The Two Towers: The Lord of the Rings, Book 2

'An angry Ent is terrifying. Their fingers, and their toes, just freeze on to rock; and they tear it up like bread-crust. It was like watching the work of great tree-roots in a hundred years, all packed into a few moments'. The wonderful thing about the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the poetic and beautifully descriptive way that Tolkien describes Middle Earth and the many and varied characters, beasts, locations and events within it. It is all very well being able to use language rhetorically in fantasy tales but the magic is in describing an event as if it has actually occurred in wonder before your very eyes; as in the example above. And the Ents are just one example of how Tolkien layers deep meaning within his characters; such as how nature can be both serene and calm and devastating and all powerful. The idea that man sees himself as separate from nature and having the ability to conquer the many terrains and rich array of resources; what you could describe as a self-important and justified attempt to control the environment without truly respecting the force that nature can wield at any given moment, or the complex relationship between organic and mineral matter. Or maybe we do understand to some extent the magnitude of these truths, but it seems that our desire to achieve success and acquire leverage in our social groups has seen the initial work of the 'great' explorers in producing inventories of places and things progress into practices which have indeed expanded trading relationships, yet separated our thinking from our environment (by we and our I mean those with social influence). I don't personally believe that the Enlightenment period in itself precipitated the dogmatic devotion to the idea of a Utopia to be achieved by continual technological progress, as the question 'should we do that' often accompanied the statement 'we can do that' in the public sphere at that time. But it is obvious that somewhere along the line the spiritual appreciation for creation has fallen by the wayside and that the unabashed exploitation of the earths natural resources through our manufacturing and industrial capabilities has proceeded with very little resistance. Wisdom and due diligence have been lost and the game of power now plays out without limits.In order of significance, we are a mere aspect of the history of the Earths complex ecology, though regrettably as a race blessed with the ability to make choices based upon logic and common sense we act in ownership rather than custodianship. We can only really surmise about how the earth has developed and the many factors which influence it's gradual environmental changes; and what leads to things like aggressive patterns of weather. Very much like modern medical thought, prevailing mainstream industrial practices consider and treat materials (or symptoms) in relative isolation; marginalising holistic approaches, and of course there are dangers in this particular type of thought and behaviour when unchecked. And 'The scientific community' is far more advanced in it's understanding of particular objects of study over others, with knowledge in scientific terms being essentially our understanding of concrete causes and effects. We can see as far back as 13 billion years or so into space, tracing our steps back to a time long ago (to the Big Bang which is but a theory). As a counter point, how much do we really understand about the depths of our oceans or the sub-tectonic workings of the inner Earth? When we extract oil from the Earth or fracture shale rock are we truly aware of the long term changes that will occur by way of the initial act. Have we Humans recently demonstrated due diligence in our use of the earth as a resource, proportionately weighing up the advantages and potential risks of a given practice in equal measure. Did our planning help to mitigate the damage cause by The Deep Horizon disaster by way of an ever-progressing movement to search further, dig deeper, and extract more? From the news it would seem that the actual industrial practice is fine... it was the specific actors who failed. Yet ultimately we conceptualise in terms of Man's time when nature works in aeons and shifts subtly over vast distances. A blink of nature's eye can seem like complete devastation on the human scale. I have narrowed my focus here to offer something slightly different as a review in appreciation of the attention to detail and meaning inherent within the LOTR. Not forgetting the absolutely amazing plot, characters and battle between good and evil which make for epic reading. The films are a homage to the original book make no mistake about it. I love Peter Jackson's movies and they are great to get my Wife gripped as she prefers film to reading but the book is that awe inspiring that you can actually finish it and, if approached with the right frame of mind, come out the other end a more virtuous and noble person for it.

Awesome cover. General aesthetic is amazing. Can’t recommend the set enough as the spines create an image when aligned!

