Pranjal Kadam Kadam itibaren Chatramani, Tamil Nadu, הודו itibaren Chatramani, Tamil Nadu, הודו

I can't believe it's taken me so long to read The Lord of the Rings. I've always felt kind of "eh" about fantasy in general...most authors fail to create a good story. It seems like the emphasis is placed on how ~magical~ and ~unique~ the fantasy world is, but ultimately everything just seems like a caricature to me and I've found few fantasy novels that I can even finish. Obviously I've chosen poorly, and despite my experience I do hold out hope that there are, in fact, GOOD (perhaps even GREAT) fantasy books. The Fellowship of the Ring is such a book. It's just a downright great story, masterfully told and beautifully crafted. The world and its inhabitants are so precisely written...it seems like Middle-earth is a real place, and Tolkien is merely describing parts of it as needed to tell his story. It seems to exist outside of the story itself. Likewise, the characters are individuals, but each have their own particular traits that reflect their people and where they are from. This adds to the impression that you're reading a story from a chapter in history, concerning a world that has been formed by many untold chapters. There really seems to be a history behind everything--every bit of geography, every character, every weapon or tool. This results in a rich, multi-faceted story. It also results in some passages that are just incredibly tedious to read (I'm thinking of a few of the accounts during the Council of Elrond). My brain can't even comprehend all the details in this story--all the names, all the different lineages of the many characters--but I still appreciate the depth it adds to the plot and characters. Rambling! Basically, I thought this was a great story. It's a bit less "playful" than I found The Hobbit to be; more of a serious adventure. But Tolkien still finds plenty of opportunities for wit and humor and weaves everything together perfectly. Looking forward to reading The Two Towers and The Return of the King.