The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of three High Fantasy books by JRR Tolkien set in the mythical land of "Middle-Earth" first published in 1954 and 1955. The story follows the quest of Frodo Baggins to destroy the recently discovered One Ring in Mount Doom as well as the war to prevent its creator, Sauron, from reclaiming it. Several other books are set in middle earth, such as the Hobbit (which takes place before the Lord of the Rings and has the discovery of the one ring). Tolkien constructed the Lord of the Rings around Norse and Finnish mythology, as well as his constructed languages and the fictional history built around them.
Due to its strong popularity, The Lord of the Rings is frequently referenced thematically in other works of fiction. The most notable example is the introduction of Orcs as a common race of fantasy creatures as well as establishing the basic template for modern fantasy elves and dwarves.
Books
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Two Towers
- The Return of the King
Film Adaptations
In 2001, 2002 and 2003 Peter Jackson created film adaptations of these books. Despite diverging from the source material in some ways, the films are highly regarded by filmgoers and critics alike, The Return of the King won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Trivia
- The Fantasy forum on the SDN BBS often features threads involving Middle Earth scenarios. Most notably this one [1]