Fantasy

The War of the Ring

The War of the Ring

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  • Create Date：2021-07-26 09:55:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：J.R.R. Tolkien
  • ISBN：0261102230
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Summary

The War of the Ring takes up the story of The Lord of the Rings with the Battle of Helm's Deep and the drowning of Isengard by the Ents， continues with the journey of Frodo， Sam and Gollum to the Pass of Cirith Ungol， describes the war in Gondor， and ends with the parley between Gandalf and the ambassador of the Dark Lord before the Black Gate of Mordor。 Unforeseen developments that would become central to the narrative are seen at the moment of their emergence: the palantír bursting into fragments on the stairs of Orthanc， its nature as unknown to the author as to those who saw it fall， or the entry of Faramir into the story （'I am sure I did not invent him， I did not even want him， though I like him， but there he came walking through the woods of Ithilien'）。

The book is illustrated with the plans and drawings of the changing conceptions of Orthanc， Dunharrow， Minas Tirith and the tunnels of Shelob's Lair。

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Reviews

Ancillar ，

skimmedsome nice little mapsif seeking anything other than a master class in creating an epic， skip or skim this and the previous two History of Middle-Earth volumes。

Matias Cerizola ，

La Guerra Del Anillo。- J。R。R。 Tolkien⁣⁣⁣"Entonces no te apresures en dispensar la muerte en nombre de la justicia， temiendo por tu propia seguridad， pues ni el más sabio conoce el final de todos los caminos。"⁣⁣⁣La Guerra Del Anillo es la tercer entrega de La Historia Del Señor De Los Anillos， una serie de libros editados por Christopher Tolkien en los que analiza distintos textos escritos por su padre mientras daba forma a la historia de El Señor De Los Anillos。⁣⁣⁣En el presente volúmen Christop La Guerra Del Anillo。- J。R。R。 Tolkien⁣⁣⁣"Entonces no te apresures en dispensar la muerte en nombre de la justicia， temiendo por tu propia seguridad， pues ni el más sabio conoce el final de todos los caminos。"⁣⁣⁣La Guerra Del Anillo es la tercer entrega de La Historia Del Señor De Los Anillos， una serie de libros editados por Christopher Tolkien en los que analiza distintos textos escritos por su padre mientras daba forma a la historia de El Señor De Los Anillos。⁣⁣⁣En el presente volúmen Christopher nos trae distintos bocetos， ilustraciones， notas y capítulos enteros （luego modificados en las versiones que terminaron publicadas） sobre la batalla del Abismo de Helm， la inundación de Isengard producto del accionar de los Ents， el viaje de Frodo， Sam y Gollum， el encuentro con Faramir， las escaleras de "Kirith Ungol" entre otras cosas…。⁣⁣⁣De igual forma que los libros anteriores de esta serie， no van a encontrar historias nuevas ni nada parecido。 Debido a la meticulosidad de John a la hora de plasmar en papel sus historias， las mismas estaban en constante evolución hasta su publicación （y después también， por ejemplo El Hobbit）， y esto es lo que tenemos acá， la evolución de la historia de El Señor De Los Anillos  ¿Interesante？ Si， súper; pero para el fanático de la saga que va a descubrir infinidad de detalles de su obra favorita， para el resto de la gente… no tanto la verdad。 A ellos les recomiendo leer la trilogía finalmente publicada， una obra maestra por dónde se la mire。⁣⁣⁣🤘🤘🤘 。。。more

Noelle ，

Wow it's so interesting how different Tolkien's creative process for LOTR was from his other works。 HoLOTR is a pleasure to read。 Wow it's so interesting how different Tolkien's creative process for LOTR was from his other works。 HoLOTR is a pleasure to read。 。。。more

Mitch Milam ，

The name "Trotter" STILL hasn't died。 When are you gonna give， Tolkien？？ The name "Trotter" STILL hasn't died。 When are you gonna give， Tolkien？？ 。。。more

