Do all fantasy books fans like Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit?

[Rumi_fan]

I enjoyed reading Lord of the Rings but it is not my favorite. And I also dislike The Hobbit.

 

[hitmouse]

I doubt all. But quite a lot, certainly.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I liked The Hobbit, but couldn't get into the trilogy. It's basically generic fantasy. My analogy: I like superheroes, but I find Superman boring.

 

[BAYLOR]

I like both The Hobbit and LOTR.

 

[BAYLOR]

I liked the Silmarillion too.

 

[AllanR]

I enjoyed the hobbit, yet got bored of the rings. I don't read much swords and sorcery fantasy though.

 

[BAYLOR]

I enjoyed the hobbit, yet got bored of the rings. I don't read much swords and sorcery fantasy though.

There is action Harvard lampoon spoof of LOTR titled Bored of the Rings.


There is also The Soddit by Robert Adams

 

[AllanR]

There is action Harvard lampoon spoof of LOTR titled Bored of the Rings.

I enjoyed that one more. (and have used its title in reference to the Tolkien series ever since)

Bored of the Rings - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[BAYLOR]

I enjoyed that one more. (and have used its title in reference to the Tolkien series ever since)

Another one you might find of interest A Face in the Frost by John Bellairs.

 

[BAYLOR]

Other books I could suggest

The Well at the End of World by William Morris
Lilith by George MAcDonald
The Lost Continent by. C J Cutcliffe Hynd
Eric Bighteyes by H Rider Haggard
Jurgen a Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell
Silverlock by John Myers Myer
Book of The Three Dragons by Kenneth Morris
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
Conan the Hour of the Dragon by Robert E Howard
The Ship of Ishtar by Abraham Merritt
The Ring of Wizardry by Jack Williamson
Merlin's Ring by H Warner Munn
The Charwoman's Shadow by Lord Dunsnay
Lest Darkness Fall by L Sprague De Camp
Day of the Giants by Lester Del Rey

 

[BcRedneck]

You all can start calling me an ***hole right now, but i read half the first book put it down and moved on

 

[BAYLOR]

You all can start calling me an ***hole right now, but i read half the first book put it down and moved on

The book is worth finishing .

 

[harrythrone]

I enjoyed reading Lord of the Rings but it is not my favorite. And I also dislike The Hobbit.

it's your opinion there is nothing wrong with that , for me it's one of the greatest out there

 

[biodroid]

I could only get up to half way through book 2 then it was just super long winded

 

[harrythrone]

it's your opinion there is nothing wrong with that , for me it's one of the greatest out there snaptube vidmate

anything concerne the hobbit or LOR is a joy for me

 

[Margaret Note Spelling]

When I was nine I found all three LOTR books at the local library, checked them out, and read them in a week as a personal challenge. I don't remember if I skimmed at all--I know I was trying hard not to, since my sister was obviously going to accuse me of it. I read the Hobbit later, much slower, and I think I found it a little more childish in comparison. I then re-read parts of LOTR several times over the next couple of years, although never as a whole, and after that, nothing--I don't think I've read either of them much since.

Overall opinion--they're good. The worldbuilding is unparalleled, of course, but as a rule I do prefer more character-focused stories. Most of all, though, I believe The Lord of the Rings genuinely managed to be everything it was trying to be, and that's something always to be respected--even though a story will never be for everyone. The LOTR was done in an epic, legendary style, and not the more straightforward, everyday style that's closer to what I like to read (and write) now.

It was crafted excellently...but a well-crafted chair will never be good enough if what you're looking for is a well-crafted table.

 

[Toby Frost]

Overall opinion--they're good. The worldbuilding is unparalleled, of course, but as a rule I do prefer more character-focused stories. Most of all, though, I believe The Lord of the Rings genuinely managed to be everything it was trying to be, and that's something always to be respected--even though a story will never be for everyone.

Really good point. To my mind it's a case of "Unsurpassed worldbuilding, but there are better characters and stories". It does what it sets out to do very well, but what it sets out to do is actually quite niche and slightly bizarre, despite the number of later imitators.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Also read LOTR very young and loved it. Never really liked the Hobbit. LOTR is deep and emotional and pulled me in - and yes the world build and the language is truly awesome. For me the Hobbit misses somehow. It's closer to a simple fantasy adventure.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[The Big Peat]

Without necessarily disagreeing (or agreeing) with such takes, an awful lot of people do have a deep love for the story and characters, not just the world. The idea (if that's what's being advanced) that the book succeeds mostly on worldbuilding doesn't seem to marry up with how an awful lot of people feel.

 

[Toby Frost]

I'm sure many people do and I'm not saying they're wrong. Horses for courses, each to his own etc.

It occurs to me that in all the books I like the most, there are multiple bits of language and description that either strike me as exceptionally well-expressed or beautiful uses of language, whether it's Peake's purple prose, Orwell's clear style, or Chandler's in-character wit. For me, I don't remember anything like that in LOTR. It doesn't mean it's badly-written, just that, for me again, it never reaches that level.

Possibly off-topic aside: I've seen very little good criticism of LOTR, although there are many books about Tolkien's life and Middle Earth. The only thing that tends to be quoted is Michael Moorcock's "Epic Pooh", which seems to boil down to "The writing is dull and I don't like the politics". I wonder if it's very difficult to criticise LOTR, which is almost the ultimate "it is what it is" type of book.