The Eldritch Paths takes to The Lord of the Rings, having got past the usual off-putting gripes from the Tolkien-haters (Lovecraftians will be familiar with the catechism, as it’s also used against Lovecraft). The Eldritch Paths’s final book report appeared yesterday, as “The Beauty and Horror”…

I was a bit reluctant to read the trilogy. The complaints I’ve heard about Tolkien being “boring”, Middle-earth as a setting being cliche, and that the novels having way too much description put me off. Eventually, I hunkered down and bit the bullet. To my surprise, I was blown away.

Lord of the Rings has genuine moments of horror. I’m not talking about cheap thrills here either.

Super. I envy him a first reading sans the movies, I wish I could experience it all afresh, but short of getting a blast of the black breath and losing my memory, that’s not going to happen.

It appears that Eldritch Paths read the book in print, but for those who prefer audiobooks these days then your only choice should be the unofficial unabridged reading by Phil Dragash with good headphones and an audiobook player that does bookmarks easily (e.g. AIMP). If this appeals, then be warned that Eldritch Paths’s book review has spoilers.