By J. R. R. Tolkien
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.“
– J. R. R Tolkien
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Book Summary
Genre:
Fantasy Fiction
Themes:
Friendship, Good vs Evil, Suffering, Hope, Beauty, Healing, Redemption
Ages:
13 years +
Storyline:
A mighty force of darkness is awakening in Middle Earth, an ancient land full of magic and mystery, and in ages past, evil, treachery and war. A shadow is moving over the lands and the One Ring, forged in the fires of Mount Doom by the Dark Lord Sauron, has been placed, by fate, into the hands of Frodo, a young but courageous Hobbit. The Ring wants to be found and returned to its master, enabling Sauron to enslave and dominate creation, plunging all of Middle Earth into shadow. The future now rests on Frodo the Ring-bearer, and his companions to complete a daunting journey to Mount Doom and destroy the ring.
The Return of the King is Part Three of The Lord of the Rings and follows on from Tolkien’s story, The Two Towers.
After the great battle at The Two Towers, the company has parted ways. Gandalf and Pippin have arrived in Minas Tirith and encountered the unstable city steward Denethor, and when darkness begins to descend from Mordor, Aragon, along with Gimli and Legolas travel the legendary Paths of the Dead to Gondor.
Frodo and Sam have continued on the quest to destroy the One Ring together, but Frodo’s life is in great danger and Sam must attempt a daring rescue from Cirith Ungol. If he succeeds, they are only days away from Mount Doom and the destruction of The Ring.
This story is about redemption and friendship. The King returns to redeem and restore goodness and virtue over the land, while friendship is the solid foundation on which all hard things are achieved, and clinging to the smallest amount of hope is enough to keep going with the burdensome task of destroying the One-Ring. Suffering, sacrifice, war, greed, and healing are some of the major themes in Part Two of this high-fantasy tale which is woven deeply with Christian metaphor and imagery; Lives are sacrificed for the good of the world, and healing although it comes to some, will only come to others in paradise.
Content Warning:
This is a high-fantasy tale with magic and battles between good and evil. It may not be appropriate for sensitive teens as there is death, violence, and scary scenes.
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