In book 5, the members of the fellowship become increasingly embedded in the world of men, as they fight against evil alongside two kingdoms: Gondor and Rohan. The Return of the King is the 5th and 6th book of The Lord of the Rings epic and its final instalment. The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings Part Three) by J R R Tolkien JRR Tolkien was very emphatic that his books were in no way an allegory for anything, but he did live through both World War I (in which many of his friends died) and II and the idea of duty and sacrifice for a cause is strong. It’s about doing what you least want to do because you must. Men, trees and orcs (goblins) feature in a fight, which even if you’re not generally big on battle scenes is gripping.īook 4, by contrast, follows only Frodo, ‘the ringbearer’, and his friend Sam on their lonely journey to Mordor, the home of the enemy but also the only place where the ring of power can be destroyed. Book 3 follows the fate of most of the members of the fellowship, and is largely about the coming together of forces to do battle against Saruman, a wizard gone bad. For that, it’s worth exploring online, where you can find resources like this one. Maps (drawn by Christopher Tolkien, JRR Tolkien’s son and literary executor) are included in the book but don’t trace the characters’ routes. At this point in the story, it may be useful to have a map to hand, as the geography, while beautifully described, can be hard to follow. The Two Towers includes books 3 and 4 of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings epic, opening just after the fellowship of the ring splits up. The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings Part Two) by J R R Tolkien Tolkien is able to make the agents of evil in The Fellowship of the Ring truly terrifying. The book’s appeal lies in its brilliant evocation of being on the run from danger and the meaning of fear, as well as the power of camaraderie and the challenge of distinguishing friend from foe, and those you can trust from those you can’t. In book 2, the company escorting the ring expands to nine, who call themselves the ‘Fellowship of the Ring.’ The fellowship represents ‘the Free Peoples of the World’ and includes not only hobbits but also elves, dwarves and men, as well as the magician, Gandalf. He takes flight just in time, in the company of three hobbit friends. The power of the ring Bilbo picked up in The Hobbit is gradually revealed and it becomes clear that Frodo too must leave home to keep both himself and the world safe. More surprisingly, Bilbo is about to turn 111 without, apparently, having aged at all. As book 1 opens, we learn that Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit, has remained a bachelor, but adopted a distant cousin, Frodo Baggins, as his heir.

The Fellowship of the Ring, published in 1954, comprises books 1 and 2 of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien’s thousand-page plus fantasy novel. The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings Part One) by J R R Tolkien Foreign Policy & International Relations.

Hobbit and lord of the rings books