The Lord of the Rings Series In Order: How To Read J. R. R. Tolkien’s Books.
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The Lord of the Rings series is one of the most popular book series ever written. Tolkien’s works and world inspired many modern fantasy authors. He is widely considered to be one of the fathers of modern epic fantasy.
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What is The Lord of the Rings series about? What You Need To Know:
It all begins with the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who is one of the peace-seeking small folk in The Hobbit, a tale of their adventures with the wizard Gandalf, and the dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield. They travel west from Hobbiton to confront Smaug, who lives in the dwarves’ ancestral home. Upon returning home, Frodo leaves his young cousin, Bilbo, a souvenir from their adventures – a magical artifact that would change the balance of the world. This sets Frodo and his companions on a quest to face a clash between the powers for good and evil and the fight to overcome the darkness in their world before it overwhelms them. Magical, beautiful, and dangerous at times, Tolkien’s worlds are always unforgettable.
The Rings of Power: Everything You Need to Know Before Watching
The Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings. It’s a time period in Middle-earth referred to as the Second Age, because time in this world is divided across globally impactful events. The Third Age, where Sauron is a big glowy eye and is hunting for his ring, is very far away from the events of this series. Sauron is very much person-shaped in this series.
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Additionally, where the films were adapted from the three books written by J.R.R. Tolkien, the TV series is not so thoroughly sourced. Amazon was unable to secure the film rights to The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s collection of stories from before The Lord of the Rings. Instead, this series will be based on the appendices in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien left a ton of notes about the history of Middle-earth in his very popular trilogy, including an abridged history of many of the events within The Silmarillion.
The Lord of the Rings Books in Order: How to read J. R. R. Tolkien’s Series:
There are five books in The Lord of the Rings series and this is the correct order for reading them.
1 – The Silmarillion
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The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder days, of the first age of Tolkien’s universe. It is the ancient story to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose happenings some of them such as Galadriel and Elrond participated. Tolkien’s stories take place in an era when Morgoth, the First Dark Lord, dwelled in Middle Earth, and the High Elves waged war against him for the recovery of jewels called the Silmarils.
2 – The Hobbit
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Whipped out of his comfortable hobbit hole by Gandalf the Wizard and a band of Dwarves, Bilbo Baggins gets caught up in a plot by Sauron to steal the treasure of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very deadly Dragon.
3 – The Fellowship of the Ring
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Sauron, the dark lord, has gathered together all the rings of power – the means by which they intend to rule middle earth. A young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins finds himself in a sleepy village in the shire, where he meets an old man who asks him to take care of a ring. Frodo must leave the Shire and travel to Crack of Dooms, where he must destroy the One Ring and foil Sauron’s evil plan.
4 – The Two Towers
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Frodo and his companions have faced many dangers during their quest to destroy the One Ring. They have lost the Wizard, Gandalf, in their battle against an evil spirit in the mines of Moria; and, at the Falls of Rauros, Boromir tried to seize the ring by force. While Frodo and his companion Sam escaped from the rest of the company, they were attacked by Orcs. They continue their journey alone down river, save for the mysterious creature that follows them wherever they go.
5 – The Return of the King
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As the armies of the Dark Lord spread ever wider, they are gathering for their final assault. Men, dwarves, elves and Ents unite forces in an attempt to defeat the dark. Meanwhile, Frodo struggles deeper into Mordor in his heroic quest to destroy the ring.
