# Favorite Trilogies?



## brianrowe (Mar 10, 2011)

There are many series of books out there, but would would you say is your favorite trilogy? I would say the Hunger Games, but I wasn't too wild about Book 3. Lord of the Rings is obviously up there. What are your thoughts?


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

My Favorite Trilogy? Just One?!? OMG, here are my top two:

1. _The Vampire Chronicles_ by Anne Rice
1. _The Empire Trilogy_ by Janny Wurtz and Raymond E. Feist
1. _The Legends of Camber of Culdi_ by Katherine Kurtz
1. _The Well World_ by Jack L. Chalker (oh, wait, that's a pentalogy)
1. _The Saga of the Pliocene Exile_ by Julian May (Quadrilogy)
2. _The Great Dune Trilogy_ by Frank Herbert
2. _The Foundation Trilogy_ by Isaac Asimov
2. _The Lord of the Rings_ by JRR Tolkien
2. _Krispos of Videssos_ by Harry Turtledove
2. _Chung Kuo_ by David Wingrove (Octology)

Better stop there ...


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Geoffrey said:


> My Favorite Trilogy? Just One?!? OMG, here are my top two:
> 
> 1. _The Vampire Chronicles_ by Anne Rice
> 1. _The Empire Trilogy_ by Janny Wurtz and Raymond E. Feist
> ...


Well, you could eliminate those that are more than 3 books, and thus are not trilogies.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Well, you could eliminate those that are more than 3 books, and thus are not trilogies.


Well, I could .....


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

While it was five books long, I must pick Zelazny's original Amber series (the books narrated by Corwin). Since those five novels are probably, at most, just a tad longer than one G.R.R. Martin novel, I don't feel bad about calling them a "trilogy."


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## rolandx (Jul 25, 2010)

The Passage...when it's finished.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Geoffrey said:


> My Favorite Trilogy? Just One?!? OMG, here are my top two:
> 
> 1. _The Vampire Chronicles_ by Anne Rice
> 1. _The Empire Trilogy_ by Janny Wurtz and Raymond E. Feist
> ...


That last one's a little out of date. _Chung Kuo_ is being relaunched in -- wait for it -- 20 volumes. The first two are already out, and they're superb.


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## emmameade83 (Nov 14, 2011)

The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
The Hunter
The Chase
The Kill


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Tony Richards said:


> That last one's a little out of date. _Chung Kuo_ is being relaunched in -- wait for it -- 20 volumes. The first two are already out, and they're superb.


Yeah. I've seen the relaunch but I was also afraid. It's good to hear they're good. I'm not sure I have the patience for a dodecology ....


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## jayreddy publisher (Jun 13, 2011)

The Dune trilogy.


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## Guest (Dec 5, 2011)

I enjoyed Hunger Games, though the first book was by far my favorite.


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## normcowie (Jun 21, 2011)

There are so many, but my newest favorite is Kevin Hearn's druid series. There are only three as of this moment (to my knowledge), so if he adds a book, it won't be a trilogy anymore. So check them out while you can.

(grin)

Here's the first one:


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## normcowie (Jun 21, 2011)

Ah, spelled his name wrong. It's Hearne.


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## Jackie41 (Nov 30, 2011)

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Being a fantasy reader it's hard to find a series of books that are only 3 volumes long!


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## Nebula7 (Apr 21, 2011)

I'm sure there are many more but it's early in the morning and this is all my brain will allow until the coffee kicks in.

The Song of Albion by Stephen Lawhead
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (still waiting for book three)
Pearlsong Founding by Michael D. Warden (still waiting for book three)
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker
The Trophy Chase Trilogy by Bryan Polivka


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

It would be The Lord of the Rings, were it a trilogy (which it isn't).


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## Nebula7 (Apr 21, 2011)

The Lord of the Rings is one book cut into three parts. Unless I'm mistaken that's what a trilogy is.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

Exactly, it is _one_ book (thought, planned and conceived as a single novel), which the editor cut in three volumes because in post-war Britain it would have been to expensive to publish as a single book.

I may be wrong in my understanding (I'm not a native English speaker) but to me a literary trilogy is a series composed of three separate (but connected) novels, not one novel cut in three.


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## Nebula7 (Apr 21, 2011)

My understanding is that a trilogy is one book cut in three volumes. Who wants to hold a 1500 page book? A series however is a line of books that are connected by - lets say - a main character. The reader does not have to read every book to complete the story nor do they have to start at book one (even though the books to progress in certain aspects). 

