J.R.R. Tolkien's great fantasy novels The Hobbit and the three books of The Lord Of The Rings (The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return Of The King) have been keeping readers spellbound for generations. I was quite late for work one morning when I made the mistake of picking up The Return of the King, thinking I'd just read a few more pages. I got completely wrapped up in the story and forgot everything about my everyday life! The absorbing tales begin with The Hobbit when the wizard Gandalf involves comfort-loving hobbit Bilbo Baggins in a great conflict between good and evil. The Lord Of The Rings continues with a larger cast of characters in Middle Earth. While The Hobbit might be read by itself, most people who read the Lord of the Rings trilogy can't stop with the first one alone... they go through all three. When Peter Jackson made films of The Lord of the Rings, he had to deal with countless devoted fans who would be watching closely to see what he did to the stories. How did it work out? Quite simply, he made perhaps the greatest trilogy ever brought to film. Tolkien's words were often preserved, and the changes that were made in the plot were done so sensitively that it was easy to see they were needed for the different medium of film. The theatrical releases were widely acclaimed (The Return of the King won eleven Oscars), and the DVD versions of the Lord of the Rings are even better, including about eleven hours of material beyond what was shown in theaters. The popularity of the books has reached new heights since the films came out. Naturally, people have created many items that can evoke this image-rich world, such as Lord of the Ring posters. Whether you are reminded of Middle Earth by a poster or map on your wall or simply hold memories in your mind, you'll be touched by the great dramas which have meaning for us all. |
