Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard and Mordor, to stand against the might of Sauron and Saruman and the union of the two towers? The Two Towers (2002) Today I’ll answer a question people ask often: which two towers is the title The Two Towers referring to? In the film we get this line as an answer:

Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings differs from its film adaptations. (And once you've finished, check out our maps to Dune and The Wheel of Time next.Welcome back to my series of posts exploring how J.R.R. Which one will you be? Time to start reading and find out. Below, I’ve charted a choose your own adventure course through the lore, with exit points for the casual reader and bonus material for the newly converted Tolkienite. I grew up in Tolkien’s wide, wide world in the way that other members of my generation grew up in Narnia or Hogwarts these books are an enduring part of my heart and identity, and they can be for you, too. Yes, dear reader, you caught me-I’ve been a Tolkienite since age eight, when I got my hands on The Hobbit and it changed my little brain forever. What’s the best path for reading your way through, you ask? It’s a simple question, but one bound to rile up Tolkien fans, who love and study the author’s works with serious devotion.

But The Lord of the Rings is just the tip of the iceberg Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium encompasses thousands of years and dozens of other works, meaning that if you dive in, it may be quite a long time before you make it there and back again. If you haven’t read the series, how I envy you! Newcomers are in for an unforgettable reading experience you’ll always remember the first time you encountered these moving, masterfully imagined epics about the struggle between good and evil, the delicate balance of death and immortality, and the addictive danger of power. Peter Jackson’s early aughts film adaptations have only compounded the series’ enduring popularity, inviting new fans into Tolkien’s fantastical world by way of Academy Awards, timeless memes, and astounding filmmaking.

Tolkien’s sprawling magnum opus popularized the fantasy genre, galvanized a counterculture movement, and snowballed into a global pop culture phenomenon. It’s difficult to imagine a world without The Lord of the Rings.

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