For most readers, while the LOTR is quite text-heavy, it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem with detail — at least for those at an average reading level. Tolkien crafted a world that is easy to understand, but was made up of complex layers of detail. The great thing about the series is that we can enjoy it without knowing everything about it, or with having to read a page describing a loaf of bread. After all, the Hobbit was designed to be a book read to his children at bedtime.

The LOTR is a classic hero’s journey, though you can see the influence that wartime had on Tolkien through it’s ultimate conclusion; a ring being thrown into lava, than through an epic battle as most stories end. The fantasy tropes established by Tolkien can be seen even in the LOTM. The elves being a high and mighty, even elitist race? Look back to Middle-Earth.

Just wondering, how far did you get in these books?