Customer Reviews

The Fellowship of the Ring: Visual Companion

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Despite the excellent visual imagery and quality of this book and the companion to the first movie both books lacked one extremely important and somewhat pivotal villain from the first movie, The Balrog. The Balrog also makes an appearance in the second movie and should have been given more detailed treatment. Jude Fisher are you listening. Hey why not add the Balrog in the third book.

This companion was what I expected of it. It had many thrilling pictures of the cast and beside that their descriptions. The pictures were in full color and they were very enjoyable. They described the forging of the one ring and the Last Alliance of Men and Elves all the way to the Uruk-Hai's and Nazguls. If you were just beginning to read the books, this would be great for you to have to show you who the characters were and to tell you a little background information about them, like a dictionary. I would definitely say to buy this. It was a brilliant tie in and I just can't wait until I get the next book.

This book is full of great pictures, and that's the obvious reason to buy it. For the fan of the movie, this is a must-have. For a fan of Tolkien in general, this is a must-have. Our house has two whole shelves dedicate to books by, about, or inspired by, Tolkien.

Purists will note that where the movie departs from the book, this visual guide follows the movie (ie the visual guide furthers the myth that Saruman creates the Uruk-hai, names Arwen's jewel the Evenstar instead of Arwen herself, etc). Purists will also note that there appears to be a great deal of dialogue here that was cut from the theatre release (including Boromir's Dream & Galadriel's presenting of the gifts)--one can only hope they will be reinserted for the Director's Cut version on a DVD!

The book is divided into sections: History, The Free Peoples of Middle-Earth (Hobbits, Men, Elves, Dwarves) The Istari, and The Dark Powers. All in all, a wonderful visual companion for a visually stunning movie!

The "Lord of the Rings" movie recently was probably the best movie I've seen, and Jude Fisher's accompanying visual companion is a good piece of work.

It gives a concise, good summary of people, places and different races in Middle-Earth. It'll tell moviegoers background tidbits not in the movie: why Sam is fascinated by Elves, what happened to Frodo's parents, that Legolas is a prince, what Elrond's ancestry is, and Gandalf's true nature.

We are filled in less so on places: Lothlorien itself gets only four paragraphs. Individual species get more space: We hear about the history of the human Men of Middle-Earth, about the habits of the hobbits, and the "leaving these shores" comment about the Elves.

I would like to remind some of the other reviewers that many people -- adults and children -- have not read the books and this book is probably for them. So to give away massive spoilers concerning Moria would be very bad news. (Just as this book doesn't let us know what happens to certain characters) So it's inevitable that some parts of the plot, especially those that hinge the plot, will not be revealed. Some clues about events in "Two Towers" are given -- look carefully. The pictures are very good, very well chosen -- the ones of Frodo and Sam in particular.

Overall, if you have never read the LOTR trilogy (or "Hobbit") then this is definitely the book to pick up. It won't clue you in on every exquisite detail, but it will get rid of much of your confusion.

I have loved Lord of the Rings forever so when I saw this book, I HAD to have it. My impulses were right, this book was fantastic! It had incredible pictures, wonderful character analysis, and cool, interesting movie tidbits. For a movie as unforgettable as the Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring visual companion is the only book that could possibly do it justice is The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion. This book is a must for any Lord of the Rings Fan!

I actually purchased this book after having received the visual companion to the Two Towers for Christmas last year. As with the second book, the LoTR book provides an excellent overview with pictures of all of the major characters from the first film, giving you a little more insight into the nature of each of the different creatures.

A fun book for the whole family, and a great edition for any collector.

This is the best of the many books trying to be 'visual companions' to the film. I appreciated not only the quality of photo selections from the movie, but also the small details such as the dust cover photo also being on the hard cover. (I removed my dust cover to save wear and tear!)

The character descriptions are complete, very insightful, and geared more toward the novice aficionado of the LOTR story. They also provide in wonderful brevity much helpful background information for those who may not have read the book. This book centers on the film--not the making of the film.

