| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: None Violence level: Medium (or Medium-High, but with classic fantasy descriptions it's not very graphic) Back Cover: “The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring.” |
That's mostly because of Merry and Pippin, I think. I actually like the story so much better once the Fellowship breaks up and they all get to go have their own adventures, and of those adventures the one starring Merry and Pippin is just so wonderfully ridiculous. I suspect that hobbits must be blessed with extreme good luck, because they so often go out into the world with no idea of what they're doing, and somehow end up on the winning side every time. Frodo breaks that mold a bit, but Merry and Pippin fit it perfectly, and I love every minute of it. They just make things up as they go along, really. And, in the manner of hobbits, their most exciting battle is told only after it's finished, around a large meal.
That isn't to say the other adventures aren't excellent as well. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are probably the more exciting story, what with Helm's Deep and all. It's certainly the most decisive victory in the book. The contest between Legolas and Gimli is one of the best parts of it, and I liked the way it ended. Legolas knows how to lose with dignity, anyway—especially when he loses to a friend.
As for Frodo and Sam, well, they take up half of the book, and they travel a lot. It's certainly a cliffhanger ending for them, and the fight with Shelob is exciting and all. Sam shows his true quality there. But they really do an awful lot of just traveling from one spot to another, dodging various problems and enemies. Which is what I didn't much like about the first book, but somehow this time it isn't so bad. Maybe it's because with fewer characters to deal with, you get to see Sam more often. I have a lot of respect for Frodo, but of the two, Sam is definitely the more interesting to read.