The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien - Book Review

“The Two Towers” starts from where “The Fellowship of The Ring” left off; The “Fellowship” is broken and now the reader is forced to follow two different storylines in this two-part volume. Since the first volume was made up of books one and two, the second volume is composed of books three and four.

Book three follows, on the one hand, the story of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas as they try to save Pippin and Merry from the orcs’ clutches and, on the other side, Pippin and Merry as they try to escape the imprisonment of the orcs. 

Aragorn and his companions meet Rohan riders that inform them of the orcs and how they, the riders, had killed them all, leaving no survivors. However, the three companions persevere and take horses from the leader of the riders, Éomer.

They meet Gandalf, a white wizard now, who takes them to Rohan to combat Saruman, the evil wizard, and his orcs, while Pippin and Merry, who escaped death, meet the Ents, sentient giant trees that battle Saruman in their own way.

As for Frodo and Sam, they meet with a slimy creature named Gollum, who agrees to guide them to Mordor and across the black gate. Gollum sneaks away as they get captured by men, their leader, Faramir, Boromir’s brother, sets them free after he realizes Frodo’s mission. They continue their way towards Mordor, but Gollum leads them astray again, however this time to Shelob, a female giant spider that ends up stinging Frodo, rendering him immobile.

This continuation, to the previous volume, is packed with darker scenes and situations as the characters get closer to Mordor and the dark lord. However, the Tolkienesque language still permeates every word and nuance. “The Two Towers” is equally epic as the previous installment of the book and will bring you one step deeper in the world of middle earth.