As a teenager I tried to read this book and The Hobbit, by the same
author, but I just couldn't get into them. However, a year or so
before the movie version of Lord of the Rings came out, I got wind
that Peter Jackson, the director of one of my favourite films at
the time (Heavenly Creatures) was working on a film adaptation of
Lord of the Rings. Being an admirer of his other film work, I knew
I would want to see the film. I also knew that if I saw the film
without first reading the book, my future reading of the book would
be forever coloured by the film adaptation.
So, I did a little research on Tolkien and discovered that there
were three main books that dealt with Middle-Earth and the events
of Lord of the Rings--as well as a whole bunch of books of
previously unpublished writings about Middle-Earth. I found out
that the story really begins in The Silmarillion, a book published
after Lord of the Rings, but containing tales that were the
foundation of Lord of the Rings. Next in chronological order came
The Hobbit, which is a direct prequel to Lord of the Rings.
I decided to begin with The Silmarillion and read all three books
as one great volume. I was absolutely blown away by The
Silmarillion. It fired my imagination in a way that The Hobbit and
Lord of the Rings failed to do when I was a teen. Next I read the
Hobbit. I found the juvenile tone disappointing after the genius of
The Silmarillion, but I pressed on and read Lord of the
Rings.
I definitely enjoyed reading, and recently re-reading, Lord of the
Rings. The story is grand and sweeping, but in many ways lacks
context and history. Without The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, you
really only have half the story. Sauron is a terribly undeveloped
antagonist--unless you have read about his exploits in The
Silmarillion. The differences between the races of Elves, Dwarves,
and Men seem somewhat arbitrary unless you know their origins and
the history of their interactions.
Of the three books, Lord of the Rings is certainly the most
accessible for adults and teens. The story is pretty
straightforward. Destroy the source of the enemy's power before the
enemy destroys you. Of course, the themes run deeper than that, but
the plot is nothing new.
The Silmarillion, on the other hand is a challenging read, but
ultimately very satisfying in its breadth and depth.
I suspect that I will not read Lord of the Rings more than
twice--unless I end up reading it to my daughter. She has already
made me read The Hobbit to her (we are going through it for a
second time--fourth time now for me), so it is inevitable that we
will also read Lord of the Rings together too.
What I am really anticipating is the day she is old enough to
appreciate The Silmarillion!