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The Two Towers: The Lord Of The Rings Part 2
Summary
The original American full dramatization as broadcast on National Public Radio.
The Fellowship is broken; the quest to destroy the Ring seems already shrouded in disaster. But as the evil lord Sauron readies his armies for war, Frodo and Sam continue their lonely journey toward Mordor, guided only by Gollum—a deceitful and tortured creature, helplessly in thrall to the Ring's dark power.
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Reviews
The Two Towers is part II of J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic Lord of the Rings. The story is told in two sections, the first following the group after Frodo and Sam have struck out on their own. Aragon, Legolas and Gimli are searching for Merry and Pippin who had been kidnapped by orcs who struck down Boromir and spirited the Hobbits away. Gandalf makes his re-appearance, and there is a massive battle that the Ents help to turn in their favour. Merry and Pippin are found safe as they have been travelling in the company of the Ents after they managed to escape from the clutches of the orcs. As for Frodo and Sam they are on their perilous journey to Mordor. Along the way they capture the Gollum who agrees to guide them to a secret entrance, but the Gollum is drawn by the power of the Ring and cannot be fully trusted. Samwise, on the other hand shows great loyalty and love toward Frodo, and to my eyes emerges as a true hero.There are so many excellent characters that pass through the story during the course of The Two Towers, but I really need to comment on Gollum/Smeagol who is both treacherous and pitiful. He serves as a reminder of what can happen if one latches onto the power of the ring and as a contrast all the Hobbits are shown as the resourceful and courageous creatures that they are. I listened to this book as read and enhanced by Rob Inglis. This was a true cliff-hanger so I need to carry on with the next book quickly. Overall, The Two Towers advances the story and expands on the world of Middle Earth. The depth and scope of this book brings into focus the influence that it has had on all the fantasy novels that have followed. It truly deserves to be called a classic.
A classic fantasy tale written in the fifties. I enjoyed the last part best, the first part was good the middle seemed slow and because i listened to the audio, I had a hard time staying focused in the middle section. I also enjoyed the author's explanations following the book. I recommend reading The Hobbit first.
I have one problem with this book. Tolkien should have really altered perspectives instead of putting frodo and sam's story completely in the end. this is the only reason i dint finish it before. seriously, they keep walking and walking....right after all the action is over on the other side. wouldnt have been draggy if the stories were altered and if the timeline was followed instead of one side's story.
Again I see clearly why the films sometimes get so much hate. I still love the films, but frankly liking the books sooooooooooooooooo much better. I wonder sometimes how he got those films out of these books
A classic.
In this installment, the Fellowship is divided, though not really by their own choosing. Sam and Frodo go alone but are dogged by Gollum. Tolkien uses this novel to further develop the lands the separated warriors must travel complete their quest as well as their characters. The road goes ever onward and is fraught with dangers. Still, even as we guess they must succeed, we not how or who shall survive. Tolkien, with attention to even the smallest details, manages to maintain an intense level suspense. A well thought-out bridge in the trilogy.
best sequel ever
I am quite enjoying this adventure. I have only seen the movies and this is my first time reading the books. I really feel like the movies did such a great job bringing this story to life. However in the movies I found Sam whiny and a little dull, but not in the books. I really like his character and feel more connected to him than Frodo. Can't wait to finish this adventure with the third book!
The Two Towers is the sequel to the first Lord of the Rings book, the Fellowship of the Ring. While parts of the first book were really slow moving, the second book definitely begins to pick up the pace. The book is filled with exciting characters, battles, and places. However if you're not into the fantasy genre then obviously you won't like the series, as it is one of the most well known fantasy series.
these books are incredible
Once again I was pleasantly surprised by Tolkien's 'Lord of the Ring's book 'The Two Towers' ', unlike the film it is not as dark and grimy as I feared and the story and character's have really begun to grow on me (even Gollum, who I was happy to see was given a more substantial personality than the film allows). Of course I knew to expect a more sinister move into the story's plot but even so the language and style of the book remains exceedingly detailed and easy to follow (save a few made-up elvish words and remembering the different names of places).
Tolkien is, in my opinion, an exceedingly skilled storyteller and I am thoroughly enjoying his series of books that encompass the story of the Ring!
