The Ring Sets Out

Number 1 in The Lord of the Rings: Seven Book Editions

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Pages: 283
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 2021-01-01 to 2021-01-06
Read in English
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: It’s been about fifteen years since the last time I read Lord of the Rings all the way through. The plan was for me to, along with my girlfriend, for a slow-reading book club in which we re-read Lord of the Rings (the 7-book edition, including Appendices) slowly, spreading it out over 2021. It hasn’t really gone that way because, as it turns out, it’s actually quite a good book! And hard to put down!

This first book is The Ring Sets Out (going up to Rivendell), and it was truly a delight to re-read! I even enjoyed some of the parts I remember very much not enjoying when I was younger (the poems, songs, stories), and some chapters are still real page-turners, despite already knowing what’s going to happen.

I’ll also win absolutely no points in originality in saying that the storytelling in this book is wonderful, but the gravitas of the story, as long as the fairytale-like childishness of some of it, is absolutely delightful. It’s much more fun that I remembered.

Having read this start again, I’m really excited to read the rest. Turns out, the way in which I read and enjoy books has changed quite a bit in 15 years, and while I’ve never been incredibly interested in re-reading books — even ones I read a long time ago, and really liked — Lord of the Rings might change my mind about that.