I'm in this literature class in school and we're reading the Fellowship of the Ring. I look at his series and I am just in awe that he created an entire world, a world that you can see, smell, and feel when you're reading it. Has anybody read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit?

I've read the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion. I haven't read the Hobbit, but I've seen the animated film which follows it pretty closely. I an also in awe at Tolkien's world. The backstory of Middle Earth in the Silmarillion really attests to the man's creativity though.

I've read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I've heard of the Silmarillion. What exactly is the Silmarillion about?

I've read "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" and "The Book of lost tales 1" and I'm working on "Silmarillion."

Tolkein is the greatest epic fantasy writer ever to walk this earth. I've never read a book so rich with description. Tolkein created something that can never be surpassed by any science fiction or fantasy writers. One could only hope to create something a quarter of the depth and beauty that Tolkein did. He’s a genius and a brilliant storyteller.

The Silmarillion is basically the backstory of Middle Earth leading up to and including the Lord of the Rings. It starts at the beginning of time and builds from there, reading very much like a Bible for the saga (and just as difficult to read too, in some parts). It covers every single reference the characters make to anything that happened before the stories. It explains why Gandalf was wearing a ring at the end of Return of the King. It explains where Balrogs, Sauron, Elves, Dwarves, Men, and Numenor come from. It gives absolutely fascinating backstories of many of the characters we'll eventually encounter in Lord of the Rings, including Elrond (and his brother Elras and the choices they made), Galadriel, Saruman, Gandalf, and tells the complete story of Beren and Luthien, which was referenced by Aragorn in Fellowship of the Ring. If you like the saga of Lord of the Rings, you'll likely thoroughly enjoy this detailed history of Middle Earth.

That sounds pretty cool, I'll have to check the Silmarillion out.

I loved the hobbit, but i tried reading LOTR a long time ago and tom bombadil just really annoyed me. I truly hate tom bombadil

I thought Tom Bombadil was kind of interesting in that he was so old that the Ring's magic had no affect on him. Frodo tried to leave using its invisibility and Tom asked where he was going. Tom put the Ring on and nothing happened to him. I liked the character, but his not being included in the movie kind of hurt him.

I think i would of thought that if he didnt rhyme and sing so much. He was to perky of a character for my liking.