{"id":716,"date":"2012-01-04T06:00:16","date_gmt":"2012-01-04T14:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/?p=716"},"modified":"2011-12-27T22:06:04","modified_gmt":"2011-12-28T06:06:04","slug":"mark-reads-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-chapter-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2012\/01\/mark-reads-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-chapter-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Reads ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’: Chapter 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the eleventh chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring<\/em>, the hobbits and Aragorn set out to avoid being captured by the Black Riders. Aragorn bores everyone with a poem, and it’s totally done on purpose to distract you from the huge WTF at the end. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Lord of the Rings<\/em>.<\/p>\n

CHAPTER ELEVEN: A KNIFE IN THE DARK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wow, this is getting progressively more fucked up. I don’t even think we’re close<\/em> the main plot, either, which makes me wonder: What the hell<\/em> does Tolkien have planned?<\/p>\n

All I know at this point is that the Black Riders are unsettling on this very basic level for me. Yes, I know they’re not dementors, but it’s easy to see how Rowling may have gotten the idea for them from these\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6things<\/em>. I’m still not really sure what they are. Spirits? Are they wraiths? Are they something worse?<\/p>\n

That ignorance essentially fuels my fear throughout chapter eleven, which really only has one slow moment in it. With the information provided by Butterbur, Merry, and Aragorn in the possession, it’s time for Tolkien to swoop into action and terrify me. I think it’s a brilliant move for him to start this chapter out in Buckland and with Fatty Bolger. The shadow riders, whatever they are, cause fear <\/em>quite literally! I mean, even if they didn’t, they’re already frightening, but it’s in their very nature to make people feel fear and unease. But it’s also a way to show us just how abrasive and desperate the Black Riders are to find Frodo Baggins and the Ring. They break into Frodo’s “house” in Buckland, angered to not find him there, as Fatty escapes and the horns notify of danger are set forth in Buckland. I know pretty much everyone loves the movies, and I know they’re incredibly long, so it’s these sort of moments that I really hope are re-created faithfully on screen. Truthfully, though, this all feels like one HUGE turning point. It’s not just bad news; everything feels so hopeless and frantic. While the Black Riders raid Buckland, miles away, Frodo awakes, troubled by dreams. Strider later shows him that the bedrooms where the hobbits were supposed<\/em> to be were ransacked as well, which means the danger is closer than it has ever been.<\/p>\n

Oh, right, and Merry’s ponies are gone. RIGHT, AS IF THIS NEEDED TO BE ANY WORSE. With the Black Riders closing in, the group has to make crucial decisions in very little time. I don’t have any sort of clue what role Aragorn will play in this book, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that he is<\/em> kind of helpful to have around during this entire section. At the very least, as the hobbits parade out of town, he acts as the most effective deterrent against shenaniganry that they could possibly find. And look, the fact that a crowd<\/em> of citizens of Bree is waiting for the hobbits and Aragorn to leave town is about as shitty as can be. It’s the worst possibility! HERE, HAVE A TON OF WITNESSES FOR THE BLACK RIDERS. Because seriously, they’re not going to avoid<\/em> Bree at all. So I can’t imagine anything more disadvantageous to group than this. However, I did get to end this part with a smile:<\/p>\n

