Philip Reeve on The Lord of the Rings

[Matteo]

For me, it's exactly this "infodump" that make it such a wonderful read - because it gives a sense of history and depth; that there is a background to the events that are taking place. Later authors in the fantasy genre have tried to copy this - with varying degrees of success.

@Teresa Edgerton raises a very valid point about Tolkien not writing "fantasy" I think. Also have to agree with her about the Amber Chronicles; I read the first five and enjoyed them but toward the end I had the feeling that the story was just being extended for the sake of making it longer.

As for the films...that's a whole other (most likely very "lively") discussion, but I thought Peter Jackson did a hell of a job. I suspect even truly dedicated fans of the book would find a scene by scene/nothing missed out/all history included, film version unwatchable.

 

[Pyan]

I suspect even truly dedicated fans of the book would find a scene by scene/nothing missed out/all history included, film version unwatchable.

Perhaps surprisingly, I agree: and it would have taken 4 six-hour films, at least, to do it.
What does annoy me are the liberties taken with the story - no Scouring of the Shire, Aragorn falling off a cliff, Faramir taking Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath, Pippin and Merry as the Chuckle Brothers, etc.
If Jackson had cut some of the dross, we'd have had time to finish the story as it was meant to. I'd much rather have had the Battle of Bywater than orcs being hatched under Isengard...

 

[Pyan]

Going back to the voices of writing in LotR, Phillip Reeves sums it up admirably, much better than I tried to earlier:

As they journey north, the language shifts. The Lord of the Rings is written in two registers, although there are many gradations between them. (I suppose they are partly intended to suggest the different languages the characters are speaking.) The celebrations on the Field of Cormallen and at Minas Tirith are told in Tolkien's faux-mediaeval, Idylls of the King, King James Bible voice - 'And all the host laughed and wept, and in the midst of their merriment and tears the clear voice of the minstrel rose like silver and gold, and all men were hushed.' So is the rather touching love story of Faramir and Éowyn (which reminds me a little of Marcus and Cottia in my other childhood favourite, The Eagle of the Ninth) - they call each other 'thee' and 'thou'. But as the hobbits ride homeward, shedding their grander companions along the way, the language shifts back to a more hobbity, less high-falutin' demotic English. 'So it was near the end of a wild and wet evening in the last days of October the... travellers rode up the climbing road and came to the South-gate of Bree.' (The contrast between these two registers is one of the pleasures of the book: The Silmarillion, if I'm remembering it correctly, is all told in the former style, and is far harder to love.)

Exactly.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

You only have to listen to the audiobook of LOTR to realise what a wonderful creation it is: detailed, vivid, lengthy.
To me, the audiobook proves the novel's worth.
People are so impatient these days. Lack of imagination, possibly.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

You only have to listen to the audiobook of LOTR to realise what a wonderful creation it is: detailed, vivid, lengthy.
To me, the audiobook proves the novel's worth.
People are so impatient these days. Lack of imagination, possibly.

Now I might agree the audio books might be a more rewarding experience. I never read Potter, but listening to the audio books (S Fry) while driving was an enjoyable experience. However, having heard the audio, I know I was right not to read the book.

I suspect the driving somehow distracts me during the boring bits and yet the audio doesn't detract from the driving.

(No I didn't buy the CDs)

(Enjoyed the films - and since I skipped most of the dross, couldn't give a fig about the bits Jackson dropped.)