The Ring Goes South

Number 2 in The Lord of the Rings: Seven Book Editions

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co
Pages: 253
Genre: Classics, Fantasy
Published: 1954-07-29
Original Language: English

Click to show synopsis (may contain spoilers)

Sauron, the Dark Lord, has gathered to him all the Rings of Power; the means by which he intends to rule Middle-earth. All he lacks in his plans for dominion is the One Ring -- the ring that rules them all -- which has fallen into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as the Ring is entrusted to his care. He must leave his home and make a perilous journey across the realms of Middle-earth to the Crack of Doom, deep inside the territories of the Dark Lord. There he must destroy the Ring forever and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose. Discover the incredible epic journey of Frodo in a celebratory seven-volume boxed set of fantasy classic, The Lord of the Rings.

Read from 2021-01-07 to 2021-01-14
Read in English
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: In the continuation of trying (and failing) to read Lord of the Rings slowly throughout the year, The Ring Goes South is the second book of the Fellowship-part (Rivendell -> The Breaking of the Fellowship). I’m continuing to enjoy this re-read, but this part was less enjoyable than the previous one.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that a book which is pretty much exclusively about a bunch of people moving from one place to another place feels like it’s connecting the dots, but whereas The Ring Sets Out had a proper fairytale feel, along with interesting world-building and a bunch of charm, this part of the story feels much more like it exists to convey information, rather than to be especially enjoyable to read. It doesn’t get boring, but it also doesn’t invoke the same feeling of wonder and adventure that I got from the first book.

That said, I’m obviously being picky, and the fact that these books have turned out to be too addictive to only read a couple of chapters a week speaks volumes. I’m still very much looking forward to reading what happens in a story where I very much know what is going to happen. Everyone who is going to read this book has probably already read it, but I’d highly recommend a re-read to anyone who has the time!