The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring - J. R. R. Tolkien

 It opens like a whisper. And grows into Legend.

    This book is special to me; the name of this blog has clear influences and inspirations. The Shire Shelf is not just a name I came up with—it needed to be a good part of who I am as a reader, and the Shire, just like this book, was my starting point. “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit,” as once was said.

    Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings not as a standalone adventure, but as one piece of one magnificent world, Middle-earth, and The Fellowship of the Ring is, for me, the most important book in this aspect. Just like in his previous adventure, we start humbly in the Shire amongst the Hobbits, but it slowly grows—first through the intrigue as the One Ring is presented, then as the adventure truly begins and the world expands far from the Shire’s humble borders: to Rivendell’s elvish architecture, amongst the peaks of the Misty Mountains, far under the mountains in Khazad-Dûm, the natural majesty and mystery of Lothlórien, and ultimately resolving in the Fields of Parth Galen as the Fellowship meets its destiny.

    The story intertwines with the lore and vice versa; we get to know a lot about who the characters are, who the enemy is, and how this world is built. This beginning is not about grandeur; it’s about setting up the pieces, bringing you into the fold, and understanding the importance of the quest—not just for the world, but for its protagonists. Knowing that this cast is extensive and that there are many threads to follow, the ramp-up of this group, or Fellowship, is the most important part in preparing for what’s to come in the following books. Every character is presented when needed and evolves the story in their own way, and we mustn’t forget that the true enemy and evil of this story goes along for the ride—the One Ring is as much a character as Aragorn or Frodo.

    A few characters stood out to me in this first part: Samwise, Boromir, and Aragorn. Sam starts this adventure very reluctantly, dragged into it purely by his unwanted curiosity. In this book, he still isn’t what he shows himself to be towards the latter part of the quest, but all the signs are there: he is the most loyal of all friends and goes the extra mile for those he loves—the smallest are not always the weakest! Boromir, for me, is one of the best characters in the whole trilogy; his influence reaches all throughout the three books, although his fate is decided long before the other two. He is the main influence through which the One Ring acts in this book; his weak will and very strong desire for power make him one of the most conflicted characters. Ultimately, Boromir is a stalwart of all that is good, and by the end he is redeemed as he tries to save his friends, but he is also the breaking point of this Fellowship. Aragorn stands as a very strong-willed character who balances humbleness and strength very well; having accepted his lineage and the power that comes with it, he strives to be King while protecting all those around him and putting them first.

    These three, for me, are examples of why this cast is so good: they all show their strengths, although they may fail, and are always striving to be the best they can against all odds in this unforgiving world.

    As to be expected, my overall Rating for this book is the ultimate 10/10, and with enourmous recomendation from me. The book features some older english that can be harder to read, but it still reads very fine and easily, other than that, go forth into the Middle-Earth and forge the path of the Fellowship, which to me, is the best Fantasy World and Quest to ever be written.