LOTR opinion
5 stars
favorite novel of all time. better than any other fantasy world imo. Tolkein is a mastermind.
Being the first part of The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings (1)
Paperback, 531 pages
English language
Published July 27, 1991 by HarperCollins.
The first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure THE LORD OF THE RINGS
In a sleepy village in the Shire, a young hobbit is entrusted with an immense task. He must make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ruling Ring of Power - the only thing that prevents the Dark Lord's evil dominion.
Thus begins J.R.R. Tolkien's classic tale, which continues in The Two Towers and The Return of the King. --back cover
favorite novel of all time. better than any other fantasy world imo. Tolkein is a mastermind.
In 1980 Heinlein published a novel called The Number of the Beast. It involved parallel universes, The World as Fiction, and dragged in Lazarus Long, as Heinlein seemed to do in most of his later books. While parts of it were fun, it was also confusing and disjointed in my opinion. I will read any Heinlein for the writing alone, so I am a fan (in fact, I was for a time the webmaster for The Heinlein Society), but I can see that some of his stuff is better than others. So when I heard there was an alternate version of this novel, I had to check it out. And The Pursuit of the Pankera keeps the same basic setting and has the same beginning as The Number of the Beast, but I think it is much better. The plot is a lot more cohesive and the novel just flows …
In 1980 Heinlein published a novel called The Number of the Beast. It involved parallel universes, The World as Fiction, and dragged in Lazarus Long, as Heinlein seemed to do in most of his later books. While parts of it were fun, it was also confusing and disjointed in my opinion. I will read any Heinlein for the writing alone, so I am a fan (in fact, I was for a time the webmaster for The Heinlein Society), but I can see that some of his stuff is better than others. So when I heard there was an alternate version of this novel, I had to check it out. And The Pursuit of the Pankera keeps the same basic setting and has the same beginning as The Number of the Beast, but I think it is much better. The plot is a lot more cohesive and the novel just flows in way the previous didn't. This is the one I will reread in the future. And as a huge fan of the Lensman universe the part of the book that goes there was quite a treat. For those who don't know, the idea of The World as Fiction is that fictional worlds are real in other universes, so the characters here visit Barsoom, Oz, and the Lensman universe. Tons of fun.
I read this as part of my son's bed-time story. There are a lot of dark points in the book but so much about people continuing to try and do their best, even when all hope is lost. It's a great lesson for any child and it's the reason the Lord of the Rings remains one of my favorites.