The Fellowship of the RingWritten by J.R.R. Tolkien

David Matranga

Published July 29, 1954 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd

The Lord of the Rings

In the Shire

• The story begins with Bilbo’s “one hundred and eleventyith birthday.”

• It has been 60 years since he found the ring .• Bilbo along with all the other hobbits live in a

region of Middle-Earth called “The Shire.”• At the beginning, Bilbo’s old wizard friend,

Gandalf comes to see him.

The Main Characters• Frodo is the Protagonist in

The Fellowship of the Ring. He is a hobbit, which is a sort of short person who lives in the Shire.

• Sauron and his Ring of Power is the Antagonist. Sauron is a kind of spirit that made the Ring to rule all other Rings in Middle Earth

The Ring is not safe

• Sauron’s power is growing in the evil lands of Mordor, and his servants are trying to get the Ring, and if they do, Sauron will be strong enough to destroy Middle-Earth.

• Frodo must take the Ring to Rivendell, an elf stronghold, to discuss what is to be done.

• The races of Middle-Earth are the Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Men, Goblins, and Orcs.

• The Orcs are under the command of Mordor, and Goblins are wild creatures.

Other Characters• Samwise Gamgee is Frodo’s

gardener and best friend. He journeys with Frodo, Pippin, and Merry.

• Pippin and Merry are Frodo’s cousins who go with him and Sam for most of the book.

• Strider (Aragorn) is a ranger that goes with them on their journey to protect them from evil.

• Gandalf is a wise, old wizard who knew Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo, because he aided him in The Hobbit and tells Frodo about the Ring.

T.L.: Sam

T.R.: Pippin & Merry

Left: Strider

Bottom: Gandalf

Continued• Gimli is a dwarf whose father

journeyed with Bilbo. He and Legolas travel with the hobbits and strider to protect the ring.

• Legolas is an elf prince who never misses with an arrow.

• Elrond is the Elf king of Rivendell, who is thousands of years old. He was in the battle in which Sauron was first defeated and the Ring captured, 3000 years before the events in this story.

Top: Gimli

Right: Legolas

Bottom: Elrond

Book Reviews• http://www.nytimes.com/1954/10/31/books/tolkien-fellowship.html?_r=0

• A New York Times review from 1954 calls this book “a warning and an inspiration” and says that Tolkien possesses “an amazing gift for naming and a wonderfully exact eye for description.” and that after reading the book, you will know the histories of Middle-Earth as well as your own childhood.

• http://www.bookdrum.com/books/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring/9780261102354/review.html

• This review calls The Fellowship of the Ring the “best book of the series” and tells how Tolkien has “lovingly crafted a detailed history” of Middle-Earth, its characters, and its races. This review also tells that Amazon customers voted it best book of the century in 1999.

My Review

• The Fellowship of the Ring is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I would definitely give it a 5/5. Tolkien does a great job of defining the characters and the histories of the world.