Serendipitously I happen to be reading the two towers for the first time and discovered your channel right when I finished this chapter. I’m really enjoying hearing your thoughts! I’m not much of an epic fantasy reader so these have been my favorite chapters other than the intro to Treebeard, which I dearly loved. There’s something about the psycho-drama of Smeagol that’s really riveting! I hope you keep up the read-along. Cheers!
Your comments about the narrator at some point in the far future reminded me of how I felt about the final chapter of The Handmaid's Tale. It completely removed all the tension that the climactic escape scene had built and made me wish it had just ended on a cliff-hanger.
During my last re-read of the trilogy I always resented the sam & frodo parts, I wanted the epic parts of Aragon & Gandalf,the madness of lord Denethor, the epic language and descriptions of people & places, I couldn't get enough of it all & still can't.. The last thing I wanted was Sam going on and on & frodo moaning.. I do wonder how much that has to do with my negative feelings towards the fellowship of the ring?.. I shall find out once I start with the two towers.. So enjoying these videos & really hope we get a follow up with the return of the king..
I wonder what it would have been like if the split narrative of the Two Towers was switched, so you get all of the hobbit travels first and then the narrative goes epic with Gandalf and and the battle at Helm's Deep. Maybe you'd have seen the beauty a lot sooner?
Quite comfortably the pre-eminent fantasy novel(s) still. I don't think any modern fantasy writers have come close to matching the beautiful prose of Tolkien or creating a convincing world with such a vast scope.
Serendipitously I happen to be reading the two towers for the first time and discovered your channel right when I finished this chapter. I’m really enjoying hearing your thoughts!
I’m not much of an epic fantasy reader so these have been my favorite chapters other than the intro to Treebeard, which I dearly loved. There’s something about the psycho-drama of Smeagol that’s really riveting!
I hope you keep up the read-along. Cheers!
So glad you’re starting to love the Hobbit chapters.
-T
Your comments about the narrator at some point in the far future reminded me of how I felt about the final chapter of The Handmaid's Tale. It completely removed all the tension that the climactic escape scene had built and made me wish it had just ended on a cliff-hanger.
During my last re-read of the trilogy I always resented the sam & frodo parts, I wanted the epic parts of Aragon & Gandalf,the madness of lord Denethor, the epic language and descriptions of people & places, I couldn't get enough of it all & still can't..
The last thing I wanted was Sam going on and on & frodo moaning..
I do wonder how much that has to do with my negative feelings towards the fellowship of the ring?..
I shall find out once I start with the two towers..
So enjoying these videos & really hope we get a follow up with the return of the king..
I wonder what it would have been like if the split narrative of the Two Towers was switched, so you get all of the hobbit travels first and then the narrative goes epic with Gandalf and and the battle at Helm's Deep. Maybe you'd have seen the beauty a lot sooner?
Quite comfortably the pre-eminent fantasy novel(s) still. I don't think any modern fantasy writers have come close to matching the beautiful prose of Tolkien or creating a convincing world with such a vast scope.
I can only think of a handful who've created more convincing worlds, and none at all who come close to the prose -