Frodo’s journey from the Shire to Mordor in The Lord of the Rings is split into three books which we will cover in more detail below. These three books are able to be found on bookshelves and in movie streaming platforms everywhere.
The Lord of the Rings was first presented this way in print in the mid-1950s and how Peter Jackson adapted Tolkien’s masterpiece, turning each book into an epic film that introduced Middle Earth to a new generation as well as a more general public.
However, not everyone is aware that the work is internally split into six books, two of which are contained in each edition, along with a number of supporting appendices.
1. The Fellowship Of The Ring
The first book in the trilogy is The Fellowship of the Ring. It consists of The Ring Goes South and The Ring Sets Out.
With The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings begins in earnest.
When Bilbo Baggins mysteriously vanishes from his 111th birthday celebration, his cherished ring slips into the hands of his young successor, Frodo Baggins.
Gandalf, the wizard, verifies that this is the One Ring, long lost by the Dark Lord Sauron, and urges Frodo to transport it to the elf fortress of Rivendell.
The Fellowship of the Ring gathers at Rivendell: nine walkers of many races united in their mission to destroy the One Ring in the flames of Mordor, thereby redeeming the world from an old, cosmic evil.
The treacherous voyage across mountains, woods, and rivers puts them to the test, endangers them, and eventually splits them.
2. The Two Towers
The narrative continues in The Two Towers, as the Fellowship is scattered to the winds. The Treason of Isengard and The Ring Goes East are included in this installment of the trilogy.
Following their abduction by savage orcs, Merry and Pippin go into the gloomy Fangorn Forest, where they take up with sentient trees; in the meantime, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli reunite with a transformed Gandalf, then come to Rohan’s rescue.
On their way to Mordor, Frodo and Sam develop an uneasy partnership with the horrible monster Gollum, who leads them while conspiring to take the ring.
As this part concludes, the shadow of Sauron spreads over the realms, and armies everywhere brace themselves for a decisive fight.
3. The Return Of The King
The Return of the King is the awe-inspiring conclusion to J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy about The Hobbits of Middle Earth and the great War of the Rings.
The final two books in this category are The War of the King and The End of the Third Age.
As the journey progresses, the Companions of the Ring have become engrossed in different adventures.
Aragorn, exposed as the hidden heir of the old Kings of the West, joined the Riders of Rohan against Isengard’s army, and took part in the desperate Hornburg triumph.
While Merry and Pippin were imprisoned by orcs, they fled into Fangorn Forest and met the Ents. then, astonishingly, Gandalf reappeared and vanquished the terrible wizard Saruman.
Meanwhile, Sam and Frodo made their way to Mordor to destroy the ring, escorted by Sméagol-Gollum, who was still fascinated with his “treasure.”
Sam left his master for dead after a battle with the enormous spider Shelob, but Frodo is still alive – in the clutches of the orcs.
Other Books In The Lord Of The Rings Universe
As well as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R Tolkein wrote more books later on that delved deeper into Middle earth’s past.
Tolkien’s first and final published work is The Silmarillion. It is the tale of the First Age of Tolkien’s Middle Earth and, in terms of genesis, predates even The Hobbit.
It reveals the ancient past that people in The Lord of the Rings reflect on, discuss, rhyme about, and sing about. Throughout his whole life, Tolkien worked on it, expanded upon it, and altered it.
With the help of fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay to recreate some significant passages, it was edited and released posthumously by Christopher Tolkien, his son.
There is also Unfinished Tales: Of Numenor and Middle Earth, a collection of stories ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle Earth to the end of the War of the Ring and provides those who are fans of The Lord of the Rings with a deeper insight into the background and new stories from the twentieth century’s most popular author.
Lord Of The Rings Timeline
JRR Tolkien’s enchanting narrative of the protagonist Bilbo Baggins following a group of dwarves and their wizard companion to steal riches from a dragon was published in 1936.
Even though the introduction to Middle Earth is brief, the author had a complete mythology planned out, and The Lord of the Rings was released between 1954 and 1955.
Tolkien’s sequel trilogy established Middle Earth as the canonical fantasy setting in literature.
The answer may not be as simple as many believe. Both stories take place during the Third Age of Middle earth, which began with the destruction of Sauron by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
The Hobbit takes place between the years 2941 and 2942.
The Lord of the Rings starts up 60 years later with Bilbo’s party in 3001, but there’s a 17-year gap from when Bilbo leaves the Shire and Frodo embarking on his adventure, thus the majority of The Lord of the Rings takes place in 3018, 77 years after The Hobbit.
Summary
The debut of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy solidified the perception that the tale is divided into three parts, despite the fact that this notion had already been thoroughly established by half a century of printing it in three bulky chunks.
In fact, this framework has existed for so long that Tolkien’s original aims have essentially been lost.
The renowned author had already had success with The Hobbit and was urged to create a sequel, in addition to his continued work on The Silmarillion, a relative of The Lord of the Rings.
Unlike The Hobbit, which was designed and delivered as a single work, people often become confused about how many books there are in The Lord of the Rings.
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