Is Lord of the Rings worth reading?

[Hypercase]

Hi there I've read the Lord of the Rings(more than once) and I feel quite let down because there was very little mentioned about the destruction of Sauron. I have heard about a book 'Sauron Defeated'
by Christopher Tolkien. I would like to ask anyone who read that book to post their reviews here as I would like to know if that book is worth reading.

 

[Zantra]

Haven't read that book, but I have read LOTR, and I seem to recall the books went pretty much like the movie did. It's been some years since I'd read it, but I don't think there was much more to it. Once the ring was cast into the flame, sauron looses all his power. Little background. Sauron is actually a maiya(sp?). One of the servants of the valar. He was the servant of Melkor the evil- who was the first dark lord in the first age of middle earth. Sauron lost his human form during the fall of Numinor, but his spirit escaped, and he came back to middle Earth where he regained human form slowly, and eventually he bound his soul to the one ring. There's more to it, but I'd recommend the Simarillion to get the full story.

 

[Njorl]

Sauron's chonology:

Created as a Maiar

Servant of Melkor the Morgoth. Imbued with more power than other maiar.

After Morgoth's fall, renounced evil and promised to return to Valinor, was lying.

Still with his beautiful form, befriends some less wary elves (Celebrimbor, Curufin etc.) but is rejected by the Noldor (Galadriel, Gilgilhad).

Teaches elves magic ring making. Works with elves to make the 7 dwarven rings, and the 9 rings for men. They are tainted and corrupting, unbeknownst to their elven crafters. The three elven rings are not forged with Sauron's assistance, but his teachings were used. They are not corrupting, but their power is eventually linked to Sauron.

Forges the ring of Power, when he wears it, the elves know immediately of his betrayal. War starts immediately.

Sauron kicks elf butt, but Numenoreans attack him. He sees they are militarily too powerful for him, so he decides to attack them from within. He surrenders.

As a prisoner in Numenor, he corrupts the King into invading Valinor. Numenor is sunken into the sea, and Sauron with it. His fair form is destroyed, but he reforms materially with a fearful and hideous countenance.

The surviving elves and Numenoreans attack Sauron. In the battle, his Ring wearing hand is severed, and his material form is destroyed. His spirit is dissapated.

The ring is not destroyed. Sauron slowly begins reforming.

For centuries, his minions do his work while he reforms in southern Mirkwood (Mordor is too carefully watched).

He is chased out of Mirkwood by Gandalf, Saruman and Elrond, among others, but it is too late. He has reformed to a giant immaterial flaming eye. No opposable thumbs, but it's better than nothing.

Goes poof when ring is burned.

Njorl

 

[recon]

Originally posted by Hypercase
Hi there I've read the Lord of the Rings(more than once) and I feel quite let down because there was very little mentioned about the destruction of Sauron. I have heard about a book 'Sauron Defeated'
by Christopher Tolkien. I would like to ask anyone who read that book to post their reviews here as I would like to know if that book is worth reading.

'Sauron Defeated' is actually Book Four of an investigation into the evolution of Tolkien's writing of the LoTR trilogy. Christopher Tolkien did not add anything new to the History of Middle-Earth in the book, but rather he sifted and sorted through his father's notes. In earlier versions of the LoTR, much of the story is different. A good example was that the protagonist was actually going to be the son of Bilbo instead of his nephew, a hobbit called Bungo if I am not mistaken.

I'm unable to provide a review of the book as I own only the first two parts of the investigation (Treason of Isengard and Return of the Shadow) and am yet to finish reading them. My guess is that the book will not tell you more of the destruction of Sauron. However, if you are interested in finding out more of Sauron himself (and not the destruction) my advise is to get another Christopher Tolkien edited work called The Silmarillion, which actually is about the history of elves but contains some mention of Sauron in his younger days.