When I was a Halfling, buying The Lord of the Rings was straightforward. If your Dad was rich, you got the three, grey-jacketed hardbacks of the second edition; if he wasn't, you got the fat yellow paperback with the Pauline Baynes cover, and mourned Allen & Unwin's cruel, cruel appendectomy. Nowadays the choice can be bewildering. One volume or three, paperback or hardback or deluxe hardback in a slipcase, illustrated in black and white by the Queen of Denmark or in colour by Alan Lee or not illustrated at all; you can even get your Lord in blingy green leather that wouldn't look out of place on an oil sheikh's personal Airbus. For me, though, Harper Collins's three volume hardcover 50th Anniversary Edition stands head and shoulder above its rivals - including four which are significantly more expensive.The Two Towers (ISBN 9780007203550) is the book in the set most like its second edition predecessor. The only change in the text is its freedom from the accumulated errors that a crack squad of Tolkienologists have meticulously weeded out for us. As for illustrations, we get only Christopher Tolkien's time-hallowed red and black map of the West of Middle-earth: the good news is that it's in the improved version included in Unfinished Tales, the bad that it's been shrunk to a rather mean two page pull-out, and a pixelated one at that. Still, there's always the luxurious poster-sized version redone by John Howe in The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-earth: Special Edition.The look of the text barely differs from 1954's, with runes and tengwar still embellishing the title page. L.E.G.O. SpA has done a good job of printing its PostScript Monotype Plantin on a smooth, magnolia paper, slightly lighter toned than that in my copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. The binding is well executed in traditional signatures that allow the book to lie flat when it's been opened; a black and yellow headband complements a sturdy black cover nicely gilded on its dignified, handsome spine.The thick, matt, textured dust jacket is something of a special feature, giving us a painting by JRRT himself. The Ring and some of its tengwar brood over Orodruin, framed by Minas Morgul and Orthanc; a Nazgul glides past overhead, and there are also icons of the crescent Moon, the Nine, a pentacle and Saruman's White Hand. The lettering uses a warmly gleaming copper foil, which to my magpie tastes gives the book masses of shelf appeal.If you simply want Tolkien, the whole Tolkien and nothing but Tolkien, this lovingly edited, well made Two Towers must surely be right at the top of your shopping list. I'd been surprised if there has ever been an incarnation of this book which has served Tolkien's invention more faithfully.***************************************************************************************************************************When I first read The Lord of the Rings back in 1969, one of the passages that most excited me came in the final paragraph of the Foreword. There it was that JRRT offered the tantalizing prospect of an entire, ultra-nerdy accessory volume. A complete index, more detailed linguistic information, and, no doubt, many other tasty bits and pieces too... I yearned for that Volume IV the way a modern teenager craves the latest iPhone. Well, Volume IV never materialized, but now, in the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Return of the King (ISBN 9780007203567 - The Return of the King (Lord of the Rings 3)) - which amazon in its wisdom will only let me review jointly with The Two Towers - we do at least have an index which Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond have expanded from the second edition's twenty-four pages to a geek-friendlier thirty-nine. Also, the Bolgers and the Boffins have been honoured with family trees, and - most importantly of all - Tolkien's most dedicated scholars have eliminated every last defect from the text like Rangers hunting down so many fugitive orcs.There are no illustrations in this edition, but it does have two of Christopher Tolkien's traditional red and black maps. A two-page fold-out of Gondor and its neighbours begins the book, contour lines and all, and another of the West of Middle-earth (Unfinished Tales version) concludes it. The second is perhaps a touch small, and both are regrettably pixelated, but of course, there's slways the gorgeous, poster-sized John Howe alternative in The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-earth: Special Edition.The attractive design of the text wisely sticks closely to the first edition's. L.E.G.O. SpA have printed it very well indeed in PostScript Monotype Plantin on a smooth, slightly off-white paper much superior to the norm. The binding uses signatures graced with a coloured headband, and the book lies nicely flat when opened; a black cover sets off classically elegant gilt lettering.The thick, textured dust jacket rejoices in a design by JRRT himself. There's the throne of Minas Tirith, the winged crown of Gondor and an angular tengwar monogram and proclamation of Elendil's; also Elessar's Elfstone, Gondor's seven stars and its emblematic White Tree - and, behind the Ephel Duath, the menacing shadow of Sauron. (If you remember the old India paper one volume deluxe edition of The Lord, it's the painting from which that book's foil cover motif was derived.) The (English) lettering is done in an unusual copper which has a lovely warm gleam to it.There are several more expensive editions of The Return, but none that I'd rather pop into my basket. It's Tolkien for Tolkien purists. It'll be a shame if it yields its place in the catalogue to the forthcoming movie tie-in version.

What is there to say that has not already been said about The Two Towers? Well for me it is a revelation, I did not know how much detail was in the book, and at first the amount of pages turned me off reading it.Well I read the Silmarillion first which seemed to me somewhat absurd, enchanting short stories that draw you in and you have to read the next page to find out how the stories end. I had read the Hobbit, and Beren and Luthien so had some background but I am not a Tolkien master rather just an average reader.I am about 28% into the book, page 112 of 399 and love it. I keep comparing the book to the film and realise how much they had to cut, and the differences between the scenes such as when Pippin and Merry meet Treebeard and Aragon, Legolas and Gimli find Gandalf.I would recommend everyone who liked the films should read the books as it is not hard to read, keeps you enthralled with a lot of information missing from the films.

I have loved the word tolkien created since I was a child and watched the animated movie, and when I was old enough, I attempted the trilogy. I was too young then to fully appreciate its intricate plot and world building. But as an adult going back for the first time in 15 years, I find I love it even more.