Lord of the Rings question

nice work...MEN!!!

 

The rings of power were created by Noldorian elves and Sauron during the Second Age. This was during a time when Sauron wasn't "out of the closet" evil, but was deceiving the peoples of Middle Earth. (His master, Morgoth, had been finally defeated and cast into the Void in the First Age by the Valar, and Sauron wasn't in a position of strength.)

Men at that time were more noble than during the third age. The Numenorian kings (the ancestors and founders of the great human kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor) were of great wisdom and strength. But slowly they became discontent with their short lifespans (compared to the Elves - though they did live several hundred years) and eventually, they became poisoned by Sauron. Their home (the island of Numenor) was destroyed after they attempted an invasion of Aman (the West) itself across the Western ocean. It was after this invasion that the way west was sundered for all but the Elves (and special hobbits) who would return home from Middle Earth to Aman/Valinor.

As for the Dwarven rings, they were either consumed by dragon fire (or dragon stomachs ) or were lost in the depths of the Dwarven kingdoms (under mountains, such as Khazad-dum - i.e. Moria). Besides which, the Dwarves were unaffected by the influence that Sauron tried to assert over them through the rings. This was probably due to the fact that they were not created by the same being as the elves, men, and spirits (such as Sauron), but by a lesser 'god', although that is speculation since it isn't directly stated.
(The speculative part is why they weren't affected, not their origin).

I'm sorry for the lengthy answer (and I've given you the brief version), but with Tolkien, it is difficult to explain things without going deeper into the history that he created. Everything that you see in the movies, and *cough* read in the Lord of the Rings, has a history.

If you haven't read LOTR, you most definately should. You should also read the Hobbit, preferrably first, and then after you've read LOTR, you should read the Silmarillion, which tells you the story of the creation of Middle-Earth and its history, which is very epic in scale.

 

i guess im going a book buy'n... thanks...

 

If you're buying Tolkien I suggest the following:

LOTR (Fellowship, Two Towers, Return of the King)
The Hobbit - if you want more of a story of Bilbo, the Ring and Gollum
Unfinished Tales of Middle Earth, Parts 1 and 2 - this is a history behind it all and explains quite a bit of the people, places and things mentioned later on.

I'd suggest the Silmarillion but that's a rather awkward read if you're not accustomed to Tolkien's style as Aeternus mentioned is not straight foward. He has several other books as does his son Christopher if you find yourself wanting more.

 

One thing about reading Tolken and seeing the movies....The movies are more fun. Don't get me wrong, great stories, but I'm not a fan of Tolken's writing style. Might have been because I had such high expectations. I had avoided them for a long time for that very reason.]

But personally, I'd take a new Gemmel book or Martin book over a new Tolken book any day of the week.

Anywho, on a fun note, 50 min of extra footage in the extended version of Return of the King, now I just have to freaking wait until Dec 15th to buy it

 

I guess it depends on the individual...because I went throught the Silmarillion fairly quickly....ate it right up...and that was in 9th grade. I'm not trying to say Tolkien isn't a longer read, and I'm not saying that Silmarillion isn't a different format - its essentially the combined mythology/history of Tolkien's creation, and it covers many different personas and historical periods. It is chronological,however, at least to the best of my knowledge.

But in the end...if you only want a quick read...like Eddings or Goodkind, for example...that's all your gonna get - a quick, easy, simple read...(edit: I'll restrain myself from expressing certain opinions/judgements here ) that aren't always that great. But in the end, its all opinions. I just think that if you enjoy the story of LOTR and are interested in knowing more about it, you are robbing yourself by not reading the books and others like the Silmarillion, because they reveal a much deeper and facinating world - a world that totally pwns nearly all other sci-fi/fantasy literature.

 

i hate goodkind...gah...

 

shhh....i agree with you....seems like a 3rd grader came up with the world and storyline....but i'm pretty sure there are some fans on here....don't want to rile them up...might have to them...

 

If you want to check out an excellent fantasy author, try Guy Gavriel Kay:

http://www.brightweavings.com/books/index.htm

 

im in the process of finishing up salvatore's series with drizz't and friends now...i like his writing...the icewind dale trilogy has been my fav so far....

 

Don't forget to read all of his novels. They all tie together

www.rasalvatore.com

"The Icewind Dale Trilogy"

I.The Crystal Shard
II. Streams of Silver
III. The Halfling's Gem


"The Dark Elf Trilogy"

I.Homeland
II.Exile
III.Sojourn

"Legacy of the Drow"

I.The Legacy
II.Starless Night
III.Siege of Darkness
IV.Passage To Dawn


"Paths of Darkness"

I.The Silent Blade
II.Spine of the World
III.Servant of the Shard
IV.Sea of Swords


"The Hunter's Blade"

I.The Thousand Orcs
II.The Lone Drow
III.The Two Swords <---- This one Just came out.


"The Cleric Quintet"

I.Canticle
II.In Sylvan Shadows
III.Night Masks
IV.The Fallen Fortress
V.The Chaos Curse