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Title: The Return of the King
Series: Lord of the Rings #3
Author: John Tolkien
Rating: 2.5 & 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 770
Words: 209K
Title: The Return of the King
Series: Lord of the Rings #3
Author: John Tolkien
Rating: 2.5 & 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 770
Words: 209K
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Synopsis:
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From Wikipedia & Me
Gandalf and Pippin arrive
at Minas Tirith in the kingdom of Gondor, and there
Pippin gets to view for the first time the mighty city built on seven
levels and with the Tower of Ecthelion high above the Pelennor
Fields. They meet Denethor, the Lord and Steward of Gondor,
and deliver the news to him of Boromir's death (which Denethor
already knows of, because he holds Boromir's cloven horn in his lap),
as well as the fact that a devastating attack on his city by Sauron,
the Dark Lord of Mordor, is imminent. Stung by the scorn of
Denethor, Pippin enters the service of the Steward as repayment of a
debt he owes to Boromir, Denethor's dead son and preferred heir.
Pippin then meets Beregond, a guard of the Citadel, who tutors him in
his duties, and his young son Bergil, who guides him around Minas
Tirith. In the middle of the night, Gandalf returns to their room,
frustrated that Faramir has not yet returned.
Meanwhile, in Rohan,
King Théoden and his Rohirrim are recovering
from the Battle of the Hornburg, in which they defended Rohan
against the forces of Saruman at great cost. On their way
back from Isengard, Aragorn, the king, and his company are met
by the Company of Rangers from Arnor in the north (the
"Grey Company"), led by Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of
Elrond, and Halbarad, a leader of Rangers from the North. They had
answered the summons of Galadriel to join Aragorn in his
cause. When they return to Hornburg, Aragorn informs the king that he
shall not ride with the Rohirrim, having confronted Sauron through
the palantír (seeing-stone) of Isengard. Instead,
able to see a new threat to Gondor, he decides to travel the Paths of
the Dead and find the lost army of the undead oathbreakers who dwell
under the Dwimorberg, the Haunted Mountain. These spirits were cursed
because they did not help Isildur during the War of the
Last Alliance. Helped by his companions Legolas and Gimli as
well as the Grey Company, they ride to Dunharrow. When they
arrive, Éowyn, tries to dissuade Aragorn from going and
then—desperate to stay with him—tries to go as well. Aragorn
cannot release Éowyn from her duties and cannot return the love she
has for him and reluctantly sets out the next morning to recruit the
Army of the Dead to his cause. The company then passes under the
Haunted Mountain where they come across the bones of a missing prince
of Rohan, who had foolishly ventured on the Paths of the Dead. The
company then comes out on the other side of the mountain into the
valley of the Morthond River in Gondor and then proceed to the Stone
of Erech. There, the Oathbreakers gather around the Grey Company in
the middle of the night and resolve to fulfill their oath. They all
then ride east to the great port of Pelargir and vanish
into the storm of Mordor.
After Aragorn departs on his seemingly
impossible task, King Théoden, Éomer, and Merry arrive in
Dunharrow to muster the Rohirrim (mounted warriors) and come to the
aid of Gondor. They enter the upper hold of Dunharrow via a narrow
switchback path where they see old "Pukel-Men" sculptures
guarding the turns. Merry is so moved by the kindness of
Théoden that he enters his service and is made a Knight of the Mark.
Seeing Éowyn grieved by Aragorn's departure, Merry then asks about
the Paths of Dead and is told the story by Théoden of how King Brego
and his son Baldor discovered the entrance to the chambers under the
Haunted Mountain and how Baldor rashly spoke an oath to travel the
Paths of the Dead. The next morning was dominated by the darkness of
Mordor and two riders from Gondor showing Théoden the Red Arrow,
which was Gondor's official call for aid from Rohan. The King and
Éomer then gather the riders and set out from Dunharrow and then
Edoras. Eager to go to war with his allies, Merry is refused by
Théoden several times. Finally Dernhelm, one of the Rohirrim,
secretly takes Merry up on his horse so that he can accompany the
rest of the Rohirrim.
