For devoted Tolkien fans...

The Hobbit movies are indeed  in the early stages of pre poduction.

I am a big Tolkien fan, and have also published a few articles about his work, as well as edited and partly translated the Italian edition of three of the most important scholarly books on him. That said, my favourite work of his is The Lord of the Rings, a real treasure trove of everything that is good about literature - in spite of all the venom so many 'ivory tower' critics have spewed on it since its first publication. The Hobbit would be my choice as a runner-up: it may be 'only' children's literature, but it is a masterpiece in its own right.

Lord of the Rings truly the first of the modern adult fantasy epics. He really did inspire so many to delve farther into the genre most thought to be only kids stories and use our imaginations more. I read it for the first time in the early 70's in high school. Hmm great music, Tolkien and what was that funny green plant?

For the past five years I have been almost constantly in the middle of a Tolkien book because I have a bad habit of reading multiple books at a time and sometimes forget/ don't feel like finishing one of them, it's almost as annoying as my habit of not using bookmarks and trying to remember what page I am on. 

I absolutely love Tolkien, I like tLotR more than the Silmarillion, maybe a reread would change that though. I was amazed by some of the stories in the Silmarillion, they are some of the best I have ever read, but I like tLotR partially for the larger volume of the story, it allows more to unfold. I love The Hobbit too, but the different writing style is harder for me to get into at first.

I like the original animated The Hobbit movie, if only for the nostalgia.

THE CHILDREN OF HURIN

The first Tolkien book I was old enough to properly understand, and indeed, one of the best I've ever read.

Lord of the Rings clearly is his crowning achievement. Nevertheless every serious Tolkien fan should read the Silmarillion, too. IMO it's a fascinating idea about how the world might have been created. It's even likened to composing music, with Morgoth (originally called Melkor) representing chaos and dissonance (which today would most likely be Extreme Metal).

Edited by Mr ProgFreak - June 10 2009 at 04:42

I am glad a few people actually voted for the Silmarillion - to make a movie out of this will be the ultimate achievement, much harder than LOTR...

My recommendation for Tolkien newbies:

1. The Hobbit (easiest to read)
2. Lord of the Rings
3. The Silmarillion (explains how the world was created and tells what happened before LotR)

Vote for the Sillmarilion it's an amzaing story and the Noldor's elves story are fascinanting.

Negoba wrote: My family is so enmeshed in the Tolkien world that its mythology is our mythology. My father has read the books so many times it borders on obsession. The professor that spoke at my brother's graduation here in Saint Louis was a big Tolkien scholar. The work he's done simply will never be matched because the kind of scholarship he had in languages and mythology is rare enough, but to combine that with the obsession in a fantasy world....It just won't happen.   I personally can't separate the parts of the world and say "this is better" or "that is better" though clearly the LOTR was the most finished piece of work for adults. The Silmarillion is already a collection of lore, and other works are even more patchwork, though some of the stories still are great.   Anybody up for a round of "Where there's a whip there's a way" over a pint or two?

You mean Tom Shippey, I suppose? I edited the Italian translation of his book The Road to Middle-earth, and had the opportunity to meet him in person in 2005, at the Birmingham convention organised on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of LotR.

Edit: Alberto, Ungoliant is a she...


Edited by Raff - June 12 2009 at 12:45