‘Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie.’

Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers

Number of pages: 427

In ancient times the Ring of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. From his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron’s power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the wizard, Merry, Pippin and Sam (Frodos closest friends), Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, And a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.

The first book of “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Fellowship of the Ring”, tells about hobbits, how they live and what they look like. Also, it tells about how Bilbo, a hobbit, discovered the Ring. And about how Frodo inherits the Ring, and sets out on a quest to go to the house of Elrond. In the first part of the quest, only three of his best friends join him. Samwise (Sam) Gamgee, Peregrin (Pippin) Took and Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck. But their road isn’t easy although their quest is. On their way they encounter the Nazgul or Black Riders, as they are known to the unenlightened. After a short stop in the house of an old friend of Merry, they set of to the Old Forest, which proves to be a very queer and scary forest. In the wood they meet Tom Bombadil who is one of the oldest living creatures in Middle-earth. After some days in Tom Bombadil’s home, they set of to Bree. But on their road they are captured by Barrow Wraiths. When all hope seems to be gone, Tom Bombadil comes to their rescue and saves them. Safely in Bree they were supposed to meet Gandalf, but instead they meet a good friend of his, which proves to be of much help. When they have been given a room for the night, they go out to have a drink and something to eat at the Prancing Pony, at the Prancing Pony they meet a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider, by the commoners in Bree and Aragorn by people that know him. Before they leave Bree, Frodo receives a letter from Gandalf, which should have been sent to him by the silly old bartender at the Prancing Pony, but he tends to forget things… Frodo and his friends agrees to Striders offer to help them get to the house of Elrond.

Already on the Weathertop the Nazgul attacks them and Frodo gets seriously hurt. When they arrive at the house of Elrond they meet Bilbo and Gandalf again, and a council is held to discuss what to do about the Ring. In the council Frodo and his companions for the first time meet Boromir, Legolas and Gimli. A Fellowship is created to travel to the Cracks of Doom to destroy the Ring. Frodo volunteers to go, as he is the Ring bearer, Gandalf and Strider both decides to protect and aid Frodo in his quest. Sam, Merry and Pippin refused to be let behind so they decide to follow him to the end. Legolas and Gimli also choose to go, as they are the only ones to represent their races at the council. Boromir simply follows them as it is on the same way as his kingdom, which is under attack by the Dark Forces of Sauron. On their way they must go through the mines of Moria, where Gimli thinks Balin live. After entering the mines they discover that it has been overrun by Orcs, and that no dwarf lives there now. When they have paced the mines, not safely I can tell you, Gandalf dies by the hands of a Balrog, They have reached the first part of their quest, Frodo decides to continue alone. Once again Sam discover his scheme to leave the others behind, and refuses to let his master to go on alone. When the company is looking for them, Mery and Pippin is captured, and Boromir dies in his attempt to save them. The first book ends here!