After Brandon's comment on my "Knife in the Dark" post, I realized that I've neglected to provide any background on an important, if rarely mentioned character - Melkor, the original big bad guy whom the Elves call Morgoth or "Black Foe".First thing to understand is that the Valar are divided into two "castes" for lack … Continue reading Morgoth and the 1st Age
Chapter 11: A Knife in the Dark
This chapter is a long one and covers quite a bit of ground. For simplicity's sake, I've divided the chapter into 3 sections.Fire on Weathertop by Ted NasmithThe Riders in BucklandThe first part of the chapter brings us back to Crickhollow and Fatty Bolger, who is still pretending that Frodo is holed up there to … Continue reading Chapter 11: A Knife in the Dark
Chapter 10: Strider
Chapter 10 is where we really dive into the character of Strider and get to know who this mysterious person is. But, like most of Tolkien's major characters, we're left with as many questions as answers.At the Sign of the Prancing Pony by Ted NasmithLet's start with a quick run-down of the chapter:Hobbits return to … Continue reading Chapter 10: Strider
Chapter 9: At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
Tolkien dives into a bit of a history dump when the Hobbits approach Bree, which is good since we know little to nothing about the non-Hobbit world thus far. Remember, the story begins with a lengthy exposition on Hobbits and their customs, we can't expect there to be no exposition here.For this post, I want … Continue reading Chapter 9: At the Sign of the Prancing Pony
Chapter 8: Fog on the Barrow-Downs
(I'm doing something new here where I bold and italicize Tolkien's words to draw more emphasis to them. Let me know if it helps or if I should do it differently)In this chapter, Frodo and company set out across the foreboding Barrow-downs and are, of course, snatched by the wights into danger.When Frodo comes to … Continue reading Chapter 8: Fog on the Barrow-Downs
Chapter 3: Three is Company
In this chapter, Frodo, Sam, and Pippen set off to Buckland to move Frodo into his new home on the far eastern edge of the Shire.This is the first real leg of the trip, even if it is mostly across rolling hills and gentle thickets, and we get our first taste of how the Hobbits … Continue reading Chapter 3: Three is Company
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