Caleb Jore ，

Definitely the most difficult volume so far as the textual changes become less and less noteworthy， but fascinating in its own right。 One more volume and I can start Morgoth’s Ring。 :D

Michael Joosten ，

Due to gaps in the collection possessed by the local library going up， this， the eighth volume of The History of Middle-earth was more like the fourth one I read--and， until this current reread， I had never read the LotR volumes of this series together in sequential order。Doing so makes more clear the structure of Tolkien's writing of The Lord of the Rings， which proceeded in great waves， one rolling after the other: the various waves of building intensity （oft returning to the beginning of the Due to gaps in the collection possessed by the local library going up， this， the eighth volume of The History of Middle-earth was more like the fourth one I read--and， until this current reread， I had never read the LotR volumes of this series together in sequential order。Doing so makes more clear the structure of Tolkien's writing of The Lord of the Rings， which proceeded in great waves， one rolling after the other: the various waves of building intensity （oft returning to the beginning of the tale） that finally brought the story to Balin's tomb， then what I think of as the "Aragorn" wave， bringing the tale to Gandalf and Pippin's ride to Gondor， with dangling threads everywhere for what was to come， then a wave each each for Book IV and Book V--and here ended The War of the Ring， with the armies of Gondor and Rohan marching on the Black Gate。This is the volume where the development of Rohan and Gondor happens--each existed before and were seeds of storyline waiting to blossom。 Technically， we get to meet Éomer's éored and arrive in Meduseld in the previous volume， but just as we had already met Boromir and heard much of "Ondor，" the tale of the land and thus of its inhabitants happens in these pages--and nowhere moreso than in the drafts that developed the conversations of Frodo and Sam with Faramir in Ithilien。 。。。more

Richard ，

The War of the Ring follows the drafting of The Lord of the Rings from halfway through The Two Towers （with Frodo and Sam still stuck in the Emyn Muil， and Gandalf and his party on the way to Helm's Deep from Edoras） until halfway through The Return of the King。 As the journey nears its end， or at least its final act， the scope for innovation （in the form of major variations from the text of The Lord of the Rings as eventually published） is less than in the previous two books in the series。 Ther The War of the Ring follows the drafting of The Lord of the Rings from halfway through The Two Towers （with Frodo and Sam still stuck in the Emyn Muil， and Gandalf and his party on the way to Helm's Deep from Edoras） until halfway through The Return of the King。 As the journey nears its end， or at least its final act， the scope for innovation （in the form of major variations from the text of The Lord of the Rings as eventually published） is less than in the previous two books in the series。 There are some new developments that spring into life and alter the story in ways that Tolkien had not originally envisaged - the emergence of Faramir， Aragon's journey through the Paths of the Dead， the palantíri - and some pieces of the final picture that are yet to be achieved （no Arwen yet， although pre-traces of her part begin to show towards the end of the volume）; but there are fewer alternative plots to be followed or imagined in The Return of the Shadow or The Treason of Isengard。 As a result， The War of the Ring is a less exciting read than its predecessors， although equally worthy as a piece of Tolkien scholarship in its minute tracking of details of plot， naming， geography， and chronology。 Most of these can be skimmed by those more interested in the big picture， and their profusion can be a bit overwhelming at times overwhelming at times—and sometimes a little underwhelming as well！ For anyone who is not an ultra-completist， the broad-brush sketches captured by Tolkien's notes， rather than his more detailed drafts， may be the most accessible and enjoyable parts of the book; until the last few chapters， perhaps， when the drafting of the Minas Tirith story is itself quite fascinating。 Outside of these sections， the addition of a few editorial summaries （providing an overview of the location and role of Kirith Ungol， for example） would have been a welcome addition。Having finished reading The War of the Ring just a few weeks after the death of Christopher Tolkien， it would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity of paying tribute to his indefatigable efforts toward securing， and his own huge contribution to， the legacy of his father's work。 As in The Treason of Isengard， Christopher appears here and there in this book as a participant in the creation of The Lord of the Rings; and we also catch a glimpse of him as a writer of a work-in-progress himself， as he acknowledges and clarifies lacunae or errors that had emerged since the publication of earlier volumes in the series。 I wonder if any future Tolkien scholar will write "The History of The History of Middle-earth" some day？ 。。。more

