book 2 of The Lord of the Rings

by J. R. R. Tolkien

isbn: 0395489334
subject: SF, Fiction and Literature
finished: 8/14/1999

As we might expect from the middle book in a trilogy, The Two Towers develops on plot elements introduced in the first book, and ends on a down note. I think that this is my favorite book of the three, but I'll have to reserve final judgment until I reread The Return of the King. The first part of the book has a broad scope: it's about the beginning of the War of the Ring, although it concentrates mainly on Merry and Pippin. The second part of the book follows Frodo, Sam, and Gollum; the latter turns out to be the most interesting of the three. Highly recommended.