Young Writers Society

Books: Harry Potter. They may be a dime a dozen but hell if they're not better writing. Tolkein was a long-winded jackass, I'm sorry to say, and while the story was good, the books, frankly, sucked. One of my friend loves them, but personally I reckon they could be chopped down to one volume...and STILL be too longwinded. Yes, there were good bits. But they were few and far between. If I hadnt had the movies I would have lost the plot entirely. And I consider myself a pretty intelligent, generally devoted reader. Kind of like The Princess Bride (for those of you who've read/seen it). Goldman or whatever his name was chopped out all the long-winded parts about the history of wherever and stuck to the good bits. Someone should do that for Tolkein.

Movies: LOTR all the way. The HP movies were so pathetic. The third was better than the other two, but it was still disappointing. I hate the way they screwed with things to make it funnier and better for kids. I mean, come on! But the LOTR movies were pretty good. No needless exposition. Action action action! Just the way I like it ^_^

The last chapter of HP6 made me sniffle a bit too, not that I wasnt EXPECTING Dumbledore to die, but...*sniff* it was sad as...

I would say at the moment I like the Harry Potter series. I can relate to the problems more...not that im saying i have a evil wizard trying to kill me BUT the teenage problems atleast. J.K. Rowling is a Genius and is just brilliant ,not that im saying TolKien was'nt because i must say he was to. I prefer Harry Potter. thank you!

ps. Lord of the Rings movies are great! katie

LOTR all the way for me. Harry Potter is just too full of... teenage wanna be stuff... or something like that.

I've tried reading them both but gave up half way through. The Harry Potter movies are boring but the LOTR movies were OK.
Personally I don't like either books.

I'll be honest. I was for a fleeting moment, nearly blind with anger. I read, but with every post my heart rate rose, and I felt I would burn to ashes unless some sense came into the posters minds. Sorry, but that is the truth, and I mean no harm.
I will be honest once more. I liked AND was intoruduced to Harry Potter in grade 4, the near same time The L.R. came out, the FotR, on film. I of course, being enamoured by Harry Potter, dismissed LotR as some well, 'wannabe', note that my love and general interest in the area of medieval and afore lore was planted, but did not sprout until nigh the end of my seventh year in school. At that time I saw The Hobbit, then the three films, then the books, Silmarillion, and it has been the second year that I have become enamoured by Tolkien's work(s) 3 months ago. It might be that I love the subject(s) in general that Tolkien's works concern/draw upon, which no doubt justifies why I am in no way bored of The Silmarillion, which did not quite satisfy in length, so I have begun reading The History of Middle-Earth. But, the subject is LotR. Now Tolkien himself did not excpect a large fan base to revolve around his book, and if he were writing it now, he would have had next to no hope at all, if you know what I mean.
I will admit though it was the movies (to be more exact The Hobbit, if I hadn't have seen it, I might have never had have any inclination to watch the FotR, which was by then out on video), which have led me to read the books, and that is one of the, if not the, biggest and most positive outcome of the movies release.
Now everyone who has a mind to complain about the books, complain firstly, about it's 'amount of detail'. This is absurd, an authors job is to paint a visual picture for the reader, it may seem as if it does not give a reader much space to imagine the world in his own way, but really, if one had imagination he could interpret the descriptions in his own way, everyone may have a different way of visualizing something. Now if I'm correct, that's what most, if not all of you here complained about, thats unfair! Your just all complaining about Tolkiens style, which, if asked my opinion, is good.
However in the end it's your opinion, and I fully understand that, as well as the fact that it was written over 50 years ago! And the mythology itself was began in the making as early, as far as I know, as 1915!(Then of course, it was almost much different in style and conception). Not too mention Tolkiens character, one who understood what Tolkien was like, would understand his writing, and Tolkien himself knew this, which is why he was so pessimistic of it's fan base. Harry Potter was written quite recently (though its concept, and original drafts date back to the early 90's), which is why I think, even older kids, relate to it.
My final word is this: The Lord of the Rings, as a whole, is an excellent modern epic, and in my opinion the best, if of course there are any true modern epics that contend with it. The writing style suits my taste, and the mythology as a whole is exceptional. Tolkien, and in my opinion, was a distinguished: linguist, writer, theologen, and poet (amongst some other things!). I just hope many of you will give the books a second chance, they are excellent reads, if one has patience and interest in that sort of thing, the movies couldn't, and don't capture what is written in those books, it's essence, it only captures it's general plot line.
(Don't get me wrong, I too like the Harry Potter series, I myself was a junkie even before LotR came into my life. I have all the books up till now, and enjoy them.)[/i]

I personally love both. But LOTR does take a while to get into and Tolkien tends to overdescribe EVERYTHING. It's very deep though and has a lot to it once the reader begins to learn how to decipher it.
Harry Potter I absolutely love though. I can't really criticize any part of it that I can think of right now but it's really rather late and I'm a bit muddled. . . The reason I think I really go for Harry Poter (Having read it several times and the LOTR series only once) is that the fusion of medievalish times and modern times really intriuges me. Previous to Harry I never thought of the coupling, dismissing it in the back of my mind as impossible. Perhaps this comes from my American view of things always having to move forward and progress into the present, but Harry provides a view of thses two times colliding behind the back of the other and working. Of course having magic on your side always helps.

No contest. LotR all the way. Actually, the Silmarillion is better, *high fives Erethror* As for too much description? Its a matter of taste. And for me, what mood I'm in. He took great lengths to make his world seem real, and it paid of. Anybody ever seen an analysis of quenya grammar? Not to mention that I love it because it is so serious. It shows good against evil, and shows that nobody can go through that much without being effected. And the movies? They were great. I managed to read LotR before they came out, (I was like, eleven, ha) but was blown away by the story even then. And the special effects on the movies were awesome.

Now on to HP. Er, I'm not to fond of the whole thing. Actually, I don't like it at all. Can't stand the characters, or the trumped up world. If I want something less serious, I have plenty of other choices. But then, it's a matter of taste.

But in my opinion, HP could never come close to inspiring the feeling of awe you get when looking through Tolkien's work to something bigger than you ever imagined.

My two bits.

I applaude Silverstar *returns high five*. Tolkien remember, did spend most (it's unfair to say, or even speculate his whole life!) of his life working on his mythology, from which sprouted the LotR. I too do prefer The Silmarillion, though it has no general and re-acurring 'flow', except whatever tales the certain time holds, concerning directly, or in-directly the fate of the Jewels. And even more so am I enamoured by The Book of Lost Tales, the original Mythology as it was. But I am easily enamoured by a subject concerning a subject, so though I am now knee-deep in long-forgotten lore, which holds naught, but the feintest gleam of a link to the mythology and epic as we know it, my heart doth easily travel amongst all the tales told by Tolkien.

I love Harry Potter more than LOTR. I just don't know why. Maybe because I can relate more to the characters of Harry Potter. And to J.K. Rowling: you are the best!!!!

I wrote a letter to her, and I got a reply. Very kind women, and of course gracious, for taking the time to write a reply....^_~

I guess it just depends on what you like in a book for Tolkein's stuff...you may be 'inspiring the feeling of awe you get when looking through Tolkien's work to something bigger than you ever imagined', but I'm going 'well, this may take awhile...'

Lord of the Rings. Better story and it doesn't go against my religion.

I'm sorry but can you explain to me how it goes against your religion?

Well. Witchcraft in a real life setting.

I still don't get how it's against your religion.