Reviewed by Ambrea
With
the dissolution of the Fellowship, Frodo and Sam have struck out on their own
for the gates of Mordor, while Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn go on a frantic
search for Merry and Pippin as they are taken farther and farther away in the
clutches of Saruman’s orcs. Great
battles and great hardships will ensure as the remaining members of the
Fellowship are pushed to their limits in their desperate fight to hold off both
the foes of Orthanc and Barad-Dur. And
Sam Gamgee, loyal and courageous companion to Frodo, will face the most
difficult decision of his life as they draw closer to the dark, arid lands of
the Dark Lord.
Like
The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien
crafts an intricate story with beautiful scenery and amazing characters, who
will steal your heart and last forever in your memory. (I’m talking about Treebeard and Eowyn
here. Although I love Sam to death and I
still have a lingering crush on Aragorn, I adore Treebeard and, as always, I
love a good, strong female character—and Eowyn does not disappoint.)
In
The Two Towers, Tolkien further
develops his characters and expands upon their relationships, creating
intricate webs of connections that stretch across the entirety of
Middle-earth. Gimli and Legolas, despite
the ancient animosity exist between their races, have become close friends;
Aragorn has ventured closer to embracing his destiny; while Merry and Pippin
have begun growing into warriors in their own right, finding ways to survive
even when the odds are stacked against them.
It’s
interesting to see how these characters I’ve loved have changed and, more
importantly, to see how their paths change with the introduction of new
characters, like Eowyn or Treebeard or Faramir or, most importantly,
Gollum. (Gollum, also known as Smeagol,
is one of those interesting characters that sticks out in a reader’s mind. I’ve often wondered where Tolkien received
inspiration for him; I mean, he’s such an odd character that I’ve never noticed
his like anywhere else in literature.
He’s also unexpectedly important to the climax of the trilogy—just keep
that in mind!)
The
pace of The Two Towers is another
aspect that has changed. Readers can
feel the greater urgency as they read the story—conflict in Rohan is brewing on
the horizon, Saruman is stretching his arm wide in a grab for power, and Frodo
and Sam are drawing ever closer to Mordor and the destruction of the Ring…or
themselves. The tension of the story is
palpable and, worse, it leaves you with an awful cliffhanger. I immediately had to continue with the third
novel, Return of the King, because I
simply couldn’t rest easy with the fates of Frodo and Sam and, well, everyone
else hanging in the balance.
Yes,
I have read the books. (Three times, to
be precise.) But that’s exactly what
makes Tolkien’s books so wonderful to read:
even when you know what will happen in the next few chapters, you still
want to keep up with the story—it’s just too good to put aside.
I
will note that the formatting in this novel does drive me a bit batty. Once the Fellowship is shattered, the story
splits into two parts: the journey of
Sam and Frodo as they continue their journey to Mordor, and then everyone
else. Tolkien doesn’t take pity on his
readers and alternate his chapters; instead, he starkly divides them. Throughout the first half of the novel, I was
constantly wondering what happened to Frodo and Sam—did they make it through
Emin Muil? Were they really going to
cross the Dead Marshes?—but, once I left the sundered remains of the Fellowship
behind, I couldn’t help wondering what was happening—was Pippin going to be
okay? What exactly is a palantÃr, and
why is it so dangerous? And was Aragorn
ever going to make it to Gondor?
To
say the least, I was frustrated.
Luckily, The Return of the King is
a little more forgiving and keeps you apprised of all the adventures at once,
bringing the threads of the narrative together in an amazing climax. But that’s for the next review.
Note: In honor of National Library Week and the return of "Game of Thrones," we will be running Ambrea's reviews of Tolkien's trilogy plus a nonfiction book about Middle Earth this week, along with the Nevermore report. Tomorrow's post will be the Nevermore report; Ambrea's review of The Return of the King will run on Thursday.
Note: In honor of National Library Week and the return of "Game of Thrones," we will be running Ambrea's reviews of Tolkien's trilogy plus a nonfiction book about Middle Earth this week, along with the Nevermore report. Tomorrow's post will be the Nevermore report; Ambrea's review of The Return of the King will run on Thursday.
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