num_pages: 1077
description: A Christian can almost be forgiven for not reading the Bible, but there's no salvation for a fantasy fan who hasn't read the gospel of the genre, J. R. R. Tolkien's definitive three-book epic, the Lord of the Rings (encompassing The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King), and its charming precursor, The Hobbit. That many (if not most) fantasy works are in some way derivative of Tolkien is understood, but the influence of the Lord of the Rings is so universal that everybody from George Lucas to Led Zeppelin has appropriated it for one purpose or another. Not just revolutionary because it was groundbreaking, the Lord of the Rings is timeless because it's the product of a truly top-shelf mind. Tolkien was a distinguished linguist and Oxford scholar of dead languages, with strong ideas about the importance of myth and story and a deep appreciation of nature. His epic, 10 years in the making, recounts the Great War of the Ring and the closing of Middle-Earth's Third Age, a time when magic begins to fade from the world and men rise to dominance. Tolkien carefully details this transition with tremendous skill and love, creating in the Lord of the Rings a universal and all-embracing tale, a justly celebrated classic. --Paul Hughes
language: English
title: The Lord of the Rings
titlecomplete: The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)
characters: Éowyn, Arwen Undómiel, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Saruman, Elrond Half-elven, Galadriel, Gollum, Treebeard, Boromir, Aragorn, Frodo Baggins, Éomer, Faramir, Legolas, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Peregrin Took, Sam Gamgee, Gimli
genres: Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Classics, Epic Fantasy, Literature, Novels, Fantasy
ratings_count: 657341
places: Middle-earth
series: The Lord of the Rings
awards: awardedAt: -126201600000
name: Hugo Award
category: Best All-Time Series, awardedAt: 1230796800000
name: Prometheus Hall of Fame Award, awardedAt: -410198400000
name: International Fantasy Award
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: Books I Loved Best Yearly (BILBY) Awards
category: Older Readers, awardedAt: 63100800000
name: Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
category: Roman, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Nynorsk litteraturpris
publisher: George Allen & Unwin