This Is Probably My MOST Unpopular Opinion

OK, I’m prepared to get FLAMED for this.

Remember when I wrote the post about letting people NOT enjoy things? If you need a refresher, here it is again.

Well, I’m about to tell you something I rarely confess to anyone, because everyone I tell is absolutely HORRIFIED.

Are you ready?

I don’t like Lord of the Rings. Specifically, the books. I love The Hobbit, which is comparatively short and sweet, but I’ve tried to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy a couple of times. Both times, I got about halfway through The Two Towers, got bored, and gave up.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE Tolkien’s contribution to the genre of epic fantasy. I love the overarching story, the characters, the heroic themes. I am impressed by the intricacies of the world he created and the incredible attention to detail in that world, not least with regard to his creation of whole languages (he was a philologist, like me!). I just…don’t need to read quite so much detail about those worlds and characters and languages when I’m excited about the plot’s outcome.

Likewise, I really adore Peter Jackson’s films in their theatrical versions, but I have never felt compelled to see the extended cuts. I know, I know. I’m missing out! I’ve heard!

Because of my reaction to Tolkien’s works, I tend to avoid epic fantasy series that go heavy on the lore and the worldbuilding. Some people do it REALLY well by incorporating it more closely into the story and not over-explaining things (see Andrew D.H. Moore’s Children of Solo or Jacqueline Fellows’ The Sherangivan for some great recent examples).

I am also well aware that one of my favorite books, Frank Herbert’s Dune, has been accused of not explaining enough, throwing the reader right into a strange and unique universe that can be difficult to navigate, especially when you read it the first time. I know plenty of people who only got halfway through Dune before giving up, much as I have done with Lord of the Rings.

Oh, and while we’re at it, can we talk about Moby Dick? I appreciate its literary impact and its timeless tale of obsession and man vs. nature, but I am 100% positive that, if Melville were to submit it to a modern editor, that editor would consider all the extraneous chapters about whaling and ships to be dealbreakers…

What do you think, y’all? Should I give Lord of the Rings another chance now that I’m older? Have I lost your esteem irrevocably with my objectively wrong opinion?

Feel free to comment below!

In Proximum, Regina Vestra