Back in Minas Tirith, Pippin is now
clad in the uniform of the tower guard and watches the fortunes of
war unfold. Faramir, Boromir's younger brother, returns from his
campaign with the shattered remnants of his company
from Ithilien where he reveals that he has met Frodo and
Sam and allowed them to continue on their mission. When Gandalf hears
that they are heading for Cirith Ungol, he becomes afraid, and
Denethor becomes angry at Faramir for what he thinks was a foolish
decision. The next day, Denethor orders Faramir to ride out and
continue the hopeless defence of Osgiliath against a horde
of orcs. Osgiliath is soon overrun and a gravely wounded Faramir
is carried back to Denethor. Denethor then descends into madness as
the hosts of Mordor press ever closer to Gondor's capital city of
Minas Tirith, burning the Pelennor Fields and then the first circle
of the city. His people seemingly lost and his only remaining son all
but dead, Denethor orders a funeral pyre built that is to claim both
him and his dying son. A fearful Pippin witnesses all this and runs
down to the first circle to find Gandalf. There, the hosts of Mordor,
led by the dreaded Witch-king of Angmar, have succeeded in
breaking through the gates of Minas Tirith—using a terrifying
battering ram named Grond, and only Gandalf is left sitting on his
horse Shadowfax to oppose him. Just as the Witch-king raises his
sword to strike the wizard, the horns of Rohan can be heard coming to
the aid of Gondor.
Aided by a tribe of Wild Men of
the Woods who resemble the Púkel-men of Dunharrow, Théoden's
forces travel through the long-forgotten path to avoid an
Orc ambush on the main road and reach Minas Tirith by stealth. At
first it seems that they are too late, but then the winds change and
begin to dispel the darkness. Revived, the Rohirrim charge into the
enemy on the Pelennor. Théoden is mortally wounded when the Nazgûl
cause his horse to go mad and fall on him and placing him at the
mercy of the Witch-king. In the following Battle of the Pelennor
Fields the Witch-king is slain by Dernhelm, revealed to
be Éowyn the niece of King Théoden, with help from Merry.
The battle is also joined by a "black fleet with black sails".
The forces of Mordor initially rejoice at its arrival; and then are
horrified to see the banner of the King upon the ships. Aragorn has
succeeded in using the Oathbreakers to defeat the Corsairs of
Umbar; the men of Gondor who were once slaves on the ships are
brought back to fight the host of Mordor. Thus the siege is broken,
but at heavy cost: many warriors of Gondor and Rohan fall, among them
King Théoden.
While the battle is raging, Denethor
attempts to immolate himself and Faramir on his funeral pyre,
but Gandalf and Pippin succeed in saving Faramir, aided by
Beregond, who has deserted his post and killed several of Denethor's
servants in order to save Faramir. When Gandalf advises Denethor to
put aside his madness and go out into battle, Denethor reveals that
he has used the palantír of Minas Tirith and declares the
situation hopeless. Denethor also reveals that he knows of Aragorn
and his claim to the kingship but will not accept him. He then burns
himself with the palantír on the pyre. Gandalf realizes
that Denethor—in his desperation—had looked into the seeing-stone
several times. Unlike Saruman, Denethor was too noble of purpose and
too great of will to submit to the will of Sauron, but the Dark Lord
duped the Steward into despairing of the situation. The resulting
madness kept Gandalf from joining the battle and perhaps saving
Théoden and keeping Éowyn and Merry from harm. Faramir, though, is
brought to the Houses of Healing where Gandalf awaits the wounded and
Pippin and Beregond guard Faramir, the new Steward of Gondor.
Aragorn comes in secret to the
Houses of Healing, removing his regalia of the kingship (to which he
has not yet made his claim), and wearing only his elven-cloak and
elven-brooch. Aragorn heals Faramir, using athelas or kingsfoil (the
same weed he used to ease Frodo's pain at Weathertop and outside of
Moria). Aragorn also heals Merry and Éowyn, who were hurt by the
Witch-king before he fell, and he then turns his attention to the
numerous wounded, fulfilling the prophecy in an old Gondorian wives'
tale saying that "The hands of the king are the hands of a
healer." This earns him the love and admiration of the people of
Minas Tirith, who name him "Elfstone" for his elven-brooch,
which also fulfils the prophesied name of the legitimate king.
Legolas and Gimli are reunited with Merry and Pippin and tell of
their great journey on the Paths of the Dead and how Aragorn could
even command the spirits of the Dead. They then tell the story of the
capture of the Black Fleet and the rescue of Minas Tirith.
The kings and warriors then hold a
final council with Gandalf, who has been chosen as the leader of the
forces opposed to Sauron. Knowing that it is only a matter of time
before Sauron rebuilds his forces for another attack, Gandalf and
Aragorn decide to draw out the hosts of Mordor with an assault on
the Black Gate, providing a distraction so
that Frodo and Sam may have a chance of
reaching Mount Doom and destroy the One Ring, unseen
by the Eye of Sauron. They realize that it may be a suicide
mission, but they also know it is the only hope for the Ringbearer.
