Chapter VIII: The Scouring of the Shire Of all the things that Peter Jackson left out of his Lord of the Rings films, I've heard the most complaints about the exclusion of 'The Scouring of the Shire'. I get it. This is where we see just how much the four traveling hobbits have grown during … Continue reading LotR Reread: You Can’t Go Home Again
Sam Gamgee
LotR Reread: “Here at the end of all things…”
Chapter III: Mount Doom This installment is early. Why, you ask? Well, it's March 25th. For Tolkien fans, that means it's Tolkien Reading Day! And why is Tolkien Reading Day on March 25th, and not on September 22nd (Frodo and Bilbo's birthdays) or on January 3rd (Tolkien's birthday)? Tolkien Reading Day occurs on March 25th … Continue reading LotR Reread: “Here at the end of all things…”
Lotr Reread: The One Where Sam Simply Walks into Mordor
Book VI Chapter I: The Tower of Cirith Ungol So. There Sam was, below Cirith Ungol having knocked himself out by flinging himself against the orc door in a desperate attempt to get into the tower to rescue Frodo, who wasn't actually dead, just comatose from a massive dose of monster-spider venom. Fortunately for everyone … Continue reading Lotr Reread: The One Where Sam Simply Walks into Mordor
LotR Reread: Along Came a Spider
Chapter IX: Shelob's Lair It might be daytime at the top of the Stairs of Cirith Ungol, but it's still dark. Dark and smelly, and the stink gets worse as Frodo and Sam head toward the tunnel Gollum has been leading them toward. A few steps in and the darkness deepens, beyond anything they've known … Continue reading LotR Reread: Along Came a Spider
LotR Reread: “We’re in the Same Story”
Chapter VII: Journey to the Cross-Roads In the morning, Faramir bids the hobbits farewell. He gives them some provisions and a couple of walking sticks cut down to their size. The sticks have a virtue of finding and returning, and he hopes they will aid the hobbits in their journey. They walk together for a … Continue reading LotR Reread: “We’re in the Same Story”
LotR Reread: You Can’t Get There From Here
Chapter III: The Black Gate is Closed At last, Frodo and Sam have reached Mordor. As promised, Gollum led them to the Morannon, the Black Gate that guards the most direct road into that dark country. It's been a bleak journey there, and the outlook gets worse with every step. The rocky cliffs are riddled … Continue reading LotR Reread: You Can’t Get There From Here
LotR Reread: Frodo Gets the Heck out of Hobbiton, in a Leisurely Fashion
Chapter III: Three is Company In Peter Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, Ian McKellan’s Gandalf returns to the Shire a few weeks or months after Bilbo leaves and sends Frodo (played by a seventeen-year-old Elijah Wood) on his journey that same night. This works for a movie but not for … Continue reading LotR Reread: Frodo Gets the Heck out of Hobbiton, in a Leisurely Fashion
Traveling in Books 