samantha l。 frederick ，

4。5

Nonethousand Oberrhein ，

How the King returnsChristopher Tolkien continues his thorough analysis of his father’s work dedicating this volume to the constitution of the narrative between the last half of The Two Towers and the first half of The Return of the King。 Sketches， outlines and comparisons between manuscript versions will satisfy any Tolkien enthusiast。 Not just a curiosity collection， but a deep dive into the writer’s head to better understand the building elements of long known characters。Here below my How the King returnsChristopher Tolkien continues his thorough analysis of his father’s work dedicating this volume to the constitution of the narrative between the last half of The Two Towers and the first half of The Return of the King。 Sketches， outlines and comparisons between manuscript versions will satisfy any Tolkien enthusiast。 Not just a curiosity collection， but a deep dive into the writer’s head to better understand the building elements of long known characters。Here below my reviews to the previous volumes of the History of Middle-earth:Vol。1: Sit down and listen Vol。2: Heroics of a young authorVol。3: The poet of Middle-earthVol。4: Sketches and Annals of the First AgeVol。5: A glimpse of NúmenorVol。6: When Trotter led the wayVol。7: From Rivendell to Rohan 。。。more

Thijs ，

I don't know what you want me to say about this one that I haven't said about the others！ It's simply delightful。 If you haven't read the others: what are you doing here for？ Go back and start from the beginning！Also， I do vaguely remember some writing about a full moon on feb 6th， but that didn't seem important or much mentioned at all， so I'm gonna skip that here。。。 I don't know what you want me to say about this one that I haven't said about the others！ It's simply delightful。 If you haven't read the others: what are you doing here for？ Go back and start from the beginning！Also， I do vaguely remember some writing about a full moon on feb 6th， but that didn't seem important or much mentioned at all， so I'm gonna skip that here。。。 。。。more

Makoto ，

Best

Sarah Zama ，

Fantasic， as all the rest of the History of Middle Earth。 Maybe in comparison to the other books of the History of the Lord of the Rings this is a bit less intriguing， because at this point （this is the first draft of The Return of the King） Tolkien had figured out most of the story， so there aren’t the ‘alternate’ ideas I found in the previous two books。 But it still gives us such interesting facts。 I loved learning about Eowyn’s evolution。 Some of the first ideas about her were so different fr Fantasic， as all the rest of the History of Middle Earth。 Maybe in comparison to the other books of the History of the Lord of the Rings this is a bit less intriguing， because at this point （this is the first draft of The Return of the King） Tolkien had figured out most of the story， so there aren’t the ‘alternate’ ideas I found in the previous two books。 But it still gives us such interesting facts。 I loved learning about Eowyn’s evolution。 Some of the first ideas about her were so different from how they evolved later。 Denethor is also a character that evolved a lot。 The pattern is always the same: Tolkien wrote the plot in a logical way， but then he saw twists in the story as he had laid it out。 Twists that added meaning and layers to the original plot。 I love watching this process happening in front of my eyes。 。。。more

