Why is LOTR the best fantasy novel of our time?

[Lanniae of the Axe]

...Why is Tolkien the best fantasy (and I'd say over-all) author of the century? What makes The Lord of the Rings so unique? Why do we all love all of Tolkien's works SO MUCH?
This isn't a rhetorical question. There has to be an answer.

Why do all other fantasy books SUCK? (IMHO) Why is Middle-earth so captivating? Other authors have invented worlds and languages, how come I don't like them, too? Why does nothing even come close to matching up with Tolkien? Sure, there's the runner-ups, CS Lewis and Le Guin and all them, but, really, when you think "fantasy" you think "LOTR".

WHY?

[Finwe]

Hmmm... I think LotR is the best fantasy series because, it just is! I love the way Tolkien writes. For example, whenever I read the Ring-spell, or a description of the Nazgul, I always get chills down my spine. Tolkien does that to me. I feel things along with the characters, and at times, I feel like I've become one of them. I mistrust Boromir, fall in love with Aragorn, feel sorry for Eowyn, be inspired by Arwen, and accept a gift from Galadriel. I love the way Tolkien does that. No one else can do that to me.

[arianrod]

Tolkien's such a breath-taking story teller, one can't help but be captivated and entranced by his words. The elements of his stories are so fantastic, but so real at the same time. It's difficult to imagine some obscure fantasy creature that has the head of a man and body of a lion, but it's pleasing to think of small people that have excessively hairy feet and live in holes in the ground in their simple, rustic country. The story itself has many threads to it that seem both mythical and genuine, and many people can relate to such a story of the ultimate good vs. the ultimate evil.

In other words, though the presence of an evil Ring existing in our real world is a generally agreed impossibility, so many of us can still relate to the haunting evil that the Ring represents. We can relate to the Ringbearer's draw to and struggle with the Ring; we know how it feels to be suduced by evil paths that we must resist, no matter how strong the pull is. Every individual person faces individual fears and evils, but each person can find the ability to picture his or her evil in a faceless and universal object: a Ring. The story can become a personal experience to everyone while being directed to no one in particular. We can picture ourselves in the shoes of the Ringbearer and his companions, and that allows us to be taken on such a glorious adventure through the words of such a glorious story teller.

[ June 19, 2003: Message edited by: arianrod ]

[Baran]

Lord of the ring is the best fantasybook because without it there would have been no other (at least not like we know them today). Tolkien has had a huge impact on popular culture.
We all love middle-earth because it is a place you can spend time in when you're tired of this world.

[ June 20, 2003: Message edited by: Baran ]

[davem]

For me, its the spirit of Englishness that suffuses it. So much, especially of the early part of the story, reflects the landscapes I grew up in. When I walk in the woods & lanes (too few of them now) I always feel I'm just a tiny step from the Shire, as if just round a corner there is that 'new road or secret gate' & I'll step through & be there.

For me its not the battles, or the epic history, its the peace & quiet of the Shire that draws me. Tolkien makes the ordinary (or not so 'ordinary', because so rare nowadays) countryside mysterious, & full of possibilities. LotR made me see the natural world in a new way, & I'll always be grateful to Tolkien for that.

I was thinking last year, when I stood by Tolkien's grave, suurounded by other members of the Tolkien Society, who had come from all over the world, how amazing it was that the world created by this one man could have such a powerful effect on us all. To stand so close to his last resting place, & realise what this one man had given us was so incredibly moving.

[Aredhel Idril Telcontar]

Tolkien is the father of all modern fantasy. All other writers were inspired by him. What makes the Books so great, in my opinion, is that it *could* have been real. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] It WAS real [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img] . The characters, the places, EVERYTHING!!! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] .
The Books are great because... they just are. [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img] You can really fall in love with everything in them.
And one can become really obsessed. Any questions? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Olorin]

JRRT did just about start the genre. That's a pretty big accomplishment in itself. Everything else is just an attempt at reproduction. Also, Middle Earth is the most real world to me that I have ever read in a fantasy book. It engrosses me and makes me feel like I'm living there while I'm reading. That leads to another point, because it takes me away from the troubles of the "real world." Other books have done this too, but not to such an extent as LotR.

