Book #154 of 2020:
The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings #3)
This conclusion to the classic fantasy trilogy probably has too much falling action after the main stakes are resolved, and its treatment of the anonymous hordes of dark-skinned humans who rally to the banner of evil may represent author J. R. R. Tolkien at his most racist. But it’s nevertheless a powerful piece of epic storytelling that stands the test of time, full of bold heroics and poignant farewells. Eowyn’s character arc also helps alleviate the lack of significant female roles in the preceding volumes, although this remains a saga that’s overwhelmingly focused on the deeds of men.
The Return of the King continues the dual-narrative approach of The Two Towers, but I think it works better here to spend so long without checking in on Frodo and Sam, given that we’ve left them in a state of immediate peril and are witnessing struggles that connect with theirs quite closely. The other members of the fellowship are actively trying to draw their enemy’s attention away from Mordor, and there’s genuine suspense over the outcome, as when the Mouth of Sauron taunts them that the pair has been discovered. The plotting justifies the stylistic choice to present one strand in its entirety first, which could before seem pretty arbitrary.
And despite the surprisingly early climax to the novel, I do love most of the extended denouement that follows — especially the Scouring of the Shire, an important component to Tolkien’s portrayal of the costs of war — as well as the inventive decision to never depict Lord Sauron directly. I suspect it’s one of the reasons this series feels so archetypal and has proven so influential in its genre, in that it doesn’t need a supreme villain personality to effectively challenge the protagonists. Like the depth of the writer’s worldbuilding, the ultimate internality of the respective quests bears witness to the enormous effort that has gone into crafting this tale.
In the end I still prefer the simpler charms of The Hobbit to these more-famous sequels, but I’m rather pleased in this reread to discover how much richer the later books are than I had recalled.
This book: ★★★★★
Overall series: ★★★★★
Individual rankings: 1 > 3 > 2
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