THE RETURN OF THE KING by JRR Tolkien
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Far above the Ephel Dúath in the West the night-sky was still dim and pale. There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
TITLE—The Return of the King
AUTHOR—JRR Tolkien
PUBLISHED—1957
PUBLISHER—George Allen & Unwin (now HarperCollins)
GENRE—high fantasy
SETTING—Middle-earth
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—fantasy worldbuilding & creatures (wizards, hobbits, elves, dwarves, & different clans of men), natural magic vs. sorcery, the Dark Shadow & the Black Breath, kingship as a healing force, epic battle scenes, heroic deeds & deaths, bonds of friendship & love, courage in the face of seeming hopelessness, faith vs. fear, big anti-capitalism & acab energy, rustic wisdom, pity / forgiveness / redemption, absolutely stunning writing, the distinction bw good & evil in literature—or “romance”—vs the “real world,” brotherly love friendships & commradeships (asexual bromance), betrayal & fear, #ErusPlan, vivid descriptions of landscapes that have been brutally destroyed by war & industrial violence
[Eowyn] “’…I am weary of skulking in the hills, and wish to face peril and battle… Too often have I heard of duty… But am I not… a shieldmaiden…? I have waited on faltering feet long enough. Since they falter no longer, it seems, may I not now spend my life as I will? …Shall I always be left behind when the Riders depart, to mind the house while they win renown, and find food and beds when they return? …All your words are but to say: you are a woman, and your part is in the house. But when the men have died in battle and honour, you have leave to be burned in the house, for the men will need it no more. But I am of the House of Eorl... I can ride and wield blade, and I do not fear either pain or death.’”
Summary/Blurbs/Premise:
Books 5 & 6 (& the Appendices) of The Lord of the Rings—published as Vol. 3: The Return of the King—are the sequels to Vol. 2: The Two Towers (Books 3 & 4); with Vol. 1: The Fellowship of the Ring (Books 1 & 2) being the first part of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. These books continue with the events of the end of the War of the Ring & the closing of the Third Age.
My thoughts:
As I mentioned in my thoughts on FELLOWSHIP & TWO TOWERS, this reread has been all about Sam & the bonds of friendship between all the main characters.
In the “last gasp” of Sam & Frodo’s journey into & through Mordor, you can see that Sam is going through a similar kind of split that occurred for Sméagol/Gollum except because of Sam’s strength of character, his worldview, & his love for Frodo, the “alter” that manifests is a hero, not a villain. When Sam asks Gollum if he’d “like to be the hero” in chapter 8 of book 4 in THE TWO TOWERS, Sam is subconsciously demonstrating his belief in the power of choice in shaping one’s nature.
We see this Tolkienian concept echoed in Season 2, Episode 1 of The Rings of Power in the discussion between Halbrand & the old man on the ship:
“You are alive because you have chosen good.”
“But what of tomorrow?”
“You have to choose it again. [chuckles] And the next day. And the next. Until it becomes a part of your nature.”
Poor Sméagol didn’t set himself up for success when he murdered his beloved friend, Déagol. Sam achieved hero status because all of his choices prioritized his love & devotion for Frodo to the point where he was ready to forfeit his life in order to help Frodo achieve his quest.
It is these bonds of deep friendship that in my opinion make THE LORD OF THE RINGS a truly timeless work. The entire Fellowship but especially Frodo & Sam (obviously), Aragorn & the hobbits (Aragorn is buried with both Merry & Pippin after he gives up his life!), Legolas & Gimli (who sail together to the West!), Beregond & Faramir, Aragorn & Éomer, Aragorn & Bilbo, the Grey Company, Merry & Éowyn—the found family vibes (& the asexual bromance vibes) are SUCH an important part of everything about this story from the plot to all the character arcs to the deeper themes & philosophy, it’s no wonder why this is one of the most beloved books of all time.
I would recommend this book to readers who love beautifully written high literary fantasy that focuses on themes of love, nature, healing, pity, hope, & courage. This book is best shared, as is any adventure, in the company of friends. Could not imagine a better group than #TheFellowshipOfTheReaders to read these books with. 🫶🏻
Final note: Absolutely loved Andy Serkis’s narration for these books. Can’t recommend them highly enough.
“Then Gandalf said: 'Let us not stay at the door, for the time is urgent. Let us enter! For it is only in the coming of Aragorn that any hope remains for the sick that lie in the House. Thus spake loreth, wise-woman of Gondor: The hands of the king are the hands of a healer, and so shall the rightful king be known.’”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
CW // PTSD & severe war-related emotional & physical trauma, death & grief, colonialism & police violence (The Scouring of the Shire)
Season: Fall
Music pairing: Howard Shore, the Andy Serkis-narrated audiobook, you can even throw a little Bear McCreary in there for fun if you want, & these songs:
Further Reading—
BILBO’S LAST SONG, illustrated by Pauline Baynes (2012)
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: A READER’S COMPANION, by Christina Scull & Wayne Hammond (2005)
THE HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH: Vols. 6-9 edited by Christopher Tolkien:
THE SILMARILLION by JRR Tolkien (published posthumously in 1977)
THE FALL OF NÚMENOR, edited by Brian Sibley (2022)
THE ROAD TO MIDDLE-EARTH by Tom Shippey (2003)
FLORA OF MIDDLE-EARTH: Plants of J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium, by Walter S Judd & Graham A Judd (2017)
PERILOUS AND FAIR: Women in the Works and Life of J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Janet Brennan Croft & Leslie A. Donovan (2015)
TALES FROM THE PERILOUS REALM by JRR Tolkien (1997)
See more of my recs & TBR of works by & about JRR Tolkien here.
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