And by the way, I don't think all other fantasy books suck. They just don't compare to LotR. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[peonydeepdelver]

Strange, out of all my friends, I'm the only one that actually enjoyed reading LOTR! They all thought the books were incredibly boring and most didn't even read past FOTR, and we're talking 8th graders who get straight A's, one who gets straight A+'s and reads the REALLY boring historical fiction books! [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] Let's see, only me and one friend who doesn't even live in my state love the books more than the movies. Three of my friends have only seen FOTR, two have read all the books and seen both movies (I hope...) and three or so have only read FOTR and seen the movies. Then there's one boy in my class who's my pal and he's read up to TTT and hates it as much as I do when my friends say the books are boring. Have any of you heard of that fantasy series by David Eddings? The first book, Pawn of Prophecy, is very similar to LOTR in some parts (haven't read it in 4 or so years), and my best friend has read that series like 8 times since we were in 5th grade! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] And he thinks LOTR is boring....

Uh, sorry about my rambling rant, I do that a lot. But on topic, LOTR is the greatest fantasy novel of ALL time because it has EVRYTHING. Humor, suspense, romance, adventure, a certain amount of mystery, and a plot that will never allow you to forget the story.

[Duncariel]

The fact that he is an awesome story teller who mixes all of the elements in perfect fashion to create perfect fantasy is why all my friends and I Love Tolkien.

These books were written a Long time ago, but most of the issues that it deals with are relevant in life today. It involves jealousy, love, pain, suffering, strife, greed and numerous other elements that we find ourselves dealing with today. And when all that pain and suffering weighs you down, there's always Pippin to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

My question would have to be~
Why in the world would you not like Tolkien?

[Gorwingel]

To me his books seemed different than other fantasy novels. They seemed closer and more real, in some of the parts I thought could this actually be real?. Additionally they are filled with many things that people of today can relate with, and lessons that are very important to any generation. The stories are compelling, the charaters are ones that you love from the beginning, it is just simply fantasy writing at its best.

[Lord of Angmar]

I think Tolkein's books our so fantastic and outstanding in the world of literature because his world is crafted with such precision and with so many different dimensions that it feels like you are learning about history. The words seem to come to life and often you want to believe that it was all once real, that Numenor once stood tall and proud in the sea, that the Valar and the Calaquendi really do sit in honor and glory in the undying bliss of Valinor. His books seem to illustrate a past now forever lost, a world of honor and valor where evil and good are clearly defined. It is the many dimensions of his work--the adventure, the friendships, the love, the evil, the valor, the sorrow--that draw me to Tolkien's work and make his world real.

[mordor136]

3 Words:

Scale- The sheer vastness of Middle Earth is captivating.Right down to the geographical features. Sure mountains are mountains and trees are trees but in Middle Earth everything seems so much bigger and better.

Depth- Every time you pull back one layer there is another layer of HISTORY staring right back up at you.

Commitment- Tolkien spent most of his life trying to bring his vision to life. Only with that level of commitment could you create a work of fantasy as grand and magnificent as lotr. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[QuickSlash]

Hmm. I'm going to draw on a post that I read by Child of the 7th Age once, but I have no idea where it was.

She'd said that one big reason that The Lord of the Rings series got so big was that it came at the *perfect* time. People were starving for fantasy right then, and paperback books had just become commonplace. tLotR was able to come in and fill a large niche in the world.

But, of course, not anything could've done that. It had to be something huge, it had to be something powerful. And that is what Tolkien's works are. They have everything a book needs, and they cover the bases well. They're books that will stand the test of time because you can always relate to them. You can always relate to temptation, you can always relate to some supposedly too-great evil. You can easily get caught up in the plight of Middle Earth. The only trouble is remembering that it's just a book. ~_^

[Aredhel Idril Telcontar]

Tolkien didn't just write a fantasy book. He created a fantasy world and a whole shiny new mythology for the world.
All the characters in the books are EXTREMELY well written, extremely well formed and REAL.
Tolkien gave a whole new face to Elves, Dwarves and even Humans.
Pretty much everyone can relate to Frodo's struggle at some point in their lives, but I guess that was discussed in previous threads.
Anyway, has anyone managed to create a world and make it seem real? Or dedicated their life to polish up every detail?
I've read many very good fantasy books, but no author has yet managed to even try to try to compete with Tolkien.
At least that's what I think.
All the people I know who have read the books think them excellent, and all those who have only seen the movie think it's just like any other.
To sum it all up, I'd say Tolkien's Books are great because he has managed to alter ones perception of reality and especially our past history.
Or at least he managed to alter mine [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