Jon ，

@TolkienKC Last chance to discuss The War of the Ring as we finish reading Volume 8 of the History of Middle-earth and discuss it Friday， May 22nd， 6:30 p。m。 Central via Zoom （see link below to connect）。Topic: The Next Meeting of the Tolkien Society KC - Virtual Edition！Time: May 22， 2020 06:30 PM Central Time （US and Canada）Join Zoom Meetinghttps://park。zoom。us/j/97944448486？pw。。。Meeting ID: 979 4444 8486Password: hobbitryOne tap mobile+19292056099，，97944448486# US （New York）+13017158592，，97944 @TolkienKC Last chance to discuss The War of the Ring as we finish reading Volume 8 of the History of Middle-earth and discuss it Friday， May 22nd， 6:30 p。m。 Central via Zoom （see link below to connect）。Topic: The Next Meeting of the Tolkien Society KC - Virtual Edition！Time: May 22， 2020 06:30 PM Central Time （US and Canada）Join Zoom Meetinghttps://park。zoom。us/j/97944448486？pw。。。Meeting ID: 979 4444 8486Password: hobbitryOne tap mobile+19292056099，，97944448486# US （New York）+13017158592，，97944448486# US （Germantown）Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US （New York） +1 301 715 8592 US （Germantown） +1 312 626 6799 US （Chicago） +1 669 900 6833 US （San Jose） +1 253 215 8782 US （Tacoma） +1 346 248 7799 US （Houston）Meeting ID: 979 4444 8486Find your local number: https://park。zoom。us/u/adyz96O8xE 。。。more

Melissa ，

Well I spent the weekend catching up， and as I finished my section for today I realized there were just 5 pages left！ Yes， I read them！ And I can’t believe that I’ve finished another of Christopher Tolkien’s History of Middle Earth books。。。something I never thought I’d even attempt to read， but I’m still here and still loving the backstories， side tangents， and sometimes outright sleuthing to piece together the story behind the story we know。

Michael Pryor ，

Eye-opening， insightful， fascinating。

Warren Dunn ，

I had a lot of trouble with this book。 Looking at how long it took for me to read it the first time， I would say I had the same trouble then。 Of course， back then I had just entered university， and the workload was more than I expected。This time around， I think I was simply less interested。 But I wonder if it was just the style。 Most of this book was the author pointing out passages that changed， which requires an intimate knowledge of the Lord of the Rings， down to the sentences in each chapter I had a lot of trouble with this book。 Looking at how long it took for me to read it the first time， I would say I had the same trouble then。 Of course， back then I had just entered university， and the workload was more than I expected。This time around， I think I was simply less interested。 But I wonder if it was just the style。 Most of this book was the author pointing out passages that changed， which requires an intimate knowledge of the Lord of the Rings， down to the sentences in each chapter。 It almost expects the reader to have reread the trilogy just before reading this book。http://ossuslibrary。tripod。com/Bk_Fan。。。 。。。more

Stephen Poltz ，

It’s been over a year and a half since I last read a book in the History of Middle Earth （HoME） series。 So it was time to pick up the next in the series， the eighth。 “The War of the Ring” is also the third in the subseries of the History of the Lord of the Rings。 This book was a tougher start than most of the other books in this series that I’ve read。 I had a lot of trouble getting back into the swing of the purpose and format of the book。 It was probably because this book begins with the conclu It’s been over a year and a half since I last read a book in the History of Middle Earth （HoME） series。 So it was time to pick up the next in the series， the eighth。 “The War of the Ring” is also the third in the subseries of the History of the Lord of the Rings。 This book was a tougher start than most of the other books in this series that I’ve read。 I had a lot of trouble getting back into the swing of the purpose and format of the book。 It was probably because this book begins with the conclusion of the battle of Helm’s Deep and it had been so long since I had read the beginning of it。 Nonetheless， I eventually got into the rhythm of the book and settled down into a week and half of heavy but informative and interesting reading。Come visit my blog for the full review…https://itstartedwiththehugos。blogspo。。。 。。。more

