The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Return of the King : Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings.

Mariner Books; 1999 (originally published in 1955),

ISBN: 0618002243.

Reader’s Annotation

In the conclusion of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo draws ever closer to the goal on his perilous quest to destroy the Ring of Power, and save Middle Earth from the clutches of the evil Lord Sauron.

Plot Summary

After the fellowship of the original nine companions has failed, Frodo and his friend Sam continue on their unlikely quest to Mordor, in order to destroy the Ring of Power, and thus save all of Middle Earth from the tyranny of the evil Lord Sauron.  They made the creature Gollum their unlikely guide, since he has actually been to Mordor.  Even though Frodo and Sam know that Gollum is treacherous, they have no choice but to trust him.  Meanwhile, Sauron's armies of Mordor are already moving and preparing to go to war with country of Gondor.  The original companions of the Fellowship are separated even further in this third book of the trilogy:  Frodo and Sam sneak into Mordor to try to get to Mount Doom; Pippin, after getting into some trouble, goes with Gandalf the wizard to Minas Tirith, capitol of Gondor; Merry remains with the king of Rohan, the country to the north of Gondor which will try to come to Gondor’s aid and fight against Mordor; Aragorn, Legolas the elf and Gimli the dwarf, take a haunted path through the mountains to call up the cursed “undead” army that once betrayed Gondor and has been cursed to never rest in peace until they come help Gondor in its hour of need.  As the armies all converge on Minas Tirith, Frodo and Sam creep ever closer to Mount Doom.  But so much remains uncertain—will Mordor or the armies of the West win the battle?  Will Frodo and Sam make it to Mount Doom against the will of the Ring, and once there, will Frodo have the strength to throw the Ring into the fire?        

Critical Evaluation

Epic in scope, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is difficult to sum up in a few sentences.  The books were never intended to be three separate books, so there is a sense that each is the beginning, the middle and the end.  That makes The Return of the King by far the most dramatic and exciting of the three books.  Tolkien borrowed extensively from his experiences in World War I, to convey the true horror of war.  The entire book is basically the climax of the whole trilogy.  All the story lines are brought to their conclusion and by the last page, the reader is thoroughly satisfied.  Although made more popular in recent years by the release of the movies by Peter Jackson, much of the color and textures from the book are lost in the movie.  One-third of The Return of the King is comprised of appendices that show the true depth of Tolkien’s genius.  It is here that background histories are chronicled, languages are explored, and glimpses of the future in Middle Earth.  Anyone who loved the movies must read the books!

About the Author

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892, but grew up in England.  He was orphaned at the age of twelve, and the parish priest cared for young Ronald and his younger brother, seeing that they were taken in by a relative, and then overseeing their spiritual and academic growth.  Tolkien went on to excel in linguistics, especially old- and middle-English, and he served as a professor at Oxford.  After the success of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien and his wife Edith had to move from their house and change their telephone number, due to the number of overzealous fans.  For more information, go to:

http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/biography.html

Genre

Fantasy

Curriculum Tie-ins

None

Booktalk Ideas

Discuss Eowyn and her desire to go to war.

1. Why do you think that Aragorn is rather reluctant to claim his right to be king?
2. Do you think that the Ring is symbolic of anything in particular?  If so, what?

Reading level/Interest age

Ages 12+

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

None

Why I included this work

The Return of the King was a recent blockbuster movie, and  the Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of my absolute, all-time favorite works of literature.

Recommended at: New Brunswick Free Public Library

Great Quote from the Book:

"’Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!’ Then Merry heard the strangest of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. ‘But no living man am I!’”