The Two Towers (1954)

Even though The Lord of the Rings is technically one novel divided into three parts, The Two Towers definitely marks a shift in the story.  With the members of the Fellowship spread across multiple plotlines, the structure of the book itself changes.  In the first half, we go between Aragorn-Legolas-Gimli and Merry-Pippin, often spending a few chapters on one group, then backtracking to catch up with the other.  Then, the second half is pure Frodo-Sam.  After having everyone together through the first book, it’s a big change.

With the fellowship scattered after the events of the first book, the story takes three paths.  Frodo and Sam have continued forward alone on their quest to destroy the Ring; on their path, they encounter Gollum, a former keeper of the Ring driven mad by his desire for it.  Merry and Pippin try to escape capture by the Orcs, and as Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli work to rescue them, their journey takes them to Rohan, where dark forces are working against a kingdom of men.  There are trials, betrayals, feats of courage, and a climactic battle, and all the while, the Ring gets closer and closer to Mordor.

For the most part, I like how the book divides the characters between chapters – it gives you time to immerse yourself in where you are, and having that relative space reminds you that the characters in each place have no idea what’s going on with the others, or if they’re even still alive.  However, it is a bummer to wait so long to get anything on Sam and Frodo, as well as not getting anything on Aragorn & co./the other hobbits for the second half of the book.

But even if the way it’s arranged makes me miss the other characters when they’re gone for such long stretches, I still like what’s going on.  Eowyn is a neat new character, the whole Wormtongue sequence is awesome, and who doesn’t love Legolas and Gimli’s contest during the battle of Helm’s Deep?  The Pippin-and-Merry plotline doesn’t have as much going on (since being stuck is a big part of the point!), but there’s still some good stuff going on there.  I especially like how the two try to look out for each other when they’re in a tight spot.

I know there are some who feel the Frodo-Sam sections drags, but I love it.  I love the interactions between them, the enormity of these two hobbits forging ahead on this quest, the suspense/tension that Gollum brings to the proceedings (I really like the fraught dynamic between Sam and Gollum,) and the section with Faramir is good.  It also builds to an intense climax that’s liable to make first-time readers weep when they realize they probably have to wait until the middle of the next book to find out what happens – I know what happens, and I still don’t want to wait!

Warnings

Violence, some brief lasciviousness from a baddie, smoking/drinking, serious creep-out moments, and thematic elements.