[akhtene]

I’m afraid that what can really drive some people mad is the book’s richness in detail and historical background. It describes a whole new world, of which the first-time reader has absolutely no idea. That can be very irritating and frustrating. I don’t feel that LotR can be just easy reading for fun. You can be carried away with the plot, but full understanding and appreciation takes some (quite a lot at times) brain-work, which some people are just not used to. It’s a real challenge to one’s intelligence.