What would you criticize or change about LotR, The Hobbit, or Silmarillion?

[Bick]

Sauron was a maiar who first served the smithing God, Aule, who made the dwarves, and at this time in Valinor his name was Mairon, meaning admirable. It was only after he joined up with Melkor that he became known as Sauron, or Gorthaur (by the Sindar elves).

 

[BAYLOR]

Sauron was a maiar who first served the smithing God, Aule, who made the dwarves, and at this time in Valinor his name was Mairon, meaning admirable. It was only after he joined up with Melkor that he became known as Sauron, or Gorthaur (by the Sindar elves).

He backed the wrong horse.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I wish The Hobbit and LOTR series included more of the Middle-Earth religion as described in The Silmarillion. I also wish it were made more obvious that Middle-Earth is ancient Earth rather than a mythical otherworld.

 

[BigBadBob141]

I like the LOTR books but the chapter in the first volume about Tom Bombadil was a bit odd, it just didn't seem to gel at all with the rest of the story, it just stuck out like a sore thumb, same with the the chapter about the great god Pan in Wind In The Willows, they both just seem out of place with the rest of their respective books, very odd.

 

[BAYLOR]

I like the LOTR books but the chapter in the first volume about Tom Bombadil was a bit odd, it just didn't seem to gel at all with the rest of the story, it just stuck out like a sore thumb, same with the the chapter about the great god Pan in Wind In The Willows, they both just seem out of place with the rest of their respective books, very odd.

Tom Bombadil's doesn't quite fit the story.

 

[Timebender]

If I recall correctly the Tom Bombadil chapters were put in by Tolkien to show how much goodness and innocence were at risk if Sauron took over all of Middle-Earth... but I thought that was already accomplished just fine by Shire. Then again, I can't remember where I read it, and I can't remember the exact quote, so I might be wrong about what he said.

 

[Timebender]

If I recall correctly the Tom Bombadil chapters were put in by Tolkien to show how much goodness and innocence were at risk if Sauron took over all of Middle-Earth... but I thought that was already accomplished just fine by Shire. Then again, I can't remember where I read it, and I can't remember the exact quote, so I might be wrong about what he said.

Accidental re-reply, sorry ignore this.

 

[paranoid marvin]

If I recall correctly the Tom Bombadil chapters were put in by Tolkien to show how much goodness and innocence were at risk if Sauron took over all of Middle-Earth... but I thought that was already accomplished just fine by Shire. Then again, I can't remember where I read it, and I can't remember the exact quote, so I might be wrong about what he said.

Then they also include Old Man Willow, the evil Hobbit-eating tree - so all goodness and innocence. I absolutely agree with you that the idyllic life of the Shire is more than ample to describe the innocence and goodness of the world (excluding the Sackville-Baggins of course!)

 

[paranoid marvin]

Tom Bombadil's doesn't quite fit the story.

I agree. It's entirely unnecessary; probably the only part of the whole trilogy that is so.

 

[Vince W]

I always felt that Tom Bombadil was meant to be part of The Hobbit and was added in the early stages of writing LotR and never removed. I'm thinking at the behest of C.S. Lewis.

 

[Bick]

I agree. It's entirely unnecessary; probably the only part of the whole trilogy that is so.

I don't mind the diversion so much, but I agree that the start of Fellowship is a little disjointed - a few aspects of the story seem incongruous to me, and I don't feel the story settles down into a cohesive driven plot until they get to Bree.