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The Lord of the Rings - Boxed Set
... buying the BBC version instead. To be fair with Mind's Eye Version of the LOTR Audiobook, it's not bad. It's closer to the original storyline that BBC's and it even features mr Tom Bombandil who was cut from BBC's version. The voices are good - but not all of them.On the downside however, as an audio engineer myself, I have to say that "Mind's Eye" should hire someone else to remaster their records. Sound quality is not as good as I thought it would be.On the opposition there is the BBCs all time classic version with excellent voices and wonderfull performances by the actors, based on an equaly wonderfull adaptation of Tolkiens story. If you only compare the two "Gandalfs" you will see what I mean. Mind's Eye version seems to be the kids version while BBC's the adult's one. And the latter sounds better too...
The Lord of the Rings - Boxed Set
I requested the 7 book series as a gift for Christmas, since the LotR is one of my favorite trilogies and I have a dog-earred trilogy in paperback. It looked like a nice set. Black bindings and the synopsis mentioned illustrations that would certainly add to my enjoyement. When I received the books, I found that the "Millenium Edition" had no illustrations and the binding was paper instead of the traditional durable cloth. I truly see this as a waste of dead presidents and wish I had just requested a new paperback version.
The Lord of the Rings - Boxed Set
After reading Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia, I was very interested in other books by the authors that these have been compared to. I picked up Fellowship of the Ring, and I made my way through it, determined to read it. Tolkien has a wonderful imagination, but the plot is a bit redundant and the writing is hard to understand at points. I have read other works far more advanced, so my lack of understanding is not from being uneducated. It just doesn't flow. My two stars were for his imagination, because I respect anyone who takes a chance with the creation of another world. Bottom line: While he has an imagination, this is a book you might have to struggle with because of it's mediocre writing.
The Lord of the Rings - Boxed Set
I was given this book by a friend to read, and received nothing of what I expected. No doubt that Tolkiens stories have reached world popularity; however I found it to be tediously dull, and alarmingly unmoving. Tolkien was indeed one of the countries finest authors, but to say that he is the best is taking it out of context. Simpley because Tolkien was the first successful fantasy novelist, does not mean he was the best. I can understand why people would take his books as almost a religion, but I could barely trudge through the first 100 pages. I account this to my own preferences. I value character development very highly, and of which there seemed scarce to none in Lord of the Rings. Tolkien I feel focused more on places; the then and where. Understand, that I desprately wished to enjoy this book, as I hoped to learn from the master, since I hope to someday strick my own mark in fantasy writing. Because I personally did not enjoy Tolkiens writing does not mean that I do not hold him in the highest regard and respects. Fantasy has achieved much thanks to the imagination and genuinity of J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Lord of the Rings - Boxed Set
Well ever since the movies came out I vowed to myself I would read the books before I watched the movie. Boy, oh boy. These books are pretty boring. Maybe I simply just have a short attention span (well okay, yes I do) but I'll bet a lot of other people got through the first half of the book and called it quits too. It just never really got interesting. I was a little disspointed that I didn't finish the series but I got over it and then I asked my mom if she would rent the movie. >D
The Lord of the Rings - Boxed Set
Over and Over i have heard rave reviews on this trilogy as if i were the Bible itself. Granted, this was a good set of books, but Calm Down people!It starts out VERY well. I'll say this. The first book goes along fairly quickly with a sufficient amount of action and a great re-introduction of Gandalf. (The way he goes in and out of the story and dissapear on "mysterious" business stays true to his character.) The 2cd book was alright, but started losing me when they so deeply into politics and King-hood. I just didnt see how that was so critical to the whole plot. Yes, its worth writing about but i think they Tolkien drags the whole war out a bit much. I got impatient to find out what was going on with the characters he started me out with, and didnt care much about the Riders of Rohan or the old sickly king, Eowyn and all. I wanted to know where Frodo was! And the third book...well....i didnt bother with the first part of it, i just skipped on to Frodo and Sams adventures with Gollum and in the Heart of Mordor. These are the scenes which made the book for me. :) Sams protectivness just touched my heart, and Frodo turns out to be braver than even his uncle Bilbo.When he and Frodo were about to die, i swear, the moment between those two....Naw, i wont spoil it for young readers who havent got it yet.My biggest complaint was that after the whole ordeal was over, and the book should be ending, Tolkien drags it out into 5 or 6 more chapters that i simply thought were unnessesary.Anyway, be prepared to have alot of free time if your going to start this Trilogy. Its a good read but your going to have to struggle through a few bad parts to get to the good ones.