Saturday, April 10, 2021

A Review of The Lord of the Rings

 A

Review

of

The

Lord

of

the

Rings

By

J.R.R Tolkien


This book trilogy was actually the first fantasy I had ever read and until becoming a writer I didn't fully understand it. I'm actually on a second read of this since the last time was half a decade ago. By the books author it was considered one whole book but thanks to his publisher changes were made. I will make comments on each of the three separate books, Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King.

Fellowship of the Ring. It was my favorite of the three books because it felt more like a story than the other two. My favorite scenes existed in Bree and Rivendell. It was here I thought the beginning character arch of Aragon was done better in the movie. I like the Merry and Pippen of the books more than the jokesters of the movies. They went through small changes as things progressed which I enjoyed and Merry was very smart.

The Two Towers. It was enjoyable for the Battle of Helms Deep and the Frodo chapters. I found it easiest to follow when reading familiar parts from the films.

The Return of the King. It was my least favorite of the three books and I found the Scouring of the Shire to be my favorite chapter. The scouring should have been in the movie.

Now I know I'm matching the books up to the movies in this review but to be honest The Lord of the Rings cannot be matched in its importance to the world. It teaches us to look for hope even when life is at its worst. We find the most hope in Sam, Frodo's best friend and dedicated gardener. He goes through the most change of all the characters and to me is the most important character. The book teaches us that these two small in stature characters made a big change. We often feel small and inadequate but if Frodo and Sam can change the world so can we.

I recommend these books (or book as per the author) to anyone looking for a good and quiet read. A read that can fill you with hope when all seems dreary.  

Saturday, April 3, 2021

A Review of The Girl And The Stars

A

 Review

 of

 The

 Girl

 and

 the

 Stars

 By 

Mark 

Lawrence

Four Stars 

 This is my first Mark Lawrence book and it has been fun. The Girl and the Stars is actually the first fantasy outside of what I call the "Big Three," I've read. Its magic system is interesting, especially the star stones which help the hero and power some of the villains'.

The MC, Yaz, has one goal after experiencing what she didn't expect her destiny to be. She must save her brother. She isn't alone in her journey and discovers what makes her different is a big help.

Yaz goes through change which is something many characters go through but hers was a roller coaster ride for me. The story in my opinion is plot driven which is good. Truth be told I liked the story because it took me out of my comfort zone.

My issues with this book include Yaz having more emotion than most other characters. I felt there needed to be a bit more to the secondary characters. The scenery was quite repetitive but the author does demonstrate a good understanding of how an ice environment works.