Gandalf, Aragorn and the other Captains
of the West lead an army to the Black Gate of Mordor and lay siege to
Sauron's army. In a parley before the battle, the Mouth of
Sauron, a messenger from the Black Gate, displays
Frodo's mithril shirt, his elven-cloak and
Sam's barrow-blade and then demands the surrender of the
Captains and their obeisance to Sauron as conditions for Frodo's
release. Despite the shock of seeing the objects and the complete
loss of hope, Gandalf perceives that the emissary is lying, seizes
the items, and rejects the terms. The battle begins and Pippin kills
a Troll, which then falls onto him, and he loses consciousness
just as the Great Eagles arrive.
Bearing the One Ring in Frodo's
place, Sam resolves to rescue his master from torture and
death by Orcs in the Tower of Cirith Ungol. He enters
the tower through the front gate and overcomes the silent sentinels
using the Phial of Galadriel. He discovers that the orcs have mostly
killed each other over Frodo's mithril coat and then
confronts the orc-captain Shagrat, who has just finished off his
rival Gorbag. Shagrat escapes with the mithril coat, the
elven cloak, and the Barrow-sword. Sam goes up to the top chamber of
the tower, kills a small orc hurting Frodo, and then discovers his
master lying naked on the floor. Sam reveals that he has saved the
Ring, and Frodo becomes nearly insane demanding it back from him.
They are forced to disguise themselves in Orcish armour and manage to
escape the tower and the Watchers just as the Nazgûl flies in to
take over command of the tower. Frodo and Sam navigate the barren
wasteland of Mordor. Unable to cross directly to Mount Doom,
they travel north, are nearly discovered by two orcs tracking them,
and realize that Gollum is still on their trail. Just as
they are about to reach the pass into the Morannon, they are
overtaken by a company of Orcs. They escape, but the burden of the
Ring and the torrid conditions begin to break Frodo's will.
Gandalf's plan to distract Sauron from
the Ring is successful: Mordor is almost empty as all the remaining
Orcs have been summoned to defend the land against the assault of the
army led by Gandalf and Aragorn. After a weary and dangerous
journey on the road to the Dark Tower itself, Frodo and Sam finally
reach their final destination of Mount Doom. As they climb up
the Mountain, Gollum attacks them once more; but Frodo is easily able
to throw off the starving and emaciated creature. Sam spares Gollum's
life in one last show of pity and kicks him down the Mountain. As
Frodo is preparing to throw the Ring into the Crack of Doom, he
succumbs to the Ring's power and claims it as his own. Just then,
Gollum attacks Frodo and bites off his finger and the Ring. Gollum
gloats over getting his precious back, but he ends up losing his
balance and falls to his death and takes the Ring with him. The Ring
is finally destroyed, freeing Middle-earth from Sauron's
power. Mount Doom erupts violently, trapping Frodo and Sam among the
lava flows until the Great Eagles eventually rescue them.
Upon Sauron's defeat, his armies at the Gate flee. Sauron
finally appears as a gigantic shadow trying to reach out for the
armies of men, but is now powerless and is blown away by a wind. The
men under Sauron's command that surrender are forgiven and allowed to
return to their lands in peace. Frodo and Sam are saved from the
lava, meet again with the other surviving members of the Fellowship,
and are then honoured on the Field of Cormallen in Ithilien.
In Minas
Tirith, Faramir and Éowyn meet in the Houses of
Healing and fall in love with each other, with Éowyn choosing to
eschew any further hopes of glory with Aragorn. Aragorn comes to
Minas Tirith and is crowned King of Gondor outside the walls of the
city in a celebration during which Frodo brings Aragorn the ancient
crown of Gondor, and Gandalf places the crown on Aragorn. A healed
Faramir is appointed Prince of Ithilien, and Beregond—who saved
Faramir's life from the madness of Denethor—is named captain of
Faramir's guard. Gandalf and Aragorn go off high above the city and
find a seedling of the White Tree, which Aragorn then plants in
Minas Tirith in place of the dead tree. Soon after, Arwen,
daughter of Elrond of Rivendell, as well
as Celeborn and Galadriel come to Minas Tirith,
and Aragorn marries Arwen.
