The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings has finally entered my reading world!

For many years it was Harry Potter. I just didn't feel The Lord of the Rings calling out to me. Then one day I decided to buy the collection online. I started with The Hobbit. It was tough reading for the first 60 pages, but I persevered. Once I got comfortable with the storytelling style, and the small typeset, and with the help of the maps, I was able to absorb into J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastic world.

After The Hobbit, we spent a good 10 hours one free day watching The Lord of the Rings movies. Yes, they were long! But I enjoyed it, and I then started reading the books. And I'm glad I watched the movies first before reading the books. There is so much more detail in the books! Obviously. I'm currently in Part 3 - The Return of the King and I have just loved the ride.

Now, I need to get a move on because I've just bought the second installment of James Patterson and Bill Clinton's collaboration, The President's Daughter, which I'm itching to read. But, first things first...

P.S. I swear Albus Dumbledore is Gandalf! It has to be the same person! Perhaps someone out there can write a piece of fan fiction on how Dumbledore and Gandalf are one and the same?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A substantial portion of this book sees Harry Potter being hunted by Death Eaters with pretty much nowhere to go. It did get a bit tedious reading of Harry, Ron and Hermione disapparating from field to field up and down England, oftentimes spending days or weeks doing next to nothing. All the while, Harry is trying to piece together information about the Deathly Hallows which his two friends don't believe in. Their friendship is put under heavy strain and Ron storms off in frustration, only to return later. It's not pleasant reading.

But it does pick up eventually and builds up nicely to the finale where Harry returns to Hogwarts to take on Lord Voldemort.

What was striking was just how different the book is to the movie. Or in other words, how much they had changed the movie adaptation when compared to the original script in the book. As someone who had watched the movie before reading the book, I was confused about how exactly Voldemort had died. It is crystal clear in the book.

Professor Snape's role and intentions are brought into the light at the end after Harry extracts his tears before he dies. We learn that Snape is in fact the true hero who has always been loyal to Dumbledore and who never ever lost his love for Lily Evans, Harry's mum. His love for her was more powerful than ever contemplating siding with Voldemort again..

I had liked Snape from the start without knowing if ultimately he was really with Dumbledore, or Voldemort. So it was highly satisfying and emotional when in his memory he summoned his doe patronus to demonstrate his love for Lily. That moment also clarified that it was Snape who led Harry to the sword of Gryffindor in the lake earlier in the story.

A great finish to the book and what a fascinating journey the Harry Potter series has been.