I'm sure many of the Tolkien Purists will say otherwise, but as someone with no knowledge of the books' backstory, I am very much enjoying The Rings Of Power Season 2.

If there were a few niggling issues with the show creeping in towards the end of Season 1, with some of the storylines writing feeling a bit off, I feel like they have managed to apply a couple of subtle course corrections which are definitely keeping me engaged.

Sure, the Gandalf/Harfoots plotline remains the weakest of the bunch, but in terms of the broader politicking and scheming with the forging of the rings and such, it's all very much clicking into gear.

Also, simply when compared to its own contemporaries in the fantasy TV genre (The Wheel of Time, House of the Dragon, and post season two Witcher), it's an absolute cut-above in terms of production value.

Would highly recommend to anyone who is familiar with the Peter Jackson movies and enjoys the wider middle earth universe (but has never read the appendices or other supporting material from Tolkien probably)

My local Tolkien book club is doing virtual watch parties for Rings of Power, and most of us are not having a good time. So I definitely agree that if you've read anything about the Second Age you will probably not like the show. That being said, we do have a few people who love the Silmarillion and are also enjoying RoP despite the inconsistencies with the book lore. I guess it comes down to personal taste.

I see the potential, and there are some interesting stories they've come up with, but overall I keep getting frustrated with it. "Why did they do that?" is a common refrain in our book club chat.

Posted by: @icarus

Also, simply when compared to its own contemporaries in the fantasy TV genre (The Wheel of Time, House of the Dragon, and post season two Witcher), it's an absolute cut-above in terms of production value.

I'm actually disappointed in the production value. House of the Dragon has better costumes and several CGI dragons. Wheel of Time production is less, but it also has a significantly smaller budget. RoP should be much, much better. I am really enjoying Bear McCreary's soundtrack though. Too much of season 1 sounded like it was ripped from his Outlander soundtrack, but season 2 sounds more like it's own show.

Case in point: this lovely rendition of Old Tom Bombadil. It's the credits version, so not what he actually sounds like in the show.

I have just finished my annual reading of Lord of the Rings. (Sigh!)

This year I have read from the set of hardbacks I bought last New Year in London; I'd promised myself a good hardback set for years, and these will last me out.

Today is 21st September, the day that The Hobbit was published in 1937.

Tomorrow 22nd is 'Hobbit Day', being the birthday of both Tolkien's main characters, Bilbo and Frodo.

Happy Hobbit Day, everyone!  

@coracle I wish I had the time and the energy to do a re-read of The Lord of the Rings every single year... I can't remember when I last read the entire trilogy cover to cover and it's definitely overdue. I just have too many other things I'm either in the process of reading, or wanting to read, with usually more than one book on the go at once! 

@courtenay if it's any help, I was in my 40s before I read it every year. (Influenced by hearing Christopher Lee say how he had read it every year since it was published).

@coracle I'm already in my 40s, so I'm not sure that helps much...

(Incidentally, another reasonably well-known person I'm aware of who read it every year was Donald Swann, of Flanders and Swann fame, who composed music for a number of Tolkien's songs found in LOTR and his other writings. He mentions the annual reading in his preface to the book of his song cycle, The Road Goes Ever On. Well worth having a copy of if you're a Tolkien fan.)

@courtenay try every second year. That's what Johobbit does, I believe.

This weekend I have read the last chapter of LOTR, and listened to the last episodes of LOTR BBC Radio drama. Just the movie trilogy to watch now.

Question: (really thought about it as I finished the book)  What happened to the ponies and horses that Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf and all the Elves travelled on to the Grey Havens? Did Cirdan keep a stable there? I'm dubious that the animals went on the ship.

This is true: I have been reading The Lord of the Rings biennially since I was in my mid-teens. There were a few breaks when we were raising young kiddos, but other than that, the pattern has continued to this day, and, I hope, for many years to come.

Like you, @Courtenay, I always have a few books on the go, and loads more on my To-Read list (mostly non-fiction, very often biographies), so reading The LotR every two years works best for me. However, every other year (at least), beginning within the past decade, I listen to the unabridged audio (Andy Serkis) or a dramatized version. So, in a sense, I guess I am 'reading' it, in various formats, every year.

I sometimes wonder, when I am about to plunge into the beloved book again, whether it will ever get old. It never does! In fact, as with the Narnia Chronicles, these marvelous tales become more rich and meaningful with every read.  

@ Daughter of the King: My local Tolkien book club is doing virtual watch parties forRings of Power, and most of us are not having a good time. So, I definitely agree that if you've read anything about the Second Age you will probably not like the show. That being said, we do have a few people who love theSilmarillionand are also enjoying RoP despite the inconsistencies with the book lore. I guess it comes down to personal taste.

Are you talking about the TV series, produced on Prime, one of these streaming services, like Netflix, but in this case, sponsored by Amazon, which already charges me a previously unused subscription?  I was thrilled to find that "The Lord of the Rings: the Rings of Power" had completed 2 Seasons so have already viewed all eight episodes of Season 1 plus the first 2 episodes of Season 2. 

I haven't read any of the books for a while, but I already knew about the Rings of Power from the Appendices in the 3rd volume of The Lord of the Rings. 1 am enjoying the series so far but get a bit lost when the storyline appears to jump around somewhat, featuring memories & flashbacks, which interrupts the main story. The character that confuses me most is Sauron, at the moment, when so far, he has had at least 2 other name changes. I also miss characters like Anárion, Isildur's brother, who seems to have been replaced by a sister. 

Is anyone else watching this show? And when Season 2 only was completed at the beginning of October, when would Season 3 be started?

Local NarniaWebbers got together this past weekend, as we sometimes do, and this time we watched The Fellowship of the Ring.

A lot has been said here (and that evening) about the changes Peter Jackson makes to the source material, but several of us commented on the incredible detail and all the work that went into making the props for the movie, some of which were only seen briefly or in the background. Despite its shortcomings, I had a good time watching it again, as it has been a while since I'd seen it.