A Writers View

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien is a well-known cult classic, about a group of unlikely heroes that band together to defeat an evil tyrant, but here’s why you should read The Fellowship of the Ring specifically.

Reason #1: It’s a classic epic quest story, with a clear objective – destroy the one ring.

If you’re a fan of D&D, Oblivion, gardening, or just epic military tales in general, then you’d appreciate The Fellowship of the Ring.

It follows the life of Frodo Baggins as his world is turned upside down by the revelation that his dear Uncle’s most prized possession is actually an evil object of extraordinary power. Thus confronted in the middle of his ordinary life with this extraordinary twist, Frodo accepts the responsibility of delivering the ring to those much stronger and wiser than himself, so that they may properly deal with it.

Of course, however, once he reaches them he discovers that things are much worse then he’d originally feared, and the strong allies much weaker than he’d hoped. Thus again, Frodo makes the decision to responsibly deal with the destruction of the deadly device on his own, when he is happily joined by 9 others. Together these 9 elves, men, dwarves, hobbits and a wizard make up the Fellowship of the Ring.

From there (now you’re at the halfway point of the book, and you’ve made it through the Council of Elrond chapter, which was the looooongest one, so good job!), the Fellowship sets out, journeying across the land, fighting goblins, balrogs, and orcs, suffering hunger, cold, and loss, before ultimately winding up shattered and broken at the Falls of Rauros.

Reason B: It’s got Boromir!

If you’re like me, then you are a fan of Sean Bean aka Boromir aka the King of Death Scenes!

Boromir in the books, unlike Sean Bean in the movies, is a lot more respectful towards Aragorn. He recognizes Aragorn’s right to the Gondorian throne, and Aragorn wants the throne, as he has been preparing himself for it for nearly ninety years. Boromir is hotheaded, just like in the movies, but a little less angrily so. He really gives off the vibe of being a true jock, not a tortured would-be prince.

Regardless, whether you’re watching the movie or reading the book, Boromir is a huge + on why you should pick The Fellowship.

And lastly: It’s the starting point.

Unless you’re a person who likes to know the ending of a story before you start it, or if you’re someone who just enjoys being confused, then you’re going to want to start at the beginning of the story. You could start with The Two Towers or The Return of the King, but I guarantee that if you do that that you’ll be more than a little confused by everything.

So, plain and simple, just start at the start.

(If you really, reeeeeally want to start at the start – then you should read The Hobbit first. But, that one is more of a one-off fun adventure story, and not the beginning of the epic quest. So, again, if you want to start the epic quest at the start of the quest, then you should read The Fellowship first.)

Bonus Reason: Bonus content.

There are a lot of parts from the beginning part of the quest that are cut out of the movie. So, if you’ve only seen the movies, then The Fellowship book will have the most surprises and easter eggs, as it was the one that was the most shaved down for film. And, if you’ve never seen the movies, then you’ll enjoy all of the fun, frightening, and fantastical twists and turns that the beginning of the journey has.

So, there you have it!

If you’ve been sitting around, thinking about diving into the LOTR trilogy, but you’ve been unsure of just exactly where to start, then these are your reasons as to why you should start with The Fellowship of the Ring.

😀