The Return of the King

4.5/5

In short:
This was a very enjoyable read. The most enjoyable of the three for me. Things happened at a slightly faster pace, I felt things were more tense and exciting.

I actually enjoyed the bits that were different or new to me (as seen in Peter Jackson movies), rather than slow or boring. I particularly enjoyed the bits were we get a glimpse of the lives of the Orcs through Sam and Frodos adventures, Sam's rescue of Frodo, and the retaking of the Shire. That was fun to read.

There were still slow bits. Characters were still quite shallow, but you get to see that the journey has changed them.

Having finished The Lord of the Rings now, my overall reading experience is quite positive. I really enjoyed it, more than I expected I would.
I am happy to have read a piece of Fantasy history.


Random thoughts:

The characters do get better throughout the books. And you see the interaction change between them. But as a reader you don't get to read what has changed them and the relationship with their companions. My assumption is the gruelling journey and hellish events has changed them, but you have to fill that in yourself and don't get to witness much of the change in character.

The best thing about these books is the fantastically detailed world, with all its thought out histories.
The worst is the depth of the characters. But I knew that going into the books. It didn't lessen my enjoyment much.

I was afraid that the books would have no exciting bits at all (that was my experience with The Hobbit, where I felt everytime you were told the next section would be dangerous but that Bilbo would come out fine on the other end. And then you were told the next part of the adventure in more detail knowing all would be well. That was not at all the case here, things were exciting at times.

It is a bit of an older book, and it is noticeable that is written in a different time with different values and views. I don't think that affected me much, but it is something to realise and be aware of.

Reading the three books was a journey, the first was definitely the hardest to get through for me, and the second half of The Two Towers (the Frodo and Sam half of the book) were a bit of a grind sometimes, as nothing much would happen besides detailing the world one slow Hobbit step at a time ;)

A journey for the fellowship and a journey for me!