Lord of the Rings eBooks

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Quexos

I'm wondering, does anyone who has read or is reading the books, have read or will read the appendices ? Cause those are rather exhaustive and long. When I read LOTR many years ago I skipped through the appendices cause it seemed to be unnecessary to the story (though complementary)

There's no need to read the Appendicies. But some of us find the minutiae of Shire Reckoning or how the Hobbits' names have been "translated" fascinating.

[Nathanael]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The films omit a number of major episodes which are in the books, and also have composite characters.

There are also some scenes in the movies that weren't in the books. The warg battle on the way to Helm's Deep, for example; where did THAT come from? Sam and Frodo at Osgiliath, for another. The Passes of the Dead. And Elrond personally travelling incognito half way across Middle-earth just to give Aragorn his sword (what? he doesn't have people to do that for him?) -- when in the books Aragorn already had it.

Originally Posted by HarryT

The books are just so much better in every way.

I'd mostly agree with you, but I have to say some of the visuals in the movie were WAY better than I'd concocted in my own imagination. The orcs were much more threatening, the Bridge of Khazad-dum was spectacularly awesome, and I *loved* Shelob.

While I can forgive Peter Jackson for, for example, telescoping Glorfindel and Arwen or an overemphasis on the battles, and I can understand the omission of Bombadil, I am and will remain eternally peeved at him for putting elves in Helm's Deep. Total travesty; not only was there no excuse, there wasn't even a dramatic call for it.

(Oh, and don't even get me started on Sam's corny "What are we fighting for?" speech. Yeccchhhh!)

[curtw]

Originally Posted by Nathanael

There are also some scenes in the movies that weren't in the books. The warg battle on the way to Helm's Deep, for example; where did THAT come from? Sam and Frodo at Osgiliath, for another. The Passes of the Dead. And Elrond personally travelling incognito half way across Middle-earth just to give Aragorn his sword (what? he doesn't have people to do that for him?) -- when in the books Aragorn already had it.

I haven't read the books in over a decade, but I *know* the passes of the dead are in there. When it was announced that Peter Jackson was directing the films, I wondered to myself if he would make them more "ghost-like" or as zombies (because of his prior work). He took an interesting middle ground.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by curtw

I haven't read the books in over a decade, but I *know* the passes of the dead are in there. When it was announced that Peter Jackson was directing the films, I wondered to myself if he would make them more "ghost-like" or as zombies (because of his prior work). He took an interesting middle ground.

But, if memory serves me correctly, there's only a brief reported description after the event - we don't see it "first hand". Please do correct me if I'm wrong.

[Pookeysgirl]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But, if memory serves me correctly, there's only a brief reported description after the event - we don't see it "first hand". Please do correct me if I'm wrong.

You are correct. We just get a story about the journey told by Legolas and a bit by Gimli. They were telling Merry and Pippin what happened after the battle of Minas Tirith.

I just finished reading it yesterday

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But, if memory serves me correctly, there's only a brief reported description after the event - we don't see it "first hand". Please do correct me if I'm wrong.

The paths (not passes) of the dead are described from Gimli's point of view, but it is a fairly brief passage at the end of Chapter 2 of Book 5

What isn't described (except in recollection later) is

Spoiler:

the taking of the black ships by Aragorn and the Dunedain.

[HarryT]

Thanks - that confirms what I thought. Time I re-read the book .

[curtw]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The paths (not passes) of the dead are described from Gimli's point of view, but it is a fairly brief passage at the end of Chapter 2 of Book 5

What isn't described (except in recollection later) is

Spoiler:

the taking of the black ships by Aragorn and the Dunedain.

Yes, but I did go into the film expecting to see the event, not have it narrated. And I'm perplexed that somebody would truly expect otherwise, especially after "seeing" other events in the earlier films that were only described in the books (Gandalf's research in Gondor, etc.)

[Nathanael]

Originally Posted by curtw

I'm perplexed that somebody would truly expect otherwise, especially after "seeing" other events in the earlier films that were only described in the books (Gandalf's research in Gondor, etc.)

Since I'm the one who brought it up, I'll say I wasn't perplexed at seeing the scene; simply mentioning that it was one among many scenes in the movie that weren't in the book. Scenes such as the Paths (my bad) of the Dead and the other one pdurrant mentioned occur in the story, just off-stage.

I was perplexed at both the warg battle and the presence of elves at Helm's Deep; both were invented out of whole cloth, and are neither supported by nor in conformity with the books. The "old alliances" Haldir mentions as justification for the elves' presence were between the Eldar and the Edain. But Haldir was not of the Eldar (like Legolas, he and his comrades from Lothlorien were most likely Silvan elves who never made the journey to the Undying Lands) nor were the Rohirrim of the Edain, the Great Houses of Men from whom Aragorn and the Gondorians are descended.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Nathanael

I was perplexed at both the warg battle and the presence of elves at Helm's Deep; both were invented out of whole cloth, and are neither supported by nor in conformity with the books.

That's as nothing compared to the character assassination done to Sam, Faramir and Treebeard, to mention just three!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

That's as nothing compared to the character assassination done to Sam, Faramir and Treebeard, to mention just three!

In the case of Treebeard, that's largely a result of his character being merged with that of "Old Man Willow" from the omitted "Tom Bombadil" portion of the story.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

In the case of Treebeard, that's largely a result of his character being merged with that of "Old Man Willow" from the omitted "Tom Bombadil" portion of the story.

I was thinking more of the fact that in the film

Spoiler:

The entmoot decides not to help.

[HarryT]

Good point - I'd forgotten that detail of the films.

[DuckieTigger]

Don't understand the pricing though. Single Volume $9.99, 3 Parts seperate $24.86. Why even bother to buy it in pieces?

[DuckieTigger]

Just bought both - The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: One Volume. Have not spend a lot of time with it, but I checked out the X-Ray on both. I like the way the X-Ray is so full of a lot of information for both books. Does anyone know if the previous version from the old publisher had X-Ray this nice?