tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2004198118802951520.post6217022971851494678..comments2023-05-28T23:07:46.166-07:00Comments on It Started With The Hugos...: LOTR: The Fellowship of the RingStephen Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00474038338477057626noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2004198118802951520.post-69744581429739010882015-02-19T08:10:07.595-08:002015-02-19T08:10:07.595-08:00I'm jealous of her as well. I would love to g...I'm jealous of her as well. I would love to go there. They have an annual marathon/half marathon there in February, I believe, that I would love to go do one of these days as part of a long vacation there. Need to start saving my pennies.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2004198118802951520.post-35887905684624358962015-02-19T08:01:13.656-08:002015-02-19T08:01:13.656-08:00Thanks for your comment, Carl. Speaking of New Ze...Thanks for your comment, Carl. Speaking of New Zealand, my mother-in-law is taking a quilting cruise to Australia and NZ this spring. One of the day trips she signed up for is the Hobbiton set. I am so jealous! If I had the cash and could afford a month off, I would have gone with her.Stephen Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00474038338477057626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2004198118802951520.post-7912658355914841572015-02-19T06:55:38.376-08:002015-02-19T06:55:38.376-08:00If it weren't for the ring-like seduction of c...If it weren't for the ring-like seduction of contemporary releases and the equally powerful desire to make my way through classic works of science fiction that I did not get to in my younger years, The Lord of the Rings is a book that I could easily see myself reading every year. Had I taken the opportunity to read them back when I was a pre-teen/teen, I no doubt would have because in those years I was a devoted re-reader. I would often close the pages of a book at the end only to begin it again immediately.<br /><br />I didn't finally get around to reading Tolkien until right before the theatrical release of Fellowship of the Ring. I read The Hobbit, as I wanted to have that background, and then did not pick up the other books until after seeing The Return of the King as I wanted to remain (and thankfully did) spoiler-free. <br /><br />I adore the extended editions of these films, and all the extras that accompany them. I passionately re-watch the extras and the films every year, sometimes multiple times. And every year I manage to read either some Tolkien, or something Tolkien-related, though I have only read the book cover to cover 2+ times (the plus comes from the fact that I am currently reading Fellowship aloud to my wife).<br /><br />At any rate, I love having the movie images, particularly the landscapes of New Zealand, in my head as I read these. I feel that each "version" of Frodo's tale complements the other and while I too have small quibbles about things I would see changed in the books and films, they are miniscule in comparison to my great love of Tolkien's creation and Jackson's interpretation of it.<br /><br />Funny what you mention about your remembrances of Two Towers and how you currently feel about it. The first time I read the story, I felt the beginning of Fellowship was excruciating, and loved the other two sections. The second time, I was so hooked from the beginning of Fellowship and wondered what in the world was wrong with me that first time. I hung on every word. <br /><br />It is fun to be introducing this to my wife given that her only experience with it is the films, which she too loves. She is enjoying seeing how things are different and how they are fleshed out in ways that can't be done with a film, no matter how long it is.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.com