Mythlee ，

I don't really get into the chronology or the maps， but development of the plot and characters is often fascinating。 Théoden's afterlife under the green mound， flowing forth gold or silver， and warning his people's descendants in times of peril？ Legolas -- rather than Gimli -- freaked out by the Paths of the Dead？ Éowyn and Merry riding openly into battle， with Théoden's knowledge and consent？ Denethor actually speaking to Faramir with some sensitivity？ All the things that seem so inevitable， so I don't really get into the chronology or the maps， but development of the plot and characters is often fascinating。 Théoden's afterlife under the green mound， flowing forth gold or silver， and warning his people's descendants in times of peril？ Legolas -- rather than Gimli -- freaked out by the Paths of the Dead？ Éowyn and Merry riding openly into battle， with Théoden's knowledge and consent？ Denethor actually speaking to Faramir with some sensitivity？ All the things that seem so inevitable， so right， in The Lord of the Rings were once up for grabs。Sadly， I didn't see any real evolution in specific details I've been paying attention to recently （certain aspects of the Mouth of Sauron scene and Gollum's near-repentence）。 But that sure as heck isn't due to any lack of diligence of Christopher Tolkien's part！ It might be that those details sprang fully-formed from Tolkien's pen， or they were overwritten， illegible， or otherwise lost。 We may never know。 But still， what we have is a gem。 。。。more

D-day ，

War Of The Ring is book 8 of the History Of Middle Earth series， note that this series is for Tolkien enthusiasts only and not meant for the casual fan。 This is the third volume documenting the creation of The Lord of the Rings。 When we last left off， Merry and Pippin had met Treebeard and Gandalf and Aragorn had met Théoden。 This installment takes us from Helms Deep through the Fall of Saruman， to the Siege of Minas Tirith and finally the Black Gate; so most of the Two Towers and the first half War Of The Ring is book 8 of the History Of Middle Earth series， note that this series is for Tolkien enthusiasts only and not meant for the casual fan。 This is the third volume documenting the creation of The Lord of the Rings。 When we last left off， Merry and Pippin had met Treebeard and Gandalf and Aragorn had met Théoden。 This installment takes us from Helms Deep through the Fall of Saruman， to the Siege of Minas Tirith and finally the Black Gate; so most of the Two Towers and the first half of the Return of the King。At this stage Tolkien knew where he wanted the story to go and there is no longer the frequent revisions of the early part of the story。 There were still some details to work out though: what exactly was the Palantir of Orthanc， who was Faramir， and how should Aragorn's journey through the Paths of the Dead be presented， as a flashback and if so when？ In contrast much of Frodo and Sam's journey had long been foreseen。 In fact much of the difficulty here was keeping Frodo's journey in sync with the other plots。 。。。more

Brian ，

Again， a must-read for Tolkien die-hards and with a couple of gems which I'll summarize。 This book， more than any other， confirms my opinion that Tolkien perceived himself to be "discovering" the work as he went along。 For the last time， do not trust critics who think that Tolkien had it all mapped out。This book begins with Helm's Deep which was a battle that wasn't particularly meant to happen until it was written。 Helm's Deep was not a fortress at first， but a kind of hollow geographical base。 Again， a must-read for Tolkien die-hards and with a couple of gems which I'll summarize。 This book， more than any other， confirms my opinion that Tolkien perceived himself to be "discovering" the work as he went along。 For the last time， do not trust critics who think that Tolkien had it all mapped out。This book begins with Helm's Deep which was a battle that wasn't particularly meant to happen until it was written。 Helm's Deep was not a fortress at first， but a kind of hollow geographical base。 In the original meeting of Gandalf with Saruman at Isenguard， Wormtongue throws the palantir--and it smashes on the steps！ In the next few drafts， it seems that Gandalf looks into the palantir （though this premise is short-lived）。When we return to Frodo and Sam， Tolkien envisages Gollum's betrayal， Shelob's lair （multiple spiders though at first） and Frodo's imprisonment in Cirith Ungol。 The detour with Faramir is completely unexpected and his identity as Boromir's brother only enters as Tolkien goes along。 When Shelob finally becomes a singular entity she is named Ungoliant right to the end。 When Sam puts on the ring， Tolkien emphasizes that the ring gives Sam understanding of orc language， but no courage。Tolkien began book five and knew that eventually it would reach the Black Gate， with Sauron's minions displaying Frodo's mithril coat。 However， the rest of it was initially very hazy。 He toys with a） making Aragorn and Eowyn fall in love and marry， and then b） with killing Eowyn in the battle。 Intriguingly， he had intended to work in a feast at Edoras at which Gandalf and Aragorn and the hobbits are present， which is exactly what Peter Jackson decided to do to provide breathing space in the film version （Tolkien also pondered making Gandalf tell Frodo to go to Bree， having the elves from Lothlorien reinforce the heroes， and sending both Pippin and Merry to the final confrontation at the black gate）。 This is not to justify Jackson， but the fact that certain plot developments can both be thought of when working within similar constraints is very telling: don't assume that striking similarities between different authors are the result of imitation。 Certain plots， it seems， do tend to favor certain events。 The Ride of the Rohirrim and the Paths of the Dead sequences were also somewhat later developments， and Tolkien kept pondering a return of the ents to the battles before Gondor。 Merry's accompaniment with Theoden was initially to be open before Theoden forbade him。 Denethor is initially a much more fatherly figure， taking back his statement that he wished Faramir had died and Boromir had lived and giving a more fatherly farewell。 However， Tolkien also lightens the character a little bit: in some versions， Tolkien has Denethor commit suicide because he knows Isildur's heir is coming in the black ships。 There is also at this point before the pyre is invented in which Denethor refuses to yield the throne to Aragorn。 At one point， Gandalf is supposedly revealed to Sauron。This would definitely be a book to skip though， since so much of it is boring。 。。。more

