Summary Unable to stop for their grief because they know that orcs will soon pursue them, the remaining members of the Fellowship race away from Moria. Only pausing long enough to tend the injuries of Frodo and Sam, they reach the elven woods of Lothlorien that night. Although the elves […]

Read more Summary and Analysis: The Fellowship of the Ring Book 2, Chapters 6–10 – Moria to Amon Hen

Summary Frodo wakes in a strange bed, feeling much better. Gandalf, who has been sitting with Frodo, explains that he had been imprisoned, but refuses to elaborate until Frodo is fully recovered. Gandalf also identifies the Black Riders as the Nazgul, or Ringwraiths. Although not destroyed by the flood, they […]

Read more Summary and Analysis: The Fellowship of the Ring Book 2, Chapters 1–5 – Rivendell to Moria

Summary The House of Tom Bombadil provides warmth and shelter after the frightening experience with the Old Forest. When Frodo lets Bombadil take the Ring, Tom causes it to vanish rather than the other way around. Annoyed, Frodo puts it on, but Tom remains unaffected and tells him to stop […]

Read more Summary and Analysis: The Fellowship of the Ring Book 1, Chapters 7–12 – The House of Bombadil to the Ford of Bruinen

Summary Bilbo Baggins, a remarkably old and eccentric hobbit, throws a spectacular all-day party to celebrate his 111th birthday and his cousin Frodo’s 33rd. Although old, Bilbo has the appearance and energy of someone half his age, while Frodo is now legally able to inherit Bilbo’s estate. During his after-dinner […]

Read more Summary and Analysis: The Fellowship of the Ring Book 1, Chapters 1–6 – The Shire to the Old Forest

Summary All editions of The Lord of the Rings include detailed maps of the physical and political geography of Middle-earth. The first map provides a large-scale view of the area covered by the story. Frodo and his companions begin their journey in the Shire, in the upper left part of […]

Read more Summary and Analysis: The Fellowship of the Ring Maps, Prologue, and Note on Shire Records

The volume in which a character appears is indicated in parentheses after his or her name. Where there is no indication, the character appears in all three volumes. (Note: FR = The Fellowship of the Ring, TT = The Two Towers, and RK = Return of the King.) Frodo Baggins […]

Read more Character List

Well over a thousand pages long, filled with snatches of poetry and untranslated imaginary languages, saturated with intense description and historical detail, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings stands as a unique achievement in twentieth-century literature. Aside from its intrinsic characteristics, the novel became an emblematic part of the […]

Read more About The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

To keep Pippin out of further trouble, Gandalf rides with him to Minas Tirith, the city that Sauron’s armies will soon besiege. They meet with Boromir’s father Denethor, the Ruling Steward of Gondor, and in gratitude for Boromir’s sacrifice (saving them from the orcs at Parth Galen), Pippin pledges his […]

Read more Book Summary The Return of the King

As Frodo and Sam leave, a band of orcs captures Merry and Pippin and kills Boromir. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli decide to let the Ringbearer go and instead rescue Merry and Pippin. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the orcs as they run across the fields of Rohan toward Saruman’s fortress […]

Read more Book Summary The Two Towers

When the eccentric hobbit Bilbo Baggins leaves his home in the Shire, he gives his greatest treasure to his heir Frodo: a magic ring that makes its wearer invisible. Because of the difficulty Bilbo has in giving the ring away, his friend the wizard Gandalf the Grey suspects that the […]

Read more Book Summary The Fellowship of the Ring