I started Fellowship immediately after The Hobbit, which I recommend everyone doing. To be honest I found the first part of the book again to be a bit of a slog to get through. We are bought back into the shire and what is essentially Bilbo’s retirement. Gandalf brings to Frodo, Bilbo’s nephew, a quest to destroy the ring. And from there, our Hobbits sent off on their adventure.
The parts I did not like in the Hobbit were emphasized in the first section of the fellowship, which is essentially a long road trip to Rivendell. Tolkien also does a lot more worldbuilding and the atmospheric mood of the journey made me bored. They eventually get to Rivendell, where the council of Elrond takes place. This is another section of the book I had problems with the pacing. I couldn’t keep track of all the characters and places that took part in the meeting. After the council ends, it is decided that Frodo and the Gang, who make of the Fellowship of the Ring will journey to Mordor and destroy the ring.
Once the Fellowship bands together, I think the book starts to pick up again. The climax of the journey is when the band makes it to Moria and Gandalf has a standoff with the Balrog (He doesn’t even say, “you shall not pass” like in the movies). As a result of the confrontation, Gandalf falls through a chasm and we believe that he is dead. I thought this was an awesome moment in the book because Gandalf, the de facto leader of the group is gone. This brings Aragon into the forefront and from here the journey seems to be impossible.
The favorite part of the novel is Lothlorien, something about the Elf settlement made me incredibly invested in the setting. Maybe because it serves as a reprieve from the depressing events of Gandalf’s journey and our heroes have time to rest. Lady Galadriel is probably my favorite character of the entire novel made her especially memorable. Probably because of my loneliness from quarantine, but Tolkien’s description of this incredibly beautiful, tall elf made Galadriel stand out.
The ending of the novel was extremely strong as well, with Frodo and Sam splitting off and the group thrown into disarray.
Overall, I think Fellowship has its faults. I had trouble with its pacing. Tolkien throws so much information at us, I found it hard to resonate with any member of the fellowship. However, it does have its great moments after the Fellowship is created. It’s a must-read for anyone who likes fantasy. I would recommend it because the rest of the series makes it worth it.