The Lord of the Rings

What it's about

In the quiet Shire, the hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits a plain gold ring from his uncle Bilbo, and learns it's the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron to rule all the others. If Sauron gets it back, Middle-earth falls, and the only way to destroy it is to carry it into his own land and cast it into the fire where it was made. A fellowship of hobbits, men, an elf, a dwarf and the wizard Gandalf sets out with him, into a war that will decide the age.

Why it's worth reading

It's the book that made modern fantasy, and it still has no equal for depth of world, sense of history, and a friendship you'll feel at the end. The scale is epic, but its heart is small, brave people doing the hard thing.

You'll love it if you liked

Dune, The Fifth Season or The Left Hand of Darkness

Good to know

The first hundred pages in the Shire are slow, and there are songs and poems throughout, which you can skim. It's usually printed as three volumes. You don't need The Hobbit first, but it's a gentle way in.