Emily ，

A fascinating look at the development of the Lord of the Rings manuscripts and maps。

Terry ，

_The War of the Ring_ continues Christopher Tolkien’s examination of his father’s development of _The Lord of the Rings_ covering the destruction of Isengard and the battle of Helm’s Deep， Frodo and Sam’s initial journey into Ithilien towards Mordor， the confrontation with Shelob， and the battle of the Pelennor Fields。 While there was a fair amount of revision and rewriting in many of these chapters （especially in details of chronology and geography which seem to have been of special concern to _The War of the Ring_ continues Christopher Tolkien’s examination of his father’s development of _The Lord of the Rings_ covering the destruction of Isengard and the battle of Helm’s Deep， Frodo and Sam’s initial journey into Ithilien towards Mordor， the confrontation with Shelob， and the battle of the Pelennor Fields。 While there was a fair amount of revision and rewriting in many of these chapters （especially in details of chronology and geography which seem to have been of special concern to Tolkien） and a significant period of time between versions where no writing at all occurred， it is still surprising how much of the story still seems to have come to Tolkien initially in something very close to the published text。 Some of the most significant deviations that are of special interest:•tIn this volume we see the creation of Faramir， and tied with his rapid growth as an important character is the development of the history of Gondor into something much fuller than it had first been imagined。•tShelob was actually initially conceived as Ungoliant， the demonic spider from the Silmarillion （not simply one of her children）， reduced in size and power after ages of hunger。•tThe continued growth of Aragorn in both personal prestige and narrative importance and the solidification of ‘the return of the king’ story arc （including the paths of the dead storyline and the nature of Dunharrow）。•tStill little to no sign of Arwen Undomiel and the re-capitulation of the Beren-Luthien story （Tolkien actually initially paired up Aragorn and Eowyn， though that relationship appears to have been short-lived）。 When the figure of Elrond’s daughter does appear it is interesting that her initial name was Finduilas。。。another direct reference to an ‘almost’ union of men and elves in the Silmarilion， this time from the story of Turin Turambar。 Perhaps Tolkien was thinking that Aragorn would make up for Turin’s mistake in not getting together with his Finduilas？•tWhile it seems that from the beginning she was destined to kill the Witch-King （or Wizard-King as he is called in these drafts） Tolkien goes through a fair bit of waffling in regards to the fate of Eowyn: death or life？ Initially she was slated to die heroically along with Theoden in her famous attack。•tShockingly （to me at least） Tolkien seems to have toyed with giving Aragorn a ring of power at one point。I’m in this series for the long haul and it is definitely enjoyable， but， as always， I think these are really for the completists and hard-core fans。 。。。more