Sam turned quickly. ‘And you, Ferny,’ he said, ‘put your ugly face out of sight, or it will get hurt.’ With a sudden flick, quick as lightning, an apple left his hand and hit Bill square on the nose. He ducked too late, and curses came from behind the hedge. ‘Waste of a good apple,’ said Sam regretfully, and strode on.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Bless my beard, I love you, Sam Gamgee<\/em>.<\/p>\n
I was surprised, though, just how much I am enjoying a book that spends a third of the time narrating people walking. I think the fact that it’s all so new to me is part of it, surely. I could definitely see someone hating this, but I personally adore the execution of this. The further the main characters press on, the more I’m able to grasp an understanding of the physical space of Middle-earth. That stuff’s always the hardest for me to write and read because my brain is not all that visual. I deal real well with concepts, ideas, words, theories, anything that isn’t an image in my head. It’s also why I’ve stated so many times that I really want to see the things that Tolkien created on screen, and it’s why I adore a well-executed adaptation for television or film. It’s a self-serving thing for me: I need help to build these things in my mind.<\/p>\n
Yet I don’t feel confused or lost here in The Fellowship of the Ring<\/em> as Tolkien narrates entire days of traveling. The hobbits live those days in utter fear of what is behind them and whatever might be ahead of them. That’s also why the tension works so well; they haven’t even escaped what’s chasing them, and there’s still<\/em> the chance that wherever Aragorn leads them to is full of danger and chaos. Hell, even if I want<\/em> to like the guy, I still have no reason to trust him aside from Gandalf’s letter. I had a thought earlier today when I realized that this entire book couldn’t happen if people had cell phones and the Internet. Okay, look, I know that sentence is silly as fuck, but hear me out<\/em>. This book is dependent<\/em> on the details that Tolkien has provided, and so much of the story hinges on tiny things like Middle-earth communication methods. The fact that creatures living in Middle-earth cannot just contact one another in any method that’s instantaneous or quick or dependable<\/em> is what makes this story what this is. And it doesn’t feel like Tolkien is trying to write a book about the “olden days.” It’s just a different universe, and this is a detail of it.<\/p>\n
I mean, the fact that virtually nothing in Middle-earth is “modern” in any way is sort of why I like it. The characters walk and ride ponies or horses. That’s it<\/em>. It makes the journey, like the one here in chapter eleven, so much more intense. When Aragorn suggests a route for them to take, they genuinely have to consider the fact that no matter what his intentions, it might still turn out to be a goddamn disaster. It’s just the nature of a thing like this, and that dynamic makes it all the more fascinating to me.<\/p>\n
For what it’s worth, it does seem that Aragorn knows what he’s doing; Frodo notices just how quiet and lifeless the journey largely is. It really does<\/em> seem like the safest route. In the interest of the hobbits, I do<\/em> want Aragorn to turn out to be on their side, especially since things work out so well for them here. They could use a non-hobbit companion, especially someone who knows this part of Middle-earth. That doesn’t mean the trip is one giant slumber party, though; it’s pretty miserable on day three. Bug attacks, the lack of cover, the boggy ground, and the cold and damp ground that night leave everyone dispirited. And then shit gets real<\/em> on the night of the fourth day:<\/p>\n
As Frodo lay, tired but unable to close his eyes, it seemed to him that far away there came a light in the eastern sky: it flashed and faded many times. It was not the dawn, for that was still some hours off.<\/p>\n
‘What is the light?’ he said to Strider, who had risen, and was standing, gazing ahead into the night.<\/p>\n
‘I do not know,’ Strider answered. ‘It is too distant to make out. It is like lightning that leaps up from the hill-tops.’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Okay, can we just call him Aragorn now? I like that name more because I once had a friend named Strider and it’s distracting. Anyway, yeah, what is going on everyone?<\/em> I suppose it could<\/em> be a storm. BUT WHEN IS ANY DETAIL THAT INNOCENT IN THIS BOOK?<\/p>\n
omg i might be prepared, right?<\/p>\n
NOPE WRONG. Oh, how quickly I was proved wrong in my attempts to be prepared. On the seventh<\/em> day, after much walking, they actually find a real path, one built into the ground and marked with stones. After so much walking their own way, it’s both a comfort and disturbing. A path is nice, but Merry brings up an appropriate point: What is this path for, and who built it? Is it a barrow? ARE THERE WIGHTS?????<\/p>\n
Aragorn is quick with an answer, and the hobbits are a bit shocked how much history the man knows. I guess it’s another good sign that he is telling the truth about all of this. Sam is even able to confirm the information he provides when he’s able to remember part of a poem that Bilbo Baggins once told him. THIS IS GOOD, RIGHT?<\/p>\n
The group makes for the top of a hill, knowing that there’s no real cover in this part of Weathertop; at one point, they split up and I literally screamed WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING SPLITTING UP NEVER WORKS<\/em>. But at the top of the next hill, it seems the stumble upon the source of the “light” from days before. The ground and stones are scorched by fire; there’s no sign of Gandalf, though Aragorn finds a stone that might have runes from the wizard on them. I actually like that we don’t get any confirmation of what’s happened here; the mystery works well because it continues to build to dread in the reader. Confused and unsure by all this, Merry, Frodo, and Aragorn simply stand on that hill, staring out at the fortnight of a journey ahead of them.<\/p>\n
OH, RIGHT, AND THE BLACK RIDERS SHOW UP. Well, in the distance, but it’s the first time there is literally not a single place to hide. I mean, honestly, this line is just so scary to me:<\/p>\n
‘Yes,’ said Strider, whose keener sight left him in no doubt. ‘The enemy is here!’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Fuck. The time has come, hasn’t it? When they regroup with Pippin and Sam, Aragorn is convinced that Rangers were in this area before them. (How does that explain the flashes of light, though?) The problem, though, is that there is nowhere to go. Unless they travel for days<\/em> without stopping, there’s no cover to take. There’s just this<\/em> place they’re in, the dell between hills, and Aragorn convinces the others to stay, build a fire (apparently the Black Riders aren’t big on fire or light?), and wait it out. It’s a brilliant plot choice, but I developed a pit in my stomach. They were going to wait for the Black Riders to come upon them. Would they just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6shit, how are they going to pull this off? Wave fire at them until daylight came around? I AM WAY INTO THIS.<\/p>\n
That being said\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I committed to reading this book, and I gotta be honest: the poem about Tin\u00c3\u00baviel is a bit much. If I was reading this on my own straight through, I would have skipped it. I KNOW THAT IS AWFUL AND I RARELY, IF EVER, DO THIS. But sweet summer child\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.it’s a difficult thing to process. I mean, of course I think about it in terms of our world. If someone chanted a rhyming song about the history of a one person<\/em> to me and it took more than fifteen seconds, I would just walk away. But it is part of the culture in Middle-earth, so I just read the whole thing. I have no idea if it’s important<\/em> to the future (and please don’t tell me), but then I rolled my eyes when Aragorn jumped straight into another<\/em> history lesