Bored of the rings?!

[Starbreeze]

No, this is not be saying that I am bored of Tolkien's world!

I don't know if this is the case outside the UK, but there is a book called "Bored of the Rings". Has anyone read it? If so is it good and is it a good buy?

I don't really know if this was the right place to post this, but it's here now and I have no doubt that if I am wrong someone will tell me about it. smilies/tongue.gif

[Mithadan]

Bored of the Rings was published by the Harvard Lampoon and is filled with juvenile, scatological and puerile humor. In short, I laughed until I cried.

[Aralaithiel]

My brother wants me to read it. Apparently it is a comical spoof of LOTR. Still working on Lost Tales I & II though, so it'll have to wait.

[Glenethor]

I read that a long, long, time ago. Dildo Buggers! Arrowroot son of Arrow Shirt! Tim Benzedrine ("it melts in your brains, not in your hands!"). I remember, having had more 'Old Toby' and 'Old Winyards' as was good for me, just howling with laughter as I read it. Almost burst a blood vessel I was laughing so hard! I want to read it again, so I'll probably try and get it off Amazon.com.
smilies/biggrin.gif smilies/tongue.gif smilies/cool.gif smilies/wink.gif smilies/biggrin.gif

[ February 13, 2002: Message edited by: Glenethor ]

[Starbreeze]

Does that mean that you give it your approval
Mithadan?

[Mithadan]

Some might find it offensive. It certainly is not "politically correct". But it was very funny, at least to me.

[Rosa Underhill]

I've heard of it but haven't really had any interest in reading it. It's supposed to be very juvenile in its humor. If Harvard Lampoon is anything like Senior Lampoon then I definately don't want to read it.

Hey, have any of you read "Roadkill of Middle-earth"? I read a few quips from it and it made me laugh. Think it's worth troubling the library over?

[Kuruharan]

"Suddenly the Wizard sprang to his feet. 'The knob,' he cried..."
[Goodgulf's actions to open the gates]
smilies/biggrin.gif smilies/biggrin.gif

That scene alone was worth the price of admission. smilies/biggrin.gif
It still makes me laugh till I cry reading it again.
But as a whole the book is crude, rude, and socially unacceptable.

[Elendur]

http://forums.tactical-ops.to/images/smilies/rofl.gif The knob!

[Maltagaerion]

Read it once when I was a teen....that was 15 - 20 years ago. I've forgotten most of it now.

[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

Friends used to read me parts of it to offend me.. but I was young and easily offended. I'd probably love it now.

[Mayla Took]

Ha ha!! That sounds like the kind of "comic relief" book that I would immensely enjoy! I have never heard of it, but I will now keep my eyes open for it!

[Birdland]

I think it was written in 1972 or '73, back when LOTR had it's last great wave of popularity.

I remember it as being pretty funny and "naughty" back then. It may seem kind of dated now with all the '60's-'70's references.

Pick it up cheap and give it a whirl.

[Sindalómiel]

I read Bored of the Rings when I was 8, and didn't get it, because I hadn't read LOTR, and coz a lot of it was over my head. The bits I understood I thought was good though, but even at 8 I thought it was juvenile. I've managed to find our copy of it again, and will read it soon.

[Glenethor]

Well, I was brought up with a love for satire: Mad Magazine when I was in my early teens, and sharper satire as I got older. One of my favourite works of satire was the Rutles, Eric Idle's hilarious riffing on the Beatles. Members of Monty Python and SNL combined to make a truly hilarious movie, and I could see some serious Beatles fans getting upset. Yet, I don't have very many sacred cows, and as much as I love the Beatles, I laughed and laughed until I thought I would have a hernia.

Same with this book: I laughed and laughed because it was a fairly well written, funny, original, satirical look at the LoTR phenomena that first arose in the late 60's early 70s. As an act of satire, though, it is definitely going to offend someone. That is one of the goals of satire.

[Inziladun]

Goodgulf (Gandalf) speaking of Sorhed (Sauron)
His Dark Carbuncle of Doom has swollen and soon will come to a head, covering the face of Lower Middle Earth with his ill humors. If we are to survive, the boil must be soundly lanced before Sorhed begins his own loathsome sqeeze play.

Irreverent, disgusting, dated, and overall very funny.

[Starbreeze]

Definintly worth buying then? Most of you say it is good?

[Lush]

I am an obessive Beatles fan, but I loved the Rutles. Especially the bit that had George Harrison doing a cameo appearance, when they lampooned the blatant theft that was going on at Apple.
I love immature humour, I engage at it daily (in case anyone hasn't caught on to that fact yet).
Today, as we all know, is Valentine's Day, and I celebrated by bringing a bag of lollies to school. I proceeded to offer each one of my male friends and teachers some candy by saying "would you like a Blow-Pop, darling?" in a velvety, British rock-star voice. It's not my fault that the candy manufacturers came up with such an unfortunate name for their product! smilies/biggrin.gif
So yes, I would probably love Bored of the Rings.

[ February 14, 2002: Message edited by: Lush ]

[KayQy]

They seem to have revived BotR, I found it recently at a bookstore. Only read to Old Man Willow (or whatever they called it) at the time. My favorite part so far was in the intro (paraphrased here): "We looked at what we had written and realized that it was a clever, insightful, educated satire—completely unsellable...So we scrapped it and wrote this instead." smilies/biggrin.gif

I don't have very many sacred cows
Is that where "don't have a cow" came from? Dang, you learn something new every day.

[Pips]

Well, now I'll have to pick up a copy. I've seen it in the book store, just didn't give it any thought.

[the_master_of_puppets]

my mother told me about that book. But i am a huge tolkien fan and i was worried reading it might offend me. Is it recomended then, and if so any1 know where in the UK u can buy it?

[Starbreeze]

Hey! Master of Puppets, you can but it in all large WH Smiths and in Woolworths I believe.

[Starbreeze]

Oops! That should say "buy"! Oops! smilies/rolleyes.gif

[the_master_of_puppets]

i'll have a look 4 them tomorrow: interesting way to start the hols smilies/smile.gif thanks btw.

[*Varda*]

Yeh, I saw Bored Of The Rings in the shop, but decided to buy UT instead (probably a wiser and more worthwhile choice...) I would like to read Bored Of The Rings, but can't help wondering whether it's worth buying it. Thing is, I'll have to buy it to read it. Ack, decisions, decisions...I'll go to bed now and sleep on it - and wonder how to save up some money.

[Eol]

Personally I like to "haunt" the used bookstores and Half.com if I am looking for anything that is remotely old. That is how I found a hardback with dustcover version of The Atlas of Middle-earth.

As to Bored, well I had learned of it about six years ago when surfing the internet, the book had gone of production. They may have brought it back because of its growing popularity.

I grew up with Mad magazine with my brothers and other related items. I also love a good satire( except doctor strangelove....too much for me.. not my can of beans). Another wonderful satire, but not related topic is Johnathan Swift's "A modest purposal". Definately dated, but still an excellent piece. Both satire will fly right over the heads of the younger audiance, but once you jaded with the world and its crudness and induendos, you will catch most everything.
It would be worth few bucks, but I would not recommend you buy it new if you are not sure that you would like it. And do not be worried if you will be offended or not, because you will, as it is a satire and is suppose to be crude.

[ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: Eol ]

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

I am reading it right now... and though it crosses many lines of "wrongness", I am laughing a lot.
I keep wanting to call Gimli, Gimlet, though.

I love the way that they changed Merry and Pippin around... they crack me up!

[Eol]

it may be crude, but you must go into with the intention of having a good laugh. Maybe I will read it later when I get a dirt cheap deal for it( less then 7 dollars for it).


yes, Eol is cheap, but Eol needs to eat. Eol cannot eat a book, though has tried several times.. smilies/wink.gif smilies/tongue.gif smilies/biggrin.gif

[Tirned Tinnu]

I uh, er...remember when that came out. Everyone was reading it. I did too, of course, and found it outragiously funny. I loved the pics of Tolkien mixed in! (Please excuse me, I'n new here, and very very tired... I work nights and right now my brains are quite addled.) smilies/tongue.gif

[ August 30, 2002: Message edited by: Tirned Tinnu ]

[Ringwraith Number Two]

Indeed, Bored of the Rings is rather juvenile ,and made me laugh out loud. The descriptions of the hobbits at the party particularly had me trying to contain my laughter. I bought it last year, and it has travelled in a little circle of friends. I am anticapting its arrival any time now, as it is currently in France.

