At my core, I am a nerd, and that is something I have slowly embraced as mainstream culture has also slowly embraced us. There are now so many nerds running around, from Star Trek and Star Wars to Harry Potter and Supernatural, not to mention all the anime fandoms, that we have become a part of the system, and it’s really freeing.

That said, not all nerd books are made equal, and I will die on the Lord of the Rings hill. And there is really only 1 reason:

It is a beautiful journey.

JRR Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, loved language. He loved linguistics, he loved poetry, and he loved history and folklore. These passions come together in such a elegant tapestry that not only has the book aged well in of itself, but much (if not the majority) of modern fantasy is based on his works.

I originally read the Hobbit and its sequel trilogy (which was originally intended to be a single volume) back in Middle School and early High School about seven years after the last of the movies was released.

My parents told me I wasn’t allowed to watch the films until I read the books. So I did.

They were difficult, and I did not truly enjoy them.

This was partly because they were over fifty years old and used unfamiliar words, but mostly because I was young and didn’t care about how Tolkien described every hill and field the characters found themselves in. The plot was simple, and there was so much lore and detail that it was easy to get a little bogged down in it as a 13 year-old.

Of course I thought the movies made it all worth it. And yes I’ve seen the extended versions multiple times and all of the makings of and so on. But I have to say, I don’t really recommend them or the physical book to anyone just getting started.

As an adult I recently listened to the books via Audible, and I highly recommend that format to anyone even remotely interested in the stories. I enjoyed the audiobook so much! Probably because I am older, and I’m not as much in a hurry. When I read a physical book, I am acutely aware of how much time it takes for me to sit down and read a page or twenty.

When I am listening, that’s not a problem. I can actually appreciate the flowery words and the beauty of getting sidetracked and rescued by Tom Bombadil. And each of the poems and songs and language is a lovely piece of art.

I love the reality of how much is going on in the story’s background, and that the party’s rests are filled with little tales and songs like it would have been if it were real. It’s not a fast speed, superpowered action-thriller romp, and in this day and age, I’m grateful. The book takes the time to lumber along and see that the trees have leaves and sometimes a whole lot more. I think that is missed in a lot of modern adaptions.

The way the story interacts with literature and folklore, the formation of the Elvish language, and the anti-racist polycultural worlview will never grow old for me. And because of this, I think Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings contains a true fantastical nerdiness that has not yet been reached by modern nerds.