Don't hate me! :p

[Getifa Ubazza]

I was in a second hand store the other day and there sitting on the shelf was the complete unabridged LotR for 99p. I had to look again to make sure I wasn't dreaming. As you can imagine, I grabbed the precious with my sweaty strangling hands and would not lets it go until it was payed for and I gots it away. I have already read the first 2 books in just 3 days (The Fellowship of the Ring) and look forward to reading the other 4.

I'm not going to moan about the films leaving out all the stuff with Tom Bombadil, even if it would not have cost much more money to do, But now seriously wished they had made 6 movies instead of 3.

I have never read LotR before and always thought they would be very difficult to read. I am not the smartest of men and thought it would be above me. That probably has more to do with my dealings with Wargamers through the years, than LotR itself though. I was so pleased to find that my fears were completely unfounded and the books are wonderfully written and flow with such ease that even a simple soul, such as myself can understand and follow the story very easily. If you get my meaning?

So in short, I think it has to be the best book I have ever read, by miles. I just can't believe I waited so long to read these amazing books. I suspect once I finish reading it, I will start reading it all over again.

[Greendragon]

DAMN! That kind of makes me sad in a way, just 99p for the lot? What condition were they in?

I always thought that the LOTR series was worth a little more than that, being among the best books of all time, hopefully this is a one off and the price of LOTR books everywhere isn't drastically low - bringing the whole franchise down yet further as wargamers turn away from Games Workshops share of the market.

[ForgottenLore]

The thing is that the books are SOOO popular, and have been in print for so long that there is a huge supply, so naturally the price is going to be pretty low on used copies.

Not generally THAT low, but low.

And if you regret all the Tom Bombadil stuff getting cut out, wait till you read the stuff that got cut from the end of return of the king.

[Greendragon]

mouth of sauron... growl growl growl. I don't understand why they need to make so many changes

[Getifa Ubazza]

DAMN! That kind of makes me sad in a way, just 99p for the lot? What condition were they in?

I always thought that the LOTR series was worth a little more than that, being among the best books of all time, hopefully this is a one off and the price of LOTR books everywhere isn't drastically low - bringing the whole franchise down yet further as wargamers turn away from Games Workshops share of the market.

The one I got is the 1995, one volume edition from Harper Collins, with Gandalf on the cover walking along a grass path in the rain. The condition is pretty good. The book is complete, the cover is uncracked. one small 1cm corner has come off the bottom back cover and there looks like it has been up someones loft for a few years as it looks like it has been exposed to damp, But there is no damp stains at all other than some pinkness on the bottom of some of the last few pages.

It even has a history of printings of the book and a great foreword to the second edition and prologue Concerning Hobbits, and other matters.

The thing is that the books are SOOO popular, and have been in print for so long that there is a huge supply, so naturally the price is going to be pretty low on used copies.

Not generally THAT low, but low.

And if you regret all the Tom Bombadil stuff getting cut out, wait till you read the stuff that got cut from the end of return of the king.

I heard about that and look forward to reading the proper story. Looking forward very much to The Scouring of the Shire.

All the books were 99p, so it wasn't unusually priced in that store. I love it, But might still get myself a new copy, when I get the Hobbit too.

mouth of sauron... growl growl growl. I don't understand why they need to make so many changes

I noticed though that Frodo is a lot braver in the books, than he is in the films. In the films he seems to have a bit of a victim mentality. In the book he has some 's Why did they change the Goblin captain that attacked Frodo in Balins Tomb into a Cave Troll? The Cave Troll in the book only managed to open the door before he was "Stung" by Frodo.

[Greendragon]

If you're new to the books, I would recommend the Silmarillion after you've read the hobbit and all the fun appendix stories related to the third age. Silmarillion takes it up another scale, and as a big fan of elves I was pleased to find the book full of the pointy eared fellas. Then there is the side story The Tale of Hurin (or the Children of Hurin) which was also another fantastic read. In fact I might go get that last one out and read it again just to hear about how Hurin and his buddy killed so many orcs and goblins that they ended up fighting atop a mountain of corpses =D

[Getifa Ubazza]

If you're new to the books, I would recommend the Silmarillion after you've read the hobbit and all the fun appendix stories related to the third age. Silmarillion takes it up another scale, and as a big fan of elves I was pleased to find the book full of the pointy eared fellas. Then there is the side story The Tale of Hurin (or the Children of Hurin) which was also another fantastic read. In fact I might go get that last one out and read it again just to hear about how Hurin and his buddy killed so many orcs and goblins that they ended up fighting atop a mountain of corpses =D

Oh yeah! Sorry forgot about Silmarillion. I plan on getting that too.

The only problem I have with the book is it's making me want to buy more models. Everytime I read about a fight or a character I want it, so I can play out the story on the table. The book might only have cost me 99p, But suspect it's going to end up costing me a fortune.

[Greendragon]

You had to say it didn't you XD it is now my mission to add a Hurin and Turin model to my collection and have them fight an army of orcs, you are quite right. Fantastic stories! I think the famous battle from the silmarillion between Melkor and Feanor (Sauron's master and one of the most powerful elves in history) would itself make a very interesting roll-off.