[ August 30, 2002: Message edited by: Ringwraith Number Two ]

[maleliel]

I loved "Bored of the Rings"!!! I bought it after I read a bit in a shop and loved it! Yes it's pretty crude but that's what makes it so good! smilies/biggrin.gif It did make me laugh out loud and that's why I like it!

[Starbreeze]

Well, I did buy it, and found it incredibly funny! I recommend it to anyone who likes a good laugh, but is prepared to mock LotR a bit and not take it too seriously. I do know that you can view the whole thing (illegally of course) online, I'll try and find the site.

[LeGoLaSz gUrL]

I never heard of it before. Hmmm since im at the library, maybe i should check it out. I should be studying for my AP Euro test....bad me! lol ^^

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

I can't believe where the author's came up with some of this stuff.
I just got past the part with "Treebeard"... "Ho, ho, ho" that was really funny. At first I wasn't liking it so much, but now I am finding it quite amusing.
It is out of print, I am borrowing it from a friend, but if it's at your library check it out. It's a very quick read - all three books in one book about the size of half of one of the original three.

[Inderjit Sanghera]

I for one loved it. It was funny pretty much the whole way through, though I feel that it was a bit rushed after the breaking of the Fellowship. The song about the Elven maiden of Lorien (A spoof of Nimrodel) who was turned into a river, and Goodgulf Greyteeth’s (Gandalf )character, and Stomper’s (Strider) infatuation with the bulky Eorache (Eowyn) was also funny.

Wasn’t his published in America in the 1960’s? If so then did Tolkien get his hands on a copy and what did he think of it? I can only imagine…..

[the real findorfin]

I love the part where Aragorn (whatever he is called) tries to scare the Nazgul off in Bree, and ends up dropping his sword and making them laugh!

Great!

[Inderjit Sanghera]

Yeah, that was great Whee (Bree) reminded me very, much of those little, isolated American towns.

[Meela]

it was quite good. yeh, i liked the sword bit in bree

[Rynoah, the Overly-Happy]

I've heard a few quips from it but haven't had the interest in buying or borrowing it. I hardly ever like spoofs of any kind and I just don't think I'd want to read it (or have the time). Though I'm sure it'd be fun to borrow it and read a few parts from it to my mother, who is also a big LotR fan.

[Lyta_Underhill]

BOTR is quite awful and wonderful at the same time. For those of you who won't remember the 60's and early 70's, look for Serutan (Saruman). That was a popular laxative back then! And of course Bromosel (Boromir), also a stomach remedy! And I love the way they turned Arrowroot, Son of Arrowshirt (and he has many names.... ;=)) into a complete blunderer! Eorache (Eowyn) was horribly amusing, and the descriptions of the Boggies (Hobbits) were downright nasty! But it was very amusing on a very basic level, thus accessible to most! Not for the easily offended, but great for those who have to completely lose their sense of seriousness for a short span!

Cheers,
Lyta

[Alatáriël Lossëhelin]

I bought BotR a number of years ago, but never managed to get around to reading it. Once I finish The Silm, I'll try to get back to it. If you like parody, I recommend "The Stupid Ring Parody" at stupidring.com. It's quite a bit longer than BotR, but VERY funny. I found the website one afternoon at work and started reading, but my loud outbursts of laughter were drawing too much attention from coworkers, so I finished reading at home.

[Vardamar]

Bored of the Rings is great. Its starts out with Frito the Hobbit and the voluptous Elf maiden.

I dont know if its allowed, but I have it on the computer in PDF format. If you give me your email I can send it to you.
If you like it then you buy it.

[Ophelia]

Oah my giddy aunt that book was grate ! I agree that it is vulgar and really shameless . But so damn funny at the same time .
I tend to think that it is even more better in the original language (that'll be english) but it was a good laugh anyways . smilies/biggrin.gif
And don't take this too sireously for parodies are ment to parodise the real thing .