Even though I realise that it is very cheeky, I have even decided to postpone reading 'The Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas' so that I can finish the trilogy straight away, I just need to continue the adventurous journey for as long as it lasts! Listing Tolkien's books as either Literary or Classic fiction is an understatement, these books are timeless.
Tolkien is, in my opinion, an exceedingly skilled storyteller and I am thoroughly enjoying his series of books that encompass the story of the Ring!
Even though I realise that it is very cheeky, I have even decided to postpone reading 'The Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas' so that I can finish the trilogy straight away, I just need to continue the adventurous journey for as long as it lasts! Listing Tolkien's books as either Literary or Classic fiction is an understatement, these books are timeless.
best of the trilogy
Again, flawless.
As this was much faster-paced and more action-packed than its predecessor, I enjoyed this book much more than The Fellowship of the Ring.
If it was possible to understand this book without reading the Fellowship of the Ring, I'd recommend everyone start the series with Two Towers. Unfortunately, that's not possible. So don't do that.
Long story short: The entire series is a bastion of the fantasy genre, and a must-read for any fantasy fan. Luckily, by the end of the first book, the pace starts picking up. By the second book, it's whipping right along, and the third book is also a great read.
If it was possible to understand this book without reading the Fellowship of the Ring, I'd recommend everyone start the series with Two Towers. Unfortunately, that's not possible. So don't do that.
Long story short: The entire series is a bastion of the fantasy genre, and a must-read for any fantasy fan. Luckily, by the end of the first book, the pace starts picking up. By the second book, it's whipping right along, and the third book is also a great read.
9/2012- I do lean towards TTT in my moments of needing comfort. There's Treebeard here, after all. And Eomer, of course. Plus the resurrection. And Isengard and the breaking of the staff.
2011-This middle portion may well be my favorite. Though it's hard to tell- after all these years and all these readings, I'm not sure there's an objective bone left in my body. I do love them so.
2011-This middle portion may well be my favorite. Though it's hard to tell- after all these years and all these readings, I'm not sure there's an objective bone left in my body. I do love them so.
Oh, my word, this book is good. Even after over 20 readings, I never tire of it. It's been 17 years since I first read it, and still I love it.
Very hard to review this book as it such a universal classic and a the storyline is almost widely known. I read this for the second or third time after not reading it for a good while. It was wonderful to read this book with such a distinction between good and evil. The 'goodies' are honourable, kind and true of heart. The 'baddies' are black of heart, and rotten to the core. Samwise is the real hero of this book, with his unwavering dedication to Frodo. The fight between him and Shelob, is breath taking, not only for how he physically defeats her, but, because of his inner thoughts in which he does not think about his own safety at all but his love for Frodo, and the promise he made to go with him till the end and protect him. Then, the poor conflicted Gollum/Smeagol is there to straddle this gap, who is constantly wrangling inside with his desire to take to take the ring at whatever cost, and the part of him that can't quite believe that someone understands the pull the ring has and treats him with understanding. It's obvious that the desire for the ring will win in the end, but, adds a third dimension to a perfect book
The tone of this second part is different, at least in book three. The feel is more of an epic - the great deeds of men - somewhat stylized. Book four takes the reader back to Frodo and then the feel is a bit more homey although grim and desperate. I loved the Ents - they are wonderful! And despite his despicableness, there is a scene or two that made me feel empathy for Gollum, which gives the character a sense of being real. And I love Sam - he's so loyal and determined.
The pace picked up a bit more in parts during this book, although it was still a little lacking at times. The battle at the beginning was over quite quickly, but was enjoyable to read about whilst it lasted. I enjoyed the way in which the 2 books within this book differed quite a lot in their tone. The second book is concerned with Frod and Sam's journey towards Mordor and was an interesting one and the ring's taking over of Frodo becomes more prevalant.I will of course read the next book to conclude the story, and in truth will feel a little releived to be able to move onto something a bit easier to read through.
Definitely not as good as The Fellowship. I found myself very disappointed. There were so many great and glorious battles in this book that were either glossed over, or the reader arrives just in time to miss the action. I gladly would have sacrificed a few dozen pages of minute analysis of the character's every...damn...movement and thought, for a few pages of action.
Re reading after seeing the Peter Jackson films (which I love) and finding it far richer and more nuanced. These books stay with you...