If someone reads Steven James' "The Queen" they don't have to read the first four books to enjoy this book but if someone reads "The Two Towers" they are not going to understand what's going on. They miss the first and last part of the story. 

I'm sure this is not rule does not always apply but in my experience this is the norm.


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## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

*Definition of TRILOGY

: a series of three dramas or literary works or sometimes three musical compositions that are closely related and develop a single theme*

Years ago I liked the Asimov Foundation Trilogy, but couldn't read it today. Ditto for the Dune trilogy. I read The Hunger Games trilogy, but I really only liked the first one, the others two were much weaker.

Probably my favorite would be The Lord of The Rings which had a strong story across all three. Yes, it was originally one huge work, impossible to release, so it became a trilogy.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

*a series of three dramas or literary works*

The Musketeers trilogy by Alexandre Dumas is a classical example (and by the way is my pick of a favorite trilogy that _is_ one ). The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Man in the Iron Mask are three different novels conceived and executed as 'acts' in a story.

Moreover professor Tolkien himself always defined the Lord of the Rings as a single work. 
To break up a novel in different volumes for ease of publication doesn't make it three different novels, otherwise a novel published in instalments on a newspaper would become a collection of short stories.

The Italian publisher of George R. R. Martin is publishing _A Dance with Dragons_ in four volumes, each with its own title and coming out at different times, does this make it a tetralogy?


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## tinytoy (Jun 15, 2011)

The Hunger Games

I have also read 2 out of 3 books by Jennifer Erin Valent in the "Fireflies in December" trilogy.  I really enjoyed the first two books but can't really say this trio is a favorite considering I haven't read the third and final book yet.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Ya know, I am all for geeking out and splitting those hairs over what is and isn't [Fill in the Blank] .... just get me going about Science Fiction and Fantasy sub-genres some time and you'll REALLY see what I mean. 

In this case, with LOTR, I consider it a trilogy simply because my paper versions have always been 3 separate books. Whether or not Tolkien intended them to be 1 or 4 books, in my mind, it's a trilogy. In my mind, it's a single story arc spread out over 3 books and while I always read them in a single time period, I don't see them as a single book at all.

Likewise, I see Feist's _Riftwar Saga_ (a Trilogy comprised of 4 books) as a single story arc ranging across multiple books that I will read in a single time period.

If I don't feel the need to read the entire series of books, in order, to get the complete story arc, then I don't consider books to be a trilogy but to be part of a series. Any set of books where I can read pick up a book in the middle of the series and have a complete stand alone novel, I don't consider to be a trilogy, tetralogy, pentalogy, etc.

But that's just me ...


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## Darlene Jones (Nov 1, 2011)

The Josephine Trilogy by Sandra Gulland. She told me it took her 10 years to finish the books. The research must have been tremendous.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

"The Lord of The Rings".

My favorite reading experience of all time.

Now, just to be a little controversial, here's another trilogy I liked - even better than "Dune":

  

"The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever"

Let the hating begin!

Todd


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## pjune (Mar 10, 2009)

I'm currently about 60% of the way through The Night Eternal, which is the third book in The Strain trilogy.  So far I've really enjoyed the series and I can't wait to see how it ends.  I also really liked Dean Koontz' Frankenstein series.  There are five books in the series, but Koontz added the last two much later.  The first three are the best, and you could certainly stop after reading just those three.  

I also really enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy and the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series.


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## martaszemik (Dec 4, 2011)

Hunger Games for sure! Had me drawn in from page 1.

Marta


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## hs (Feb 15, 2011)

Todd Trumpet said:


> Now, just to be a little controversial, here's another trilogy I liked - even better than "Dune":
> 
> "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever"
> 
> ...


Todd, no hating here. I liked Thomas Covenant better than Dune as well! But Lord of the Rings is better than either one. 

I'm also going to vote for The Hunger Games as my favorite trilogy.

If The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy had stopped at 3 books, it would give The Hunger Games a run for its money.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

A proper trilogy should have a build-up and climax in each book, in other words each one should be a complete story. That's different than breaking a very long book into three parts.


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## Randirogue (Apr 25, 2011)

_Phèdre Trilogy_ of the _Kushiel's Legacy_ series by Jaqueline Carey is my all-time favorite trilogy and has been so since they were first released.

_The Wayfarer Redemption_ trilogy was also quite noteworthy for me as well.


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## brianrowe (Mar 10, 2011)

I agree, R.M. A trilogy should not be one story spread out over three books. There should be a story centralized to each book, with a beginning, middle, and end. To take 300,000 words to tell one story and split it into three books is cheating, in a way.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy is the best six books you'll ever read.


