The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers was written by J.R.R Tolkien during the 1950’s. It is the sequel to the previous edition in the series, the Fellowship of the Ring. Believe it or not, the Lord of the Rings series was originally six books, instead of the popular three. Due to World War II, there was a paper shortage -among other variables- that caused the conjoining of some of the books. A notable feature of this novel is the fact that it instantly jumps right into the plotline, right where the first book left off-this may be as a result of the collaboration of the books. Also the book ends abruptly as well, leaving the reader wondering what will happen next.
Tolkien’s sentence structure doesn’t change at all compared to his other works, something that has actually become a nuisance for me as I read these great novels. His general writing style is –for lack of a better phrase- “old-school.” Classical terms that would be know in the time period, but nowadays one will probably have to research some words to understand their modern-day meaning. He is very descriptive is his writing, but that also is what tends to kill the elements of the book. Tolkien tends to end up rambling with his adjectives and imagery. Yet, aside from there excessive amount of reading, he manages to paint that scenery in the reader’s head. One can actually create the world that Tolkien illustrates in his writing.
Another setback with the overall structure of the world of Middle Earth is the animals, plants, and inanimate objects. The way Tolkien talks, he sometimes overlaps ideas and it leads to added –possibly unintended- personification within the story. For example; he may be discussing about how the trees can talk, or rocks have the ability to guide those who are lost. Confusion became common in the plot line and to be honest, without the help of my grandmother –a major Lord of the Rings fanatic- and the movie; I would have missed some key concepts within the book.
The Two Towers seemed to be almost more political rather than action, as depicted in the movie. It showed that Middle Earth was not an anarchist land ruled by feudal lords and rogue warriors and beasts. No, the civilized regions of the land approached things democratically or with the wave of the king’s hand. Don’t get me wrong, there is some action in this book -a giant spider too, but you’ll only understand that if you read the books. But this is a prime example of the difference between books and a producer’s impression of the book. So don’t instantly think that the movie is going to be word for word like the book.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book, and it is one of those books that belong on a person’s bucket list of books. Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes, I may have said this in my previous blog, but they need to be prepared to not only read a lot, but they need to put up with Tolkien’s writing style.
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