I love it when I hear people passionate about the hobby like yourself, wanting to purchase certain characters just to play out the scenarios they've read about. Its what the game is all about! Can't wait to get my store open and start introducing more people like yourself to hobbies and scenarios... ah, to spend my whole weeks playing wargaming

[Getifa Ubazza]

You had to say it didn't you XD it is now my mission to add a Hurin and Turin model to my collection and have them fight an army of orcs, you are quite right. Fantastic stories! I think the famous battle from the silmarillion between Melkor and Feanor (Sauron's master and one of the most powerful elves in history) would itself make a very interesting roll-off.

I love it when I hear people passionate about the hobby like yourself, wanting to purchase certain characters just to play out the scenarios they've read about. Its what the game is all about! Can't wait to get my store open and start introducing more people like yourself to hobbies and scenarios... ah, to spend my whole weeks playing wargaming

Would be interesting to see a film of the Silmarillion, But how would they link the stories?

I love getting swept up into the story and seeing it come alive on the table top. Winning games just isn't something I care about, unless it helps make the story playing out on the table more exciting.

To spend my whole week playing games would be wonderful. I might have to take a little holiday to East Devon. I hear there might be a store opening down there with a really cool Owner. Could you imagine what you could do with a whole week of games? To completely immerse yourself into the LotR's world and to do so in a place like Devon would be amazing. Your going to be a very lucky man.

[Greendragon]

Why thank you! I would like to say Scotland looks like a lovely place to go, but damn I've heard its cold haha. In fairness I'll probably be working hard processing orders (one can hope!) XD but more gaming and painting is certainly going to be in order, and I can't wait!

I wonder if we would ever see any 4th age (after ROTK) models or anything of the like? I have a 4th age PDF supplement book that an internet community has put together, but it requires heavy conversion of models to create some of the 4th age characters - they based all their stuff on some of the smaller apendix stories.

You make a good point, when they inevitably do move on to the silmarillion films its will be interesting to see how the script pans out and links it all together and how many films they split the stories up to

[Peregrin]

I don't think they'd be able to do a true Silmarillion movie.
I would expect they would be more likely to take a section of the book and develop a small part of it into a Hollywood script.
Something like what Chris Tolkien had published in the Children of Hurin novel.

The problem with Silmarillion is that there is no central character or even a central group of characters. It spans several generations of men and elves. It might be possible to do a general survey of the histories, highlighting and developing specific events, using a single immortal character as the focal point for the viewers, as well.
I'm wondering if it wouldn't make a better TV series though. Have an episode leading up to an event and a couple of episodes that resolve said event, while at the same time developing side stories that lead into the next episode, etc. You'd have to pick a Glorfindel or Gil Galad type of character who's been around for a long time. They'd seen more things in Middle Earth than the Istari did. Maybe an other option is to move the TV series through the life of Feanor and then transition to the generations that followed.

I'm not sure that Hollywood would want to put the effort in to developing the Silmarillion, though.

[Getifa Ubazza]

I don't think they'd be able to do a true Silmarillion movie.
I would expect they would be more likely to take a section of the book and develop a small part of it into a Hollywood script.
Something like what Chris Tolkien had published in the Children of Hurin novel.

The problem with Silmarillion is that there is no central character or even a central group of characters. It spans several generations of men and elves. It might be possible to do a general survey of the histories, highlighting and developing specific events, using a single immortal character as the focal point for the viewers, as well.
I'm wondering if it wouldn't make a better TV series though. Have an episode leading up to an event and a couple of episodes that resolve said event, while at the same time developing side stories that lead into the next episode, etc. You'd have to pick a Glorfindel or Gil Galad type of character who's been around for a long time. They'd seen more things in Middle Earth than the Istari did. Maybe an other option is to move the TV series through the life of Feanor and then transition to the generations that followed.

I'm not sure that Hollywood would want to put the effort in to developing the Silmarillion, though.

I totally agree that it would be unlikely hollywood would make a Silmarillion movie.

I rememer in the 80's they did movies where 3 characters would sit around and chat about their lives. I'm thinking of Creepshow and a few others, But agree that it's not something hollywood would do these days. Although it would be awesome if they did. A TV series would be good, But couldn't match the budget needed to make the stories truely come to life. Star Trek, Next Generation I believe cost $1m per episode, But I doubt even $1m per episode would be enough to give The Silmarillion it's due.

Just ordered the Hobbit and Silmarillion from ebay. They were only 99p each, so couldn't resist.

[Gorbad Ironclaw]

If you're new to the books, I would recommend the Silmarillion

I wouldn't. I used to be a massive LotR fan, read it maybe a dozen times but Silmarillion to me was always just dreadfully boring. It's certainly not required reading and I think you have to have a special interest to find worth the time.

