On facebook, no comment, just cover. Here, a few words.
This was one of the four books I ordered at the end of eighth grade from our scholastic book service. Up to a few months prior, I never bought fiction. I borrowed from libraries, and mostly non-fiction. Science or nature. But the brief description intrigued me, and I saved it for last.
The foreword and the party didn’t catch my interest. But I read the reveal on the ring about midnight. The rest of my family had gone to bed. One light was on. There was the soft hum of a fan in the background. As Gandalf narrated, I actually felt the hairs on my arm rise.
This book had many imitators, and I’ve read a few. It’s still the gold standard for fantasy. Does this author do it as well as Tolkien? It’s still a question I consider.
Funny epilogue–after taking about two days to finish the book, I couldn’t find the others in the series. I must not have been checking the right bookstores. Around Christmas 1972, I exclaimed aloud, “I’ve been looking for these!” in the store–to the surprise of a browser standing next to me.
Catholic Sensibility 