Fellowship of the Ring

Tolkien, J.R.R.

Genre: adventure, fantasy

Series: Lord of the Rings


This is book one of the series.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

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 the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

If you like this book, Your Next Read suggests you try

The Hobbit

Tolkien, J. R. R.


The Hobbit


Genre: fantasy


Series: Lord of the Rings


This book takes place before Lord of the Rings.  It is much easier to follow than the other three.

Bilbo Baggins gets a surprise adventure and finds out that there is more to him than anyone thought.  In this story, Bilbo finds the ring that eventually leads to the Lord of the Rings.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Tolkien, J. R. R.


The Fellowship of the Ring


Genre: Fantasy


Series: Lord of the Rings


This is book 1 of the Lord of the Rings

he dark fearsome Ringwraiths were searching for a hobbit. Frodo Baggins knew they were seeking him and the Ring he bore---the Ring of Power that would enable the Dark Lord Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it was up to Frodo and his faithful servant Sam, with a small band of companions, to carry the Ring to the one place it could be destroyed---Mount Doom, in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom.

Thus begins J.R.R. Tolkien's classic The Lord of the Rings, considered by millions of readers to be the greatest epic fantasy ever written.

The Two Towers

Tolkien, J. R. R.


The Two Towers


Genre: Fantasy


Series: Lord of the Rings




he Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor---the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring.


Thus continues the magnificent, best-selling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King. 

The Return of the King

Tolkien, J. R. R.


The Return of the King


Genre: Fantasy


Series: The Lord of the Rings


This is Book 3 in the series


While the evil might of the Dark Lord Sauron swarmed out to conquer all of Middle-earth, Frodo and Sam struggled deep into Mordor, seat of Sauron's power. To defeat the dark Lord, the accursed Ring of Power had to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. But the way was impossibly hard, and Frodo was weakening. Weighed down by the compulsion of the Ring, he began finally to despair.
The awesome conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, called by millions of readers to be the greatest epic fantasy ever written.

The Silmarillion

Tolkien, J. R. R.
Tolkien, Christopher


The Silmarillion


Genre: Fantasy


Series: Lord of the Rings


Those interested in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth should not be without this grand volume that tells the tragic tale of the struggle for control of the Silmarils, a struggle that would determine the history of the world long before the War of the Ring. — The Silmarillion is Tolkien's first book and his last. Long preceding in its origins The Lord of the Rings, it is the story of the First Age of Tolkien's world, the ancient drama to which characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in which some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The Silmarillion was begun in 1917, and Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his life. Edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, the book finally appeared four years after the author's death.