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## kea (Jun 13, 2011)

The Planet Pirates (by Anne McCaffrey)


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## Fleurignacois (Sep 17, 2011)

The Barrytown Trilogy by Roddy Doyle. One of the funniest things I've ever read.


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## GM Barlean (Oct 12, 2011)

I remember when I was in my early 20's, reading the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever. I also remember reading The Riverworld series. I liked both, but I was young. Who knows if I'd like them now. Of course, Lord of the Rings certainly colored my youthful readings, too.

GM Stevens


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## Beth Dolgner (Nov 11, 2011)

tim290280 said:


> The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy is the best six books you'll ever read.


You beat me to it! That and The Lord of the Rings are on my list, for sure.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

hs said:


> Todd, no hating here. I liked Thomas Covenant better than Dune as well! But Lord of the Rings is better than either one.
> 
> I'm also going to vote for The Hunger Games as my favorite trilogy.


Hmmm, I'm going to have to give this "Hunger Games" thing a look into.

The only glimpse I've had so far is the movie trailer, which (and I may be wrong about this) made the story look like a "Teens Only" undertaking.

Then again, well-written is well-written.

But I draw the line at lovesick vampires!

Todd


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Todd Trumpet said:


> "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever"
> 
> Let the hating begin!


You are not alone. I loved the original Thomas Covenant novels. They get my vote for best trilogy and best fantasy novels. A few years ago I listened the unabridged audio versions and really enjoyed them after a span of twenty years since first reading them.


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## flipside (Dec 7, 2011)

For me what's interesting is that "trilogies" tends to lean towards a certain genre - usually SF/F (as evidenced by the answers here).

It's also popularized by Lord of the Rings, which is ironic since its actually six parts divided among 3 books.

Also some books were originally written as trilogies, but in response to the market at the time, didn't end up a trilogy (I think this was the case for The Belgardian by David Eddings).

The original Foundation trilogy is also interesting to me because it's not really a trilogy as much as a collection of chronological short stories along three books. (Of course Asimov continued the series so it didn't "end" as a trilogy.)

And then there's the tendency to continue the story so it stops being a trilogy. This was the case for The Wizard of Earthsea, and the first three books have a different voice compared to the fourth volume.

So that's my way of saying yeah, trilogy is an iffy word. 

Personally though, I love Jacqueline Carey's Phèdre trilogy and Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders trilogy.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

Geemont said:


> You are not alone. I loved the original Thomas Covenant novels. They get my vote for best trilogy and best fantasy novels. A few years ago I listened the unabridged audio versions and really enjoyed them after a span of twenty years since first reading them.


Interesting.

While I still rank "LOTR" #1, I just might put Thomas Covenant at #2.

Like you, I revisited them a few years ago (having first read them as a teenager) - but in regular ol' book form again. I found a beautiful set of hardcovers at a library sale for - you guessed it - $1/book. Really enjoyed them a second time as well.

Then I made a mistake.

I found a set of the _second _Thomas Covenant trilogy at the same library - same hardcover editions, same $1/book price.

But the 2nd trilogy was a pale shadow of the 1st.

Some might even say "terrible".

And as for future sequels...

...it's made me an Unbeliever.

Todd


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## soesposito (Jun 12, 2010)

Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy! And now they have snazzy new covers, so I have to buy them again!


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## samuelhawk (Dec 8, 2011)

Have a favorite three-part series you wish to share?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

flipside said:


> ...And then there's the tendency to continue the story so it stops being a trilogy. This was the case for The Wizard of Earthsea, and the first three books have a different voice compared to the fourth volume....


The original "Earthsea" trilogy would be very close to the top of my list. The subsequent sequels: eh.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

The thing about the Covenant sequels is that Donaldon never wanted to write them, but his editor at Del Rey kept pestering him with bad ideas unil he relented.  Although not as good as the first books, at least the sequels aren't the same books over and over again as are most series/sequels.  The events of the first books made Covanent a different type of character for those that followed.


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## Todd Trumpet (Sep 7, 2011)

Geemont said:


> The thing about the Covenant sequels is that Donaldon never wanted to write them, but his editor at Del Rey kept pestering him with bad ideas unil he relented.


Interesting. Never knew this.

I was at a swap meet recently where a pristine hardcover collection of "The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" were on sale for - you guessed it - all of $3.

I passed.

_That's_ how much I disliked the _second _Chronicles.

Todd

P.S. I wonder if "Last" really means "Last"?


