The Return of The King (LOTR #3)

I was talking to a colleague who had never read Lord of The Rings! I was shocked. Do such people actually exit, I thought? LOTR is one of the most famous fantasy sagas EVER written.

My colleague highlighted Moby Dick as her fantastical recommendation of top adventure, voyage and companionship. That is some statement! I have read Moby Dick - a memorable, quirky and charming book in places - but it doesn't even smudge the shadow of the LOTR trilogy. It's not in the same ballpark, on the same planet or in the same realm of fantasy.

If you know nothing about LOTR, where have you been, with all the greatest respect? I have read all three volumes three times, which feels nowhere near enough. If I die without reading them again it will be a pity

This is the final book of the trilogy and where the story comes together! It culminates in one of the biggest battles and plot crescendos ever conceived. It is fantasy of the highest calibre. Tolkien was an absolute genius - not the most fluid author to put pen to paper - but the Einstein of high adventure.

As a young man, many years ago, one chapter absolutely blew me away: Shelob's Lair. The culmination of fear and every last drop of hope being dashed away.

This is one of the best books, period, ever written.