A series of goodbyes then takes place,
with many riding to Rohan for the burial of Théoden and the wedding
of Faramir and Éowyn. They then return to Isengard and find that
Treebeard has removed the stone circle, planted trees, and created a
lake out of which Orthanc still stands. He informs Gandalf
that he let Saruman and Gríma go out of pity, but Gandalf says that
Saruman might still be capable of doing some harm. Aragorn says
farewell at Isengard. They then overtake Saruman and find that he has
completely devolved into meanness and Wormtongue is barely able to
act human.
Elrond, Gandalf, and the hobbits return
to Rivendell and find that Bilbo has aged tremendously now that the
Ring has been destroyed. Elrond advises Frodo that he should be ready
to meet them on one last journey soon. They then leave Rivendell and
arrive at Bree and find that the little town is in a great state of
fear. The innkeeper Butterbur informs the travellers that evil men
had come up the Greenway and started trouble, even killing some of
the inhabitants, while others like Bill Ferny had joined in
with the vagabonds. Butterbur is put at ease and finally understands
when they tell him that things will soon improve because Strider is
the new king and will come north to stabilize the region. They leave
Bree and come to the borders of the Shire where Gandalf leaves them
to go and visit Bombadil.
The Hobbits finally return
home to the Shire, only to find that the Shire was in
ruins, its inhabitants oppressed by Lotho Sackville-Baggins (usually
called "The Chief" or "The Boss") who is in
reality controlled by a shadowy figure called "Sharkey".
Sharkey has taken complete control of the Shire using corrupt Men and
half-orcs, and had begun felling trees in a gratuitous programme of
industrialization (which actually produces nothing except destruction
and misery for the locals). The worst area was around the villages of
Bywater and Hobbiton, leading the hobbits to realize that Mordor had
come home to them.
Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam make
plans to set things right once more. With the help of the Cotton
family, they lead an uprising of Hobbits and are victorious at the
Battle of Bywater which effectively frees the Shire. At the very
doorstep of Bag End, they meet Sharkey, who is revealed to be
the fallen wizard Saruman, and his much-abused servant Gríma.
After Saruman reveals that Gríma has murdered (and probably
cannibalized) Lotho, Gríma then jumps on his back and slits his
throat. Gríma is himself slain by hobbit archers as he attempts to
escape. Saruman's soul is blown away into the east, and his body
decays instantly into a skeleton.
Over time, the Shire is healed. The
many trees that Saruman's men cut down are replanted with Galadriel's
gift of dust used to facilitate growth and a small nut that is
planted to replace the party tree; buildings are rebuilt and peace is
restored. Sam marries Rosie Cotton, with whom he had been entranced
for some time. Merry and Pippin become the Master of Buckland and
the Thain of Tuckborough respectively and become renowned as heroes
throughout the Shire along with Sam, who will eventually become the
Mayor. However, Frodo recedes from the picture and also cannot escape
the pain of his wounds, having been stabbed by the Witch-king and
poisoned by Shelob in addition to losing a finger.
Furthermore, his long burden of carrying the Ring has left him with
post-traumatic stress.
Frodo departs for the Undying
Lands in the West with Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, and
many Elves, including Elrond, and Galadriel. Gandalf, Elrond,
and Galadriel all carry with them the Three Elven Rings out of
Middle-earth. With their departure, the Third Age ended.
Sam, Merry, and Pippin watch Gandalf, Bilbo, Frodo, and the Elves
depart and return home. Now heir to all of Frodo's possessions, Sam
returns to Bag End, saddened by Frodo's departure. When Sam returns
home at the end of the book, though, he is greeted by Rosie and his
daughter, Elanor.
Then the next half
of the book is the Appendices and you should skip it and just read
somebody elses' synopsis because otherwise your brain will shrivel up
and die.
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My
Thoughts:
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I really should have looked at my review from 2012 before attempting
this. I loved the first half of the book, which is the story part. It
was 5 stars all the way and I simply loved it. Next time I read
this, I'm reading the story in one volume and NOT reading the
appendices.
The appendices simply killed this book for me. I got to the 75%'ish
mark and that was when Tolkien started writing about how to pronouce
names or letter combinations. I simply gave up. I'm not going to read
another almost 150 pages of boring stuff like that that has zero
meaning for me. If you enjoy it, have at it. But as for me and my
household, we will not serve the Appendices.
So I'm giving this 2 ratings. One for the book part and one for the
overall.
I realize this portion of the “review” is wicked short, but
recently I've just been worded out. Depending on how the month goes I
might end up taking a break from all non-review stuff just to
re-charge myself. Since I'm writing this before April actually starts
(I'm usually a couple of weeks ahead in scheduling stuff) I might
change my mind, but I doubt it.
★★★★★ & ★★☆☆½