Anyway, while Tom Bombadil might not have been that expensive to do, he also wouldn't really have added anything to the film. Taking him out have absolutely no impact on the story so on balance it's probably the better choice. More manageable film, less confusion about who that weird guy was and more budget to spend on other things. I certainly don't agree with all the changes the film made, they cut out some of my favourite bits I was really looking forward to seeing but overall I think they did a good job, especially with the first one. The Two Towers not so much, but still. They certainly managed to tell the story and do it well.

In some ways I actually think the films manages to tell the story better. The books could have done with some ruthless editing so it doesn't feel as if it's an epic fantasy story trying to get out from under the weight of the poetry collection, the travel guide and the history book.

[Getifa Ubazza]

I wouldn't. I used to be a massive LotR fan, read it maybe a dozen times but Silmarillion to me was always just dreadfully boring. It's certainly not required reading and I think you have to have a special interest to find worth the time.

Anyway, while Tom Bombadil might not have been that expensive to do, he also wouldn't really have added anything to the film. Taking him out have absolutely no impact on the story so on balance it's probably the better choice. More manageable film, less confusion about who that weird guy was and more budget to spend on other things. I certainly don't agree with all the changes the film made, they cut out some of my favourite bits I was really looking forward to seeing but overall I think they did a good job, especially with the first one. The Two Towers not so much, but still. They certainly managed to tell the story and do it well.

In some ways I actually think the films manages to tell the story better. The books could have done with some ruthless editing so it doesn't feel as if it's an epic fantasy story trying to get out from under the weight of the poetry collection, the travel guide and the history book.

Just to say. I love the films and the book. But for differant reasons. Yes, the movies cut some parts of the book and changed other parts and I was a little disappointed, But the films are wonderful in their own right and also inspire my hobby. The book just gave me even more to think about and imagine.

I'm looking forward to reading both The Hobbit and Silmarillion. If the Silmarillion is boring to read, it will probably be a one time read, But still worth a read for being part of the Middle Earth story. I'm particularly looking forward to reading the story of Beren and Luthien.

[Peregrin]

I think an ambitious studio could probably develop some of the Silmarillion stories (like the Children of Hurin, fall of Gondolin, etc.) much the way Game of Thrones is being done right now. It wouldn't have a Peter Jackson budget, but it would still be viable.
You would have to treat it like a collection of stories and pick and choose what to develop, rather than trying to move through it chronologically.

[Getifa Ubazza]

I think an ambitious studio could probably develop some of the Silmarillion stories (like the Children of Hurin, fall of Gondolin, etc.) much the way Game of Thrones is being done right now. It wouldn't have a Peter Jackson budget, but it would still be viable.
You would have to treat it like a collection of stories and pick and choose what to develop, rather than trying to move through it chronologically.

Good point Peregrin. Game of Thrones was a great series and I'm looking forward to the next series. To do The Silmarillion like that would work very well.

[Karak Norn Clansman]

99 p? Lucky git.

The only great complaint I have about the Lotr movies must be the Return of the King, which could have had very much more background content without adding more than about ten minutes to the movie. The book is definitely the best of the trilogy (Tolkien as an author truly shine at the battle for Pelennor fields), and part of this quality is the sheer greatness that is lent toward the pivotal battle outside Minas Tirith. There should have been Dol Amroth knights and all other sorts of fiefdom troops marching to Minas Tirith, not just the dull silver-grey city soldiers.

Also, where were the men of the east and south in Sauron's armies? We saw both Haradrim and Easterlings march toward the Black Gate in the Two Towers, yet only the oliphants make it to the battlefield. Were the human infantry and cavalry forces eaten by orcs whilst camping in Mordor? This is a pity, since the clash between the Haradrim and Rohirrim riders was one of the best pieces of text Tolkien ever wrote, even when considering the fall of Gondolin. Having seen GW's good attempt at the men of Khand, I also miss those in the movie, but they would strictly speaking not have been necessary although I of course would have liked to see an cavalcade of orcish and human troops besieging Minas Tirith. Well, at least GW understand that there is some demand for all those "peripheral" parts of Lotr, including dwarves and goblins. A pity about the prices, though.

[Greendragon]

Couldn't agree more with the poster above me - although this is now going to veer off into a book vs films thread, its still a great talking point. I was confused and even said WTF when the battle finished, they made a big point of showing us Easterlings arriving at Mordor, yet not in the battle! Not even when Frodo and Sam made their way through Mordor were there any. And I was really looking forward to all the forces showing up to Minas Tirith, Dwarf warriors/Dol Amroth/Wildmen warbands. While the film did a great job depicting the battle, the book depicts it as even bigger than that.

On a side note - I wonder if any cinemas around here are going to show the three films again before the Hobbit premieres like they did with twilight etc

[Peregrin]

I'm a fan of the books over the movies. That said, I'd love to see the extended editions in theatre!

[Denny]

In some ways I actually think the films manages to tell the story better. The books could have done with some ruthless editing so it doesn't feel as if it's an epic fantasy story trying to get out from under the weight of the poetry collection, the travel guide and the history book.

I agree; I was so happy when I first watched The Fellowship and realised Tom Bombadil had been cut; that guy alone almost killed the books for me . . .