wrap up the shire what I do love here is the exploration of consequences. Frodo doesn't get to live happily ever after. The experiences shaped him and he cannot settle - his reward is to leave the world behind. That feels cruel and yet possibly more truer to life than many a fantasy tale knows where to leave your character. It’s the end of magic, elves and wizards but the world will plough on regardless even if just with Sam. A fine ending

So have I learned to Love the Lord of the Rings?

No.

However I do admire it more.

I do think having read a lot more fantasy in the 27 years since that I now appreciate its importance. You can still see elements of the DNA of this tale in epic fantasy and Tolkien was doing it for the first time. He climbs Everest first in his PE kit without a map and shows people how it can be done. Its inventive, its filled with depth in terms of the world and it feels real. there are not many books I know so many charcters’ names even after reading it last century. When Yolkien gets it right he really hits the target. It’s a novel with a sense of doom throughout and the impact of two world wars affects the atmosphere even if no allegory. I’m not sure we have characters here more than archetypes but they’re the ones so many have played with since.

BUT it’s stodgy, it’s blokey, its pace is all over the place. Fellowship is way too slow but I do think it gets more faster in the later volumes. It is is though lacking roles for women, its rather notably all white for heroes and its also a type of tale you don’t see now in 21st century fantasy as simple as this one. We have very much moved on; taking on its ideas and themes and playing with them in far more interesting to me ways. For me the movies knew how to slice and dice better too - this guy needed a better editor!

I’m glad I re-read it at last and it is far less detested than it was but as with all quests it’s nice to get home to 2024 again!