I found the first half of The Two Towers ("Book Three") to be very slow in places, and I really find reading about battles tedious. However, Book Four, focused on Frodo, Sam, and Semagol/Gollum was a great read. The interplay between the three, and the chance to really get to know Sam better, was fascinating. Gripping ending too.
The saga continues. I have to admit there were times when I was reading Two Towers and I thought, "Wait. Didn't I just read this? Wasn't this in Fellowship of the Ring?" My advice would be to read the entire Lord of the Rings series straight through. That way you won't lose your place and confused with the details.At this point in the saga Frodo and crew are still traveling through the dangerous countryside on a journey to destroy the magic ring. Along the way they encounter Gandolph (who they thought was dead), trees that can walk, talk and see called Ents, the have a couple of skirmishes with bad guys and they trust creepy swamp creature, Gollum. We leave the happy hobbits as Frodo is being captured. Okay, so they're not so happy.
At the end of the first book Frodo and Sam get separated from the rest ofthe group, because orcs attack them. Marry and Pippin are carried off by the orcs. Now Aragorn, Gimili and Legolas must find and rescue them. Frodo and Sam continue their journey with the help of Smegle (onc a hobbit, now a weird lokking creature obsesed with the ring.) As Marry and Pippin get carried off, the orcs are attacked by Rohirans (men from thekingdom of Rohan.) Marry and Pippin run into Fangorn (big and old forest.) In the forest the encounter Tree Beard (ent.) Meanwhile Aragon, Gimili and Legolas try there best to find the two hobbits. Later theyfind Gandalf who had fallen ino an abyss in the previous book. Gandalf explains to them how he survived, and how he become Gandalf the white. He used to be Gandalf the grey. After spending some timewith the ents, the hobbits and Tree Beard discover that Sourman (bad wizard) has cut down thousands of trees. The ents get angry and take over Isendgard (the place where Sourman lives.) Sam, Frodo and Smegle get captured by Gondorians (men who live in the kingdom of Gondor.) The Gondorians let them go as they engage orcs in a battle. What Sam and Frodo do not know is that Smegle is leading them to their death, because he wants the ring. This book was even more amazing than the second one. The author showed the reader much more of Middle Earth (where the book takes place.) For example, the book introduces the reader to Gondor and Rohan. There was also much more action in the book. There was probably 5 battles in the book. Many new characters where inclded as well. The return of Gandalf made the book and the series more interesting for me. I recomend this book to readers who want an action packed book with mysticalcreatures.
Easily my favorite of all Tolkein's books. He really expands Middle Earth as he follows the stories of each group of the fragmented Fellowship.
My favorite of the trilogy, the darkest. I especially find the Mines of Moria gripping. Very very cool.
OK, a much better experience than with the first of this series. Why?? Not completely sure, but i'll make an attempt. Being a fairly grounded engineer-type soul, the fantasy genre certainly seems challenging to me by its very nature. The Fellowship Book bogged me down with way too much unpronounceable detail that my brain wanted so much to completely grasp, but it couldn't, and thus the frustration.....the story eventually carried me along when i 'let go' of all that and i survived. This book, seemed less overwhelming in that respect, likely because i had already covered the basics and i did finally have somewhat of a handle on Middle Earth. A major frustration with my particular volume was the tiny map at the front which did not show the major sites of much of the action in the book.....maddening to me......my mind needs to see it! But, my dear friend Jenny, understanding me all too well, gave me the perfect gift as i was half-way thru the book; a huge fold-out detailed map of Middle Earth covering the entire epic. I was finally at peace! And the story actually got rather gripping at the end with some startling events that left me hanging, something i enjoy, at least when the next book is already on the shelf waiting for me. I will take a one-book breather with something non-Tolkien to allow my brain to reorganize.......and i definitely am anxious to the see the movie of this now that i have finished the book. Then it will be onto book #3. Which i am definitely looking forward to now much more than i was for this one.
