Rings well with Bilbo’s discovery of the ring of power (Kocher 11). Tolkien had trouble publishing this book at first, but obviously it later became a great success. Tolkien’s next and most famous book, The Lord of the Rings, begins with the discovery of the great ring of power. It begins with the passing of the ring from Bilbo to Frodo Baggins. This book is undeniably Tolkien’s best work. His other books can be seen as support and basis for this novel.
For this book he received thousands of flattering letters, The Order of the British Empire (one level below knighthood), and recently a multi million-dollar movie trilogy based on his writings. Many critics believe the character Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings is symbolic of Tolkien and his war experience. Both seem to have been aimlessly caught up in a bad situation, which came to them without any warning. Frodo’s adventures follow Tolkien’s life pretty closely. Similar instances include wounds and camaraderie (Sale 27). This work is the classic example of a fairly unimportant and rarely recognized member of society who shapes the lives and fortunes of every character on Middle Earth.
The Lord of the Rings was originally one book. When Tolkien was trying to get this book published, his publisher Raynor Unwin decided to split the book into three parts: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King (Belz 27). Tolkien really didn’t like this idea but went along with it. The first of the three, The Fellowship of the Ring, tell of the ring coming to Frodo Baggins and the fellowship of men, dwarfs, elves, and wizards who will share the task of destroying the great ring. The second, The Two Towers, tells of the hardships of the journey and the classic heroic battles between good and evil.
The final book in the series, The Return of the King, consists of the destroying of the great ring and the defeat of the evil forces of Middle Earth. This book in particular is filled with many dramatic ironies that are foreshadowed in the previous books. The Lord of the Rings is by far Tolkien’s most popular work. It is commonly agreed that if Tolkien had lived longer he would have been knighted. Due to Tolkien’s dislike of publicity, it was said that it was harder to get an interview with him that the British Prime Minister (Belz 27).
His last and least well-known work is The Silmarillion. This book basically tells the stories and history of Middle Earth. This book explains well how each race came about and depicts the setting for his other books. These books also contribute to the ironies of the previous books, and how more powerful forces control the characters. Although Tolkien does not call them gods, the controlling forces basically fit the name’s requirements. This book is an essential to any of Tolkien’s serious readers. Even though Tolkien started this book as a young lad, he died before completing it. The book was finished and promoted by his son Christopher and has sold over a million copies. In conclusion, Tolkien’s works raised the bar for the modern fantasy field. His books will be hard for any upcoming writer in this field to match.
