The Two Towers

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Tolkien, J.R.R. (1954, 1965). The two towers (57^th printing). New York: Ballantine Books. 

Plot

As we rejoin the inhabitants of Middle Earth in Tolkien’s second book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Fellowship of the Ring is in disarray. Boromir has fallen defending the Halflings, Sam and Frodo have departed on their own for Mordor, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas are pursuing the orcs who have kidnapped Merry and Pippin. Sam and Frodo encounter the unsavory creature, Gollum, on their journey east. He is obsessed with the ring, but Frodo gains his trust and uses him as his guide through Mordor. The others are reunited as Pippin and Merry’s captors are vanquished by the Riders of Rohan, the Rohirrim. Gandalf returns from darkness as Gandalf the white wizard. He casts out the evil spirit inhabiting the King of Rohan, Theoden. The people of Rohan, including the King’s niece and nephew Eowyn and Eomer, join with Gandalf and Aragorn to defeat the minions of the powerful wizard Saruman, who is in league with Sauron. Sam and Frodo encounter Faramir, the brother of Boromir and a Captain of Gondor. He is wise and allows them to continue on their journey to Mordor. But Frodo is betrayed by Gollum and led into Shelob’s Lair. Shelob is a giant spider who bites and paralyzes Frodo. Sam, thinking Frodo dead, takes the ring. But once he realizes Frodo is still alive, he follows the orcs who are carrying him deeper into the bowels Mordor as the book ends.

Critical Evaluation

The Two Towers introduces compelling new characters to the story. We meet the valiant people of Rohan, including the beautiful and brave, yet emotionally tormented Eowyn, her brother Eomer and their uncle, the King, Theoden, who has been poisoned by the evil whisperings of his advisor, Wormtongue. We meet Faramir, brother of Boromir, Captain of Gondor who is noble and wise, but not favored by his father. We meet Treebeard, leader of the Ents. The Two Towers draws the battle lines into clear focus. As Frodo creeps closer to Mount Doom, armies must make decisions on how they may best help destroy Sauron. The descriptive language in The Two Towers, particularly in the chapter The Window on the West is some of the best in the trilogy.

Readers Annotations

One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie. Follow Frodo’s terror-ridden journey through the hills of Emyn Muil and the Dead Marshes to Mordor where he must make his way to the fires of Mount Doom and cast the One Ring inside. Meet the brave and beautiful people of Rohan, who come to the aide of Gandalf and Aragorn. Lose yourself in the world of sword and sorcery conjured up by the master story-teller of this genre. The story told in The Two Towers was butchered in the movie. Rediscover Tolkien’s original story!

About the Author

Born in 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1925 to 1945 at Pembroke College, Oxford. From 1945 until his retirement in 1945 he was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. His chief interest was in the literary and linguistic tradition of the English West Midlands, especially in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He is best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy which he completed in 1955. The trilogy began with the book the Hobbit. The Hobbit’s genesis was from a doodle Tolkien made on a margin while grading papers one summer: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Many have seen parallels to the tumultuous times of Tolkien’s life (2 World Wars) in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien denied that his story was allegory. He claimed to have no control over the story. He described creativity as popping up through a river that runs over your head and allowing the flow to stream through you. Tolkien drew deeply on his knowledge of ancient mythology to flesh out his characters and plot. He died in 1973 as an icon in the fantasy genre

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts and Mythology

Booktalk Ideas: You’ve played the video game. You’ve seen the movie. Neither can compare to the book.

Reading Level: 8+
Interest Level: 8+
Challenge Issues: None

The Two Towers is included because it is one of the greatest books of this genre.

The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
Book 1 in the trilogy: The Lord of the Rings
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1965). The fellowship of the ring (61st ed.). New York: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345253434

Plot
The Dark Lord, Sauron, who long ago had created The One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power and gain control of Middle Earth, is searching for the long, lost ring. It is in the possession of an unassuming Hobbit named Frodo Baggins. Hobbits are gentle, small people who dwell in a peaceful land called the Shire. Frodo is tasked by the wizard Gandalf to carry the ring to Elrond Half-elven in Rivendell. There are gathered representatives from all of Middle Earth to decide the fate of the ring. Frodo volunteers to carry it deep into Mordor, the dwelling of the evil wraith Sauron, and throw it into the fires of Mount Doom (the only place it can be destroyed). Eight representatives from the various races of Middle Earth are chosen to accompany him: two men, an elf, a dwarf, Gandalf and three Hobbits who accompanied him from the Shire. This is the Fellowship of the Ring. They are chased by horrifying minions of the Dark Lord called Ringwraiths. They battle evil creatures called orcs in the Mines of Moria where Gandalf sacrifices himself to save the others. They visit Lothlorien, the realm of the powerful elf queen Galadriel. She gives them gifts to aid them on their journey. She gives them boats to travel down the River Anduin. Boromir, the heir to the Steward of city of men, Gondor, succumbs to the power of the ring and tries to take it from Frodo. Frodo realizes that the lure of the ring is too powerful to risk being around others. He sets off on his own towards Mordor, accompanied only by his friend, the Hobbit Sam. Orcs attack the remainder of the Fellowship. Boromir tries to defend the two remaining Hobbits, Merry and Pippin. But they are kidnapped by the orcs.

Critical Evaluation
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in the epic trilogy The Lord of the Rings. It is beautifully written with some of the best examples of descriptive language ever produced in English Literature. It has been borrowed from and imitated often, but never bettered. From the humble huts of the Shire to the glorious beauty of Rivendell to the dark horror of the Mines of Moria to the mysterious woods of Lothlorien and their powerful mistress, Galadriel, the Fellowship of the Ring describes a fantastical world in exquisite detail. The characters are heroic and flawed. The Lord of the Rings is arguably the greatest work of fiction ever written in the fantasy genre. The Fellowship of the Ring sets the foundation for the story. Young adult readers need to possess a high reading level to truly appreciate it. But it would behoove any tween possessing such skills to read the written word of this trilogy. The movie version was quite an accomplishment, but Tolkien needs to be read to be appreciated. No movie can do his words justice.

Readers Annotation
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie. Let yourself escape into the marvelous world of Middle Earth. Meet small, but brave, Hobbits, powerful wizards, beautiful and mysterious elves, strong, yet flawed, men. Join them in their epic battle against the Dark Lord and his evil minions the Ringwraiths and the orcs as they struggle for possession of the Ring of Power.

About the Author
Born in 1892, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1925 to 1945 at Pembroke College, Oxford. From 1945 until his retirement in 1945 he was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature. His chief interest was in the literary and linguistic tradition of the English West Midlands, especially in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He is best known for The Lord of the Rings trilogy which he completed in 1955. The trilogy began with the book The Hobbit. The Hobbit’s genesis was from a doodle Tolkien made on a margin while grading papers one summer: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” Many have seen parallels to the tumultuous times of Tolkien’s life (2 World Wars) in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien denied that his story was allegory. He claimed to have no control over the story. He described creativity as popping up through a river that runs over your head and allowing the stream to flow through you. Tolkien drew deeply on his knowledge of ancient mythology to flesh out his characters and plot. He died in 1973 as an icon in the fantasy genre.

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Mythology
Booktalk Ideas: You’ve liked the movie? Now read the book. It’s infinitely better than the movie.
Reading Level: Grade 8+
Interest Level: 8+
Challenge Issues: None

This is included because it is the best work of the genre.