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## teashopgirl (Dec 8, 2011)

I'm going to have to add one more voice to The Hunger Games vote. While the third book was probably the weakest, I thought the second was terrific. 

I know Steig Larsson's three Millennium books weren't a trilogy in the strict sense, but I thought they were great.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Todd Trumpet said:


> P.S. I wonder if "Last" really means "Last"?


Depends on what you mean by 'last'.  There is a trilogy of Linden Avery Chronicles. . . . .


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Just a reminder to our new author-members....there is no self promotion outside the Book Bazaar.  That means that your books are NOT the answer to a request for recommendations, sorry.    Posts that self-promote will be removed. 

Y'all read, too, right?  Surely you have a recommendation of a trilogy you've "only" read?


Betsy
KB Moderator


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

LOTR (even though it was originally meant to be one book, not three)

Meredith Pierce's The Darkangel Trilogy--a spooky, poetic fairy tale that reminds me in parts of the "Bluebeard" story and in other parts of "Cupid and Psyche."


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## laa0325 (Feb 21, 2010)

My favorite is Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy, which I've read over and over through the years. 

1) The Crystal Cave
2) The Hollow Hills
3) The Last Enchantment


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## Adele Ward (Jan 2, 2012)

Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy set during the First World War and bringing in real characters like Siegfried Sassoon. I was listening to it as an audiobook and ended up in some embarrassment with tears streaming down my face as they made that run from the bunker.


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## jumbojohnny (Dec 25, 2011)

Only one answer to this, but by an odd default they are not my most favourite books as the ones that are, are a quadrology. But Philip Pullman's Dark Materials, followed by LOTR, despite them being too long, in my opinion.


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## sesmith (Dec 21, 2011)

I have yet to read LOTR, but I suspect it will be a favourite once I do.

The only trilogy I can think of that I've read is The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher, and I liked it.


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## Shevi (May 25, 2011)

My favorite trilogy is _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. I know that's more than three-books long, but Douglas Adams called it a trilogy.

After that, definitely _The Lord of the Rings_.


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## acellis (Oct 10, 2011)

My all time favorite

The Lord of the Rings.

In fact, I'm about due to read it again, for the fifth time.


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## Julia444 (Feb 24, 2011)

Lots of great trilogies that I've read, but the first one I thought of, for some reason, goes back to my childhood:

James Herriott's ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL trilogy, which I got in a box set for Christmas back in the 70s.  (There was a fourth book, too, but I read it as a trilogy first).



Julia


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## Craig Allen (Apr 2, 2011)

The Gaean Trilogy by John Varley.  The first book was a little slow, but it got better with the second.  The third was hilarious.

The Matador series was good too, though the first novel, The Man Who Never Missed, was the best.


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## Todd Young (May 2, 2011)

I like John Christopher's The Tripod Trilogy.


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## jwest (Nov 14, 2011)

I have to say Lord of the Rings here, because, well, because those books are pure nuggets of awesomeness  

Also, I just read The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and they were really good.


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## Brad Murgen (Oct 17, 2011)

Sticking with strict trilogies:

_The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever_ by Stephen R. Donaldson
_Wraeththu_ by Storm Constantine
_Foundation_ by Isaac Asimov
_Mars Trilogy_ by Kim Stanley Robinson
_Dragonlance: Chronicles_ by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
_Battle Circle_ by Piers Anthony
_The Forever Hero_ by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Honorable mention to Anne Rice's _Vampire Chronicles_... if she had stopped at the first three it would be on the list too.



Tony Richards said:


> That last one's a little out of date. _Chung Kuo_ is being relaunched in -- wait for it -- 20 volumes. The first two are already out, and they're superb.


I had never heard of David Wingrove or this series, but after some research I'm getting that first volume of the re-issue on Kindle. Sounds awesome.


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## JustinHall (Jan 4, 2012)

An obviously much favorited trilogy: the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien. My reasons? Some of the best writing in literature. Truly, if any one  person could write well, it would certainly be a philologist and linguist. The Lord of the Rings is not just a surface story—on the contrary, the Lord of the Rings is not just a story. Its depth, its history, what Tolkien created, goes far beyond many a man's imagination. Indeed, it may be safe to say what he's written of Middle Earth is more than anyone will ever read.

I could go on, I could say how compelling and ingenious the plot is, how compelling and ingenious the characters are, but I'll stop here. Those who wish to observe and enjoy Tolkien's brilliance in this trilogy may easily do so. Those who do not find interest in this brilliance, who, in fact, find boredom in it, I deem unfortunate. For this truly is one of the greatest trilogies in literature—indeed, one of the greatest works in literature.


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