While my seventh graders loved this thing, I found myself also looking through the beautiful color stills time and time again. Action is captured with breathtaking realism from the movie, and especially vivid is the ferocity the Orcs!

I've seen many 'picture books' which have attempted to visualize and summarize this wonderful story. None were as good at both as this one. It captures it all, and ⤽The Two Towers⤠companion work is on its way!

'The Fellowship of the Ring Visual Companion' is obviously a very beautiful, well concieved and put-together companion to Peter Jackson's adaptation of the books, and would work best with either people who have not seen the movie and have limited knowledge of the plot, or those who have seen the movie and want to find some little extra details on the characters and locations. Apart from adding it to their collection, I can't see any seasoned Tolkien-fans finding any new information in his book, especially if they've been tracking the progress of the movies on television documentaries or in magazines.

The book is divided into sections, starting with a brief history of the One Ring and the Last Alliance, and continuing with the species of Middle Earth, followed by characters of this particular race and the places in which they live. For example, Chapter Three begins with a brief introduction to Elves, then follows with biographies of Elrond, Arwen, Legolas and Galadriel, with Lothlorien added in. The last segment is dedicated to 'The Dark Powers', in particular the Ringwraiths and the various types of orcs.

Jude Fisher obviously knows her stuff, and somehow manages to stay true to both the movie and the books without contradicting one or the other. She adds in small details and features of the places and characters that were not (and presumably will never) be mentioned in the movies, such as Sam's father's name, the nature of the Istari, Elrond's ancestry and the symbolic nature of the Evenstar, and how it is also Arwen's second alias. There are also many insights into the character's personalities that may not have been entirely obvious to the average movie-goer, such as Elrond being Arwen's father (believe it or not their relationship was never specified fully in the movie - though Arwen mentions 'my father', she does not name him) and Pippen's innocent nature as the youngest of the hobbits. Also, weapons of each characters and their different attributes and strengths lent to the quest are described.
Furthermore, there are several quotes scattered throughout the book in italics, some directly from the movie and some from the books (although these ones may have come from deleted scenes).

The real reason for getting this book however, is for the photographs. Most (not all) are entirely crisp, clear beautiful movie stills or publicity shots of the characters and locations that cover either a whole page, are spread over two pages, or are clips added within the text. Features such as make-up, set design and costuming become even more awe-inspiring when seen up close. However, some are a little fuzzy - mostly the screen shots that cover two pages, and the one of Lothlorien (in my edition at least) has a strange violet print in the lower right hand corner. It doesn't effect any important details, but it still shouldn't be there.

Finally, there is a fold out map in the centre of the book, which is a little difficult to fold back into the book since the edges of the map must be carefully slipped into the spine lest the pages fold. However, the map is useful and the pictures lovely.

Just for interest's sake, owners of this book might want to turn to page 29 and the picture of Boromir. He is clearly wearing a different outfit from the one he wore throughout the entire 'Fellowship' movie - is this perhaps a picture from the Two Towers when he features in a flashback? There are many other pictures within the book that also might either belong to deleted scenes or the next two installments of the trilogy, such as Arwen standing in Rivendell on pages 40-41 and the Fellowship readying the boats in Lothlorien on pages 44-45.

After I watch the movie there were a few things I was confused about and this book helped! It tells about each of the main characters - their life before the ring and after - and about some of the creatures you meet in the movie. The pictures are great and the book is easy to read.Buy it before reading the books and it also helps. This is a great book to have for any Lord of the Rings fan!

This book was absolutly breath taking. On each page it has a different character, there picture, and a description of their life. Thank fully there are no spoilers in the book because it's meant specifically for the fellowship of the ring. Half way through the book there is a page that opens out into a bigger page and has a map of middle earth on it. I found that very helpful to following the movie. They even have pages dedicated to the dark power and orcs. Small quotes are also put throughout the book which is also very helpful. Another great thing about it is that it describes places as well as people. Such as Bag end, etc.
I found this book to be a great buy. It's pictures are absolutly amazing and it really helps with the movie. I recomend it 100%