Though it's not a "Lord of the Rings" book per se, the
Silmarillion definitely gets my vote for best book by j.r.r. Tolkien set (mostly) in Middle-earth. The history
of the Elder Days and the First and Second ages is simply far more interesting than the history of the Third Age, and
it's one populated with so many great heroes, antiheroes, and villains, with epic battles that make the siege of
Helm's Deep, the Battle of the Pelennor, and the Battle at the Morannon look like walks in the park.
Of the three films, Extended Fellowship was the best because it was good by itself, introduced the characters
excellently, gave us a breathtaking glimpse into the lands of Middle-earth. The other two films just took too many
liberties, some of which simply cannot be justified or excused. The most obvious: elves at Helm's Deep. Not
possible. The Galadhrim, perhaps the most isolationist of the peoples of Middle-earth, would never again march off to
war to defend humans, especially when their numbers were in such decline and the power of Dol Guldur was on the
rise.
There are plenty of terrible scenes in Return of the King as well. For one, the Dead were cheesy, and they never showed
up at Minas Tirith. They helped secure the harbor at Pelargir, down the river, and from there Aragorn rode up to Minas
Tirith with reinforcements from the South, his Dunedain buddies, and Elrohir and Elladan, the two sons of
Elrond.
And. . . there's no Scouring of the Shire. *sob*. And, Peter Jackson has Celeborn sailing west, and doesn't
give Cirdan a beard. What a hack.
s h i n s e n g u m i
Minitokyo Policy, Forum, Review, and Category Maintenance Moderator Emeritus
Do not expect to be applauded when you do the right thing, and do not expect to be
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