[peonydeepdelver]

Wow, you're all sooooo lucky to know a lot of people that love LOTR. As I said in my earlier post here, only two of my friends LOVE the book more than the movie, and my 18 million other friends that have read the books think they're basically the crappiest thing to hit this planet. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img] Oh well, at least I'll always have the Downs.

[Lanniae of the Axe]

Peonydeepdelver - don't feel bad, I know a bunch of people who don't like the books either. I think they're all uncultured pigs, really, that are just too wussy or too stupid to read and comprehend LOTR. Yeah, too bad for them, pray for 'em, that's all you can do.

I mostly brought this up so that I could help myself cope with all the Harry Potter hype. I'm trying to tell everyone LOTR could beat HP with its hands tied behind its back, and telling them JUST WHERE Rowling got her stuff, but no one listens. I just wanted to make sure there are other people out there who agree with me.

I dunno, I'm a purist I guess. Any other fantasy novel is either crap because it tries to be like LOTR and isn't, or it IS too much like LOTR and then I accuse them of plagerism. So the poor fantasy writers get no sympathy from me. At all. It's LOTR all the way, baby! Everything else is blasphemy!

At least, that's how I see it.

And thanks guys, for all your deep input! YOu guys are putting words to all the feelings I have about LOTR. I can't really describe how it... its closer, and yet more vague. I think Tolkien was just setting us up. I like his vagueness sometimes. I mean, he'll go and describe a countryside with accurate precision as if you're THERE, and then he'll fall to describing the people and their interaction more as a distant history. They almost aren't as vivid. It's like gives you a taste and just when you're yearning for more he fades back. Does anyone even know what I'm saying?

Cuz see that's what some people can't stand. The "uncultured pigs" who can't sit through LOTR, I mean. They have to be TOLD exactly what's going on. They have ID. Imagination Disorder. It's a terrible handicap. The only fantasy novels you can enjoy, if you have ID, are the ones with the graphic illustrations on the front featuring scantily clad women and men gloriously brandishing their blood-drenched swords. The ones that are way too physically stimulating. Almost as bad as watching a movie, they tell so much. People with ID wouldn't give the original Red Book of Westmarch a second look if it was thrown in their face by a hobbit!

--Lanniae the Axe

[Samwise Gamgee]

Well, tolkien, along with his friend Lewis was really the first person to write a real fantasy book. I think that is mainly because all previous fantasy was mythology, but of course his stuff was written too recently to be classed as mythology. Also he worked so hard - no one has ever put that much work into creating a world as far as I know (and he created SAM :-)

[Gwaihir the Windlord]

Other fantasy writers do create new worlds, but they are not done to the extent of Tolkien's. His was a lifelong work, creating not just a fantasy but a mythology -- modern, but still a mythology. And probably the greatest and most widely-encompassing mythology ever written in the world's history. It's just massive; but of course we're all familiar with it.
So just setting LoTR in his created world made it great.

[Idunn]

I think that the source of endurance and popularity of LOTR lies in the fact that this book is a classic example of a masterpiece. I mean, it is on a high artistic level. Its language is various and sophisticated and it's well-thought. It's clearly visible, that the author was thoroughly prepared to be able to write the book. Take into account his great knowledge of former believes and myths, from which he drew inspiration and got background for his characters, like the dwarfs or the elves. But what is most important, Tolkien had something to say to us. He didn't create the whole world just for creating the whole world's sake. There is a deeper sense that speaks to the readers from each and every page of his novel...And which is universal and worth adapting regardless of readers' age, place of living, and so on.

Some of you wrote about the detailed description of the world in LOTR. I personally think that, although it's an extremely rich vision, it's not so complete and polished up to every detail. For instance, we don't get much information about everyday life, or how did the heroes manage to get food...In this matter F. Herbert's Dune is more precise, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, LOTR is the best.
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