The Two Towers - JRR Tolkien

Published by HarperCollins Publishers: London, 1997.
Originally published 1954.
A sequel to The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.
Followed by The Return of the King.

Out of the four main Tolkien novels, I think The Two Towers is my favourite. Not only do we get introduced to the Rohirrim and Saruman, but we get to spend a good deal of time with the Ents - and learn their tragic backstory - and we get the episode with Shelob (which in the movies waits until Return of the King). We also get introduced properly to Gollum, who remains one of my favourite villains of fiction. His almost-redemption arc is subtle but there, and is one of the interesting 'what ifs' of fiction.

Tolkien remains a brilliant writer, taking his time to paint such scenes as the vast landscape of Rohan and the fallen statue at the Crossroads. He also takes us far deeper into the mind of his characters and their motivations than any film can do.

This is a short review, but really, it's not like this is a book I need to "sell." A great novel by a great writer, and part of a great series.

Completed with Elise, 24 November 2019.

(Elise Books)

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