Is anybody with me Lord of the Rings over rated

**Homer403** · May 3rd, 2011

Funny,some parts of the story I enjoyed and some I did not! I liked the hobbits!! Always looking for reasons to have a happy party! Enjoying the simple things in life! Good food,good friends etc. There were,I thought,too many characters.And the movie was way too long for my liking! I think the DT series put LOTR to shame!!

**Daniel Lee Severn** · May 31st, 2011

Originally Posted by Turd Ferguson

The Lord of the Rings is one of my top 3 favorite fantasy series, along with The Dark Tower and The Wheel of Time. I know The Dark Tower is not a standard fantasy series, having elements of sci-fi, Western, and horror in it, but it still centers upon a heroic quest, which is fantasy through and through. Back to LOTR, I haven't read it in a while, but I have read thpse books, The Hobbit, and The Silmarilion many times.

I'm with you on these three choices, Dark Tower, LotR, and WoT(Even though I'm only in book eleven) series are my top three as well. I'm also a big Harry Potter fan and even though you can't exactly call it a series, the Cthulhu Mythos, is right up there with The Dark Tower.

**Lily Sawyer** · August 24th, 2011

LOTR put me to sleep when I was a teenager. I picked it back up two more times since, and the same thing happened. These books simply aren't for me. I haven't had any interest in seeing any of the films, either.

I know; I'm no fun.

(But I sure do love me some Stephen King.)

**Ben Staad** · August 24th, 2011

To be honest I didn't read this entire thread but I love LOTR. I read these books when I was younger and feel in love with them right away. To me this is one of the best if not best series of books ever written and they haven't lost there appeal to me as I've gotten older.

**AndyDufresne** · August 25th, 2011

I wouldn't call it overrated (it's been far too influential to be called that) but I can definitely see some instances where the story doesn't make a lot of narrative sense. You get the feeling that Tolkien had no idea where to take the story until halfway through The Fellowship of the Ring. The first half is mainly about Hobbits singing, eating and drinking in Hobbition, singing, eating and drinking (and dancing naked, for some reason) with Tom Bombadil (probably the weirdest character ever written), singing, eating and drinking in Bree, and singing, eating and drinking in Rivendell. During the meeting it seems that Tolkien finally knows what he wants, and the story gets a lot more focus after that. But the first part can really be a chore to get through.

**Ben Staad** · August 26th, 2011

Originally Posted by AndyDufresne

I wouldn't call it overrated (it's been far too influential to be called that) but I can definitely see some instances where the story doesn't make a lot of narrative sense. You get the feeling that Tolkien had no idea where to take the story until halfway through The Fellowship of the Ring. The first half is mainly about Hobbits singing, eating and drinking in Hobbition, singing, eating and drinking (and dancing naked, for some reason) with Tom Bombadil (probably the weirdest character ever written), singing, eating and drinking in Bree, and singing, eating and drinking in Rivendell. During the meeting it seems that Tolkien finally knows what he wants, and the story gets a lot more focus after that. But the first part can really be a chore to get through.

Hmm...It's been about three years (maybe even four) since I have read this so maybe a re-read is in order. I never thought that the plot lagged before but I will keep an eye out for this the next time I read the series.

**dsurrett** · August 26th, 2011

Tolkien and Lord of the Rings is to fantasy what Stephen King is to horror fiction, maybe even more. Tolkien invented whole worlds and languages. I think the books are great, even though I'd agree that they drag at parts, most notably crossing the swamp and climbing the stairs. King didn't invent horror fiction (and yes, I know he is great in other genres as well) but he took it to the next level and made it more mainstream.
Tolkien and King have influenced more readers and writers than anyone else in their genres in the last 30 years in my opinion. Without Tolkien, you probably wouldn't have all of the fantasy authors and series that have followed him. King opened the door to other horror writers as well.
LOTR is still my favorite movie series, and I don't see how anything will ever pass it, unless a studio was willing to shell out enough money to do justice to the entire Dark Tower series, and I don't see that happening.
So while I respect your opinion, I have to disagree and say that LOTR isn't overrated.

**muskrat** · August 26th, 2011

I like when Pickwick passes out drunk in the wheelbarrow and wakes up in the pigpen--wait, wrong book.

**DebA913** · August 28th, 2011

I personally do not think that the Lord of the Rings is overrated. Fabulous story!!! Take your time when you read, and realise that written language was some what different when these were written. Sure you might have to work a little harder, but it's worth it!!!
And the movies weren't bad either.

**Sungrey** · February 16th, 2012

The prose is hard to read but the LotR is excellent, IMO. Great storytelling. However, I also a, glad Peter Jackson got rid of Tom Bombadil in the movies.