Artnoose McMoose ，

I have been continuing with the Mythgard Academy's web seminar journey through the History of Middle Earth series。 It is pretty fascinating to walk through Tolkien's notes and drafts via the commentary of his son Christopher。 Not everyone who likes the Lord of the Rings really wants to compare early drafts， but it is fun to see when and where Tolkien came up with certain ideas， such as the Path of the Dead。 I have been continuing with the Mythgard Academy's web seminar journey through the History of Middle Earth series。 It is pretty fascinating to walk through Tolkien's notes and drafts via the commentary of his son Christopher。 Not everyone who likes the Lord of the Rings really wants to compare early drafts， but it is fun to see when and where Tolkien came up with certain ideas， such as the Path of the Dead。 。。。more

Rebecca ，

Continued exploration of Tolkien's notes and drafts for The Lord of the Rings， this time covering the end of The Two Towers and the beginning of The Return of the King。 It is so interesting to see how much was still growing and changing even at this late point， and I'm guessing since we still have one more book to cover the remaining story， that there is still a lot to come。 Continued exploration of Tolkien's notes and drafts for The Lord of the Rings， this time covering the end of The Two Towers and the beginning of The Return of the King。 It is so interesting to see how much was still growing and changing even at this late point， and I'm guessing since we still have one more book to cover the remaining story， that there is still a lot to come。 。。。more

Tara ，

Christopher Tolkien tends to focus on chronology and maps to a greater extent than I personally enjoy， but it is worth a read just for the behind-the-scenes tidbits of the journey of the creation of The Lord of the Rings。 Its super cool to imagine how the story might have turned out if some of Tolkien's earlier ideas had made it to the published version。 This particular volume of the HoME focused on the Battle of Helm's Deep， the development of Shelob， and Gandalf and Pippin in Minas Tirith。 Christopher Tolkien tends to focus on chronology and maps to a greater extent than I personally enjoy， but it is worth a read just for the behind-the-scenes tidbits of the journey of the creation of The Lord of the Rings。 Its super cool to imagine how the story might have turned out if some of Tolkien's earlier ideas had made it to the published version。 This particular volume of the HoME focused on the Battle of Helm's Deep， the development of Shelob， and Gandalf and Pippin in Minas Tirith。 。。。more

Max ，

More Lord of the Rings history！ Also a nice quicker read than the others， with lovely drawings and maps。

Regitze ，

Even though he has now gotten a better handle on the begging of the story， the middle and the end seems to keep changing and it’s nerdy and fascinating to follow closey。 Christopher Tolkien does a marvellous job at guiding the reader through the strange and twisted roads。

Mary Catelli ，

This covers the second half of Two Towers and the first half of Return。 Less fumbling about for inspiration than the opening -- but some， with the future Orthanc stone first being just shattered when it hits the ground， or Faramir's name and relationship to Boromir -- and a lot of work with time tables。 （This is what happens when you split up the party and four separate courses of events have to interweave。） This covers the second half of Two Towers and the first half of Return。 Less fumbling about for inspiration than the opening -- but some， with the future Orthanc stone first being just shattered when it hits the ground， or Faramir's name and relationship to Boromir -- and a lot of work with time tables。 （This is what happens when you split up the party and four separate courses of events have to interweave。） 。。。more

Jeffrey Gerhart ，

"The War of the Ring" was a very engrossing and detailed account of the final battles in "Return of the King"， it was very cool to see the many rough drafts the eventually lead to the final form that appeared in the J。R。R。 Tolkien classic。 Characters who faded in the background of "Return of the King" are given slightly bigger parts in the story in "The War of the Ring"。 "The War of the Ring" was a very engrossing and detailed account of the final battles in "Return of the King"， it was very cool to see the many rough drafts the eventually lead to the final form that appeared in the J。R。R。 Tolkien classic。 Characters who faded in the background of "Return of the King" are given slightly bigger parts in the story in "The War of the Ring"。 。。。more

PottWab Regional Library ，

SM

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The War of the Ring

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The War of the Ring&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The War of the Ring&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0