Dare I say that it's the most fun that I've had so far? Yeah, why not? I don't think I need to add to the myriad voices of those who read it but in light of the speed of The Fellowship of the Ring (i.e. not very quick at all--aaagh Tom Bombadil) it was pleasant for it to kick off straight away. Then again it's just an added slice of a single, sizeable book but blahblahblah.

Book Three started off well and continued to do so as we follow the broken Fellowship's (Strider and Co) journey after Merry and Pippin and then to Rohan. Considering how laboured the travelling can be (because it is more than a bit detailed when it comes to journeying but in a way shows how bloody big the world is) I was actually surprised that the battle of Helm's Deep was wrapped up--done deal, sign there, there and there, please--in a chapter! Following that, the chapter named The Voice of Saruman was brilliant; it's basically where they slag Saruman off and he them. After, though it slowed down massively. Merry and Pippin (or in fact Tolkien) don't believe in paraphrasing so their observations of the taking of Isengard are told in full. Eh.

Book Four though. Solid pretty much all the way through. Who doesn't love a bit of Gollum's volatile moods? And Frodo and Sam's bromance? Lovely. Not so expedient shaking Faramir off, who in the book has nowhere near the kind of development that the films had (oops, I said it) but alas, onwards to Mordor and into Shelob's lair and Tolkien switches into some real beautiful and very swift-moving and exciting writing. Could barely put it down.

I think I'll take another break before I snap open The Return of the King, though.