The Fellowship of the Ring
by J.R.R. Tolkien · first published 1954
9% recommend81% neutral9% critical
Why HN recommends it
Classic entry point to epic fantasy, remembered fondly by readers who first met it as kids or teens; several say it is a good book to read aloud or revisit later in life.
Common criticism: Some find the slow, detailed opening chapters a real slog.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. “A unique, wholly realized other world, evoked from deep in the well of Time, massively detailed, absorbingly entertaining, profound in meaning.”—The New York Times In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into
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These books are both ones I read as a kid and hold in lifelong regard as a result: The Fellowship of the Ring - long before the movies were a glint in Peter Jackson's eye, this was my introduction to fantasy, a genre I adore. The Way Things Work - I still remember the frabjous day when I understood how an internal…
on “Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.” ↗These are also great in my opinion (book as well as film): The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Jurassic Park.
on “The Godfather almost never happened” ↗Yes, Fellowship of the Ring is the best. They were probably too afraid to stray away from the book, and because of its huge success they felt comfortable rewriting the whole story consequently. What I liked about FOTR is that even…
on “Tolkien Expressed a “Heartfelt Loathing” for Walt Disney” ↗…affected how I live my life. The Lathe of Heaven: Incredibly enjoyable dystopian future fiction. It came recommended via the "HN reading list" released some number of months ago, and I liked it a lot. The Fellowship of the Ring: I had started this book in high school but hadn't finished it for some reason. I picked it up again, and I'm glad I did. It is a gem, and there's good reason that it has become a part of our cultural…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…Re-reading books like Dune more recently has made me wonder why it was so much easier when I was younger. Less distractions I guess would be a major reason. However reading to my children (currently Fellowship of the Ring) has been a real pleasure, so I do still enjoy it in the right circumstances!
on “Ask HN: How much do you read in a year?” ↗What I remember reading to my kids aged 5-10 The Hobbit The Fellowship of the Ring (more for me but they liked to snuggle up and fall asleep to it) Harry Potter 1-5 (the hardback versions with lots of pictures) Eric the Viking - Terry Jones - a personal fav of mine Various compendiums…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading to your kids?” ↗The Fellowship of the Ring as a 3500x3500 px image: https://files.morr.cc/lotr1.png - if you have a 4k screen, you only need to scroll once for the entire book. (via the authors twitter: https://twitter.com/blinry/status/1074774555707797509)
on “Millitext – A subpixel text encoding font” ↗Tolkien is dreck. There I said it. It took my over a year to read Fellowship of the Ring because of how indescribably boring it is.
on “Harper Lee has died” ↗For those that haven’t experienced the joy of Tolkien’s writing, this is a reference to the Elvish inscription on the Doors of Durin in The Fellowship of the Ring, that is simultaneously a riddle and literal instructions on entering.
on “YouTube-dl's repository has been restored” ↗…nicely with that analytical type of mind but as you say, endless dissection robs the work of what attracted me to it in the first place. My favorite introduction to a book is the one Tolkien wrote for The Fellowship of the Ring. I can't find the exact quote, but basically he says the book is meant purely for the enjoyment of the reader and shouldn't be interpreted. A million literature teachers cried out and were suddenly…
on “The Most Misread Poem in America” ↗…Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring You train people how to treat you, unconsciously or not. Don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. “Draw a monster. Why is it a monster?” Just because it's not your fault doesn't mean it's not…
on “Ask HN: What simple lessons have disproportionately impacted your life?” ↗Fellowship of the Ring is the closest to Tolkien's vision for sure, with some notable exceptions. I think he would have enjoyed seeing rivendell designed.
on “Tolkien Expressed a “Heartfelt Loathing” for Walt Disney” ↗"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." - Fellowship of the ring (Tolkien)
on “The real reason to end the death penalty” ↗…Apparently it was deleted for lack of citation other than Tolkien which might be an in-universe term. > 1. A person in their twenties, between 20 and 29 years old. Possibly including 30-32. > 1954 "The Fellowship of the Ring", J.R.R. Tolkien > At that time Frodo was still in his tweens, as the hobbits called the irresponsible twenties between childhood and coming of age at thirty-three.
on “Dinner for One: The Little-Known British Comedy Famous in Germany” ↗I believe Tove Jansson also painted the color cover for the first authorized American edition of Fellowship of the Ring (1965). In _Letters_ one can read Tolkien’s reaction. He was quite taken aback, calling out the Emus (!) in the foreground. As if “ the illustrator hadn’t read my book.” The 1973 Ballantine editions…
on “Tove Jansson's criticized illustrations of The Hobbit” ↗