"Two Towers" still occupies a large parcel in my reader's heart, but I was troubled this time by a few things I never noticed before. To my mind, the narrative suffers when Aragorn & Co. are freed to run around without the troublesome hobbits slowing things down and mucking things up. The problem is, these guys just KICK TOO MUCH ASS -- whether it's Gandalf healing Theoden instantaneously, Aragorn reforging his legendary sword, or Gimli and Legolas running up their frag counts into the dozens at Helm's Deep, things just always seem to fall just the right way for the Fellowship, which hurts the suspense level somewhat, although, to be fair, I don't think nail-biting thrills were ever Tolkien's point. My complaint isn't limited to Aragorn's crew; isn't it a little off that Saruman, the wizard so powerful that he was able to subdue Gandalf, gets his shit ruined by a crowd of tree-men? What about the band of orcs that terrorized Rohan's entire countryside getting unceremoniously dispatched by a few Rohirrim? Everyone seems to be just laughing their merry way to tearing Sauron a new eye-socket. Frodo and Sam, meanwhile, have a bit tougher go of it. The dynamics between Frodo, Sam and Gollum, and their struggles to reach Mordor, keep "Two Towers" from devolving into a dry history. They don't encounter easily conquered obstacles; they blunder into real dangers. They must flee, find other ways around, and only occasionally directly confront danger, and sometimes they're even captured and defeated. Their weakness, the true key to the heart of this saga, is refreshing.
Book one of The Two Towers As Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas cast off Boromir's grave boat, they make the difficult dissishin to follow after the two hobbits Merry and Pippin who were stollen away. As they run to catch up with the Uruk-Hai, Aragorn finds the brooch that was given to one of the hobbits from Gladriel and get an extra burst of speed knowing that at least one of the hobbits are still alive. They then encounter a band of horsemen known as The riders of Rohan. They are lent horses and are told that the band of Uruks had been killed and that they had not seen any hobbits. When the small company finally gets to the scene, they find that the hobbits went into the woods and they discover Gandalf in the forrest of Fangorn as Merry and Pippin Find themselves in the pressens of Treebeard. So Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf the White ride to Rohan to tell the king to go and fight aginst Saruman. After they get Wormtoung away from the king and headed back to Saruman, King Theoden amasses his armies and heads to Helms Deep to fight against Saruman's armies. After the battle, they head to Isengard and find that the ents had compleatly destroied the surrounding terances and Found Saurman Trapped inside his tower. After Grimma Wormtoung throghs the Palantir out the window, they head back to the Golden Hall in Rohan. I liked this book because the was a lot of good battles fought.Book two of The Two Towers
First thing--The Lord of the Rings was conceived as one novel and The Two Towers is the middle portion. These aren't self-contained books, so if you haven't read The Fellowship of the Ring first you're going to be lost--and if you don't have The Return of the King by your side when you're finished you're going to be frustrated.This is a tremendously influential book in modern fantasy. If you're a fan of the genre at all I'd recommend reading The Lord of the Rings if only so you can spot the many cheap imitations. However, yes, some parts are a slog. On my reread of The Fellowship of the Ring I was mostly impressed with how readable it was--not so much the case I think with Book One of The Two Towers. The title refers to two towers that are ruled over by the dark lords of Middle Earth our heroes must defeat. At the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, the group that had combined forces was scattered. Frodo and Sam left to make their way to Mordor, and the rest of the group was split further. The other two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, were captured by Orcs and in the first half of the book Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas go hunting for them and we follow their adventures involving the tower at Isengard. And this is where I really found the reading a slog. It seems whenever Tolkien has hobbits in the mix, the narrative is light, humorous and engaging. But when they disappear from the narrative, Tolkien goes into heroic saga mode. Gimli challenges those who impugn "his" lady's honor like a knight out of Mallory. Out of his and others' mouths come out words like: verily, alas, forsooth, ere, aught, oft, nay, yonder. I think that is what contributes to the reputation of The Lord of the Rings as stiff (and those songs--which I skip over.)Even in that first part, though, there are pleasures. Our first glimpse, for instance, of Eowyn is in this part--the closest thing Tolkien has to a kick-ass heroine. Then there's the Ents who--not unlike Tolkien's hobbits--are a fresh fantasy creation--even after decades of fantasy. I loved Treebeard in particular.And I don't think the second book of this volume, that follows Sam and Frodo into Mordor, is a slog at all. Gollum is genuinely creepy and pitiable and the entire journey is as epic and imaginative as something out of Dante's Inferno and the development of all three characters and Sam and Frodo's friendship is wonderful to read.