The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings #2)

Synopsis

The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor- the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in the Fellowship of the Ring. 

Loved

• SAM. Oh my goodness Samwise Gamgee. One of the best characters ever created. I don't even like using the word created because he feels so real to me! For me, Sam is definitely the best part of this second book, and probably the whole series. He can be on the brink of death in the darkest pit, having made the worst mistake, and he still finds a reason to smile. His simple cheerfulness and fierce loyalty make him so lovable. His dialogue to himself and to others had me laughing out loud a few times because it's so cleverly written and his way of thinking is so genuine and simple. I love when he's mad at himself and lists off all the names his old Gaffer would use for him. He is also so brave- can we talk about the battle with Shelob? He is the ONLY person who has ever wounded Shelob- how cool is that?! (#sorrynotsorry for the little spoiler).  The best part about his bravery is that it's driven completely by loyalty and love for Frodo, without a single thought for himself or what he will gain from it. I think he is the true hero of this series and I just love him, as I know many of you do too :)

• Speaking of Frodo, I love Frodo in this book. The movie greatly discredits him by having him trust Gollum instead of Sam. In the book he never doubts Sam and is always wise (at least in this book- in the first book he makes some unwise choices. . . ). During this book Frodo never makes rash decisions and is always courteous, but wise and cautious in his words. I feel like he is much wiser in the book, and we don't get any angsty-ness or drama that's added in the movies (thank goodness- ain't nobody got time for extra drama- especially when it brings Frodo and Sam apart). I love that Frodo and Sam are together throughout the whole book and completely on the same team.  I found myself teary when they are sitting at the top of the stairs about to go into Mordor talking about their story and how it will be told. I love that they both give credit to the other and are okay with the possibility that they might never get credit at all for their task, and that they will likely never live to hear any songs created about them. Their companionship is definitely my favorite part of the second book.

• Faramir. Faramir has always been one of my favorites, and I don't like how the movie portrays him. In the book he is never even tempted to take the Ring to Minas Tirith, and certainly doesn't force Frodo and Sam to come with him like it shows in the movie. He is wise, understanding, and valiant. Not only is he not tempted by the Ring, but asks that it not be shown to him because he knows how tempting and destructive it could prove. He is so good to Frodo and Sam, and I think he deserves more credit for his selflessness and ability to think clearly and wisely, especially considering his abusive father. He is so good and I wish the movie did him more credit.

• The writing. I just love this descriptive, medieval writing and speech. J. R. R. Tolkein's writing is so "fair" as they would say in Middle Earth, that anything the characters are doing feels like it belongs on a tapestry or in an epic poem. I love how he writes his characters to be so other-wordly that they are fascinating and exciting, but he gives them quirky and unique personalities to make them relatable and lovable. 

• Middle Earth. Wow, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be in Tolkein's mind and have his knowledge about this world. I keep thinking to myself as I'm listening to these that it feels like I'm reading history because this world is so detailed in its lands, customs, traditions, history, landscape, landmarks, people, songs, and stories. And you know, Tolkein doesn't just throw names out there- he has stories and history behind every idle mention of a place, event, or person mentioned in this series. Middle Earth is a breathing, living place and feels just as real to me as any land on our map- in fact, I think I know more about Middle Earth than I do about many of our own countries :) 

• The audiobook. I talked about this in my review of Fellowship, but I absolutely love the Rob Ingles recordings of these books! His voices are so fun and vivid- so many times I forget it's the same man narrating it all! My favorite voice is that of Sam's, but I also love his voices for Smeagol- he even has different voices for Smeagol and Gollum! He is extremely talented and I highly highly recommend listening to these to have the experience of the different voices and hearing the songs sung to melodies instead of just being words to skim over on a page.

Didn't Love

• Like I've said with other classics (this counts as a classic by now right?), I don't feel qualified to critique this story when it has stood by itself over the years with so many audiences.

• With most of this story, I completely prefer the book over the movie. However, I was disappointed reading about the Battle of Helm's Deep while I had the battle from the movie fresh in my mind. As I was reading, I kept thinking the fighting was just a skirmish and kept waiting for the actual battle to begin- and then it was over. This was one aspect where I really preferred Hollywood's portrayal of the battle over how it's originally written. I really missed Legolas surfing down the stairs on a shield,  Aragorn tossing Gimli on to the orcs as a distraction, the elves of Lorien showing up, and best of all- the sunrise when the Rohiran riders come and finish off the orcs. But those things didn't happen! I rarely ever choose the movie portrayal over the original scenes, but in this battle I felt Hollywood's added drama, intensity, and showing-off of skills was a really fun addition and I missed it while reading the book.

Content

• Language: 
• Occasional uses of "hell," "damn," and "ass."

• Sexual content: 
• References to Wormtongue wanting Eowyn as a wife.

• Violence:
• The violence here felt much less graphic and dramatic than in the movies, because it wasn't Hollywood-ized and Tolkein's style is less dramatic than practical.
• One character is found with multiple arrows in him. He dies in another character's arms and his body is sent off in a boat.
• Descriptions of orcs killing each other- mostly decapitations.
• Battles with orcs- many descriptions of orcs dying violently.
• In one great battle, many men die. Descriptions of men and orcs being stabbed, shot with arrows, falling from heights, being stepped on, and having heads bashed in.
• Character is poisoned by giant spider, knocked out and wrapped up in her web.

 Overall Thoughts

The Two Towers is an exciting setup for the finish book, but it doesn't suffer from Second Book Syndrome, which is refreshing. I felt fast-paced and exciting throughout, and switching characters halfway through the story made it even more interesting. Even if you don't love the Ents and everything with Saruman, stick with it so you can journey with Sam and Frodo for the last half of the book. I think it's impossible to not love Sam's simplicity and cheerfulness. I love these all these characters and how their stories progress and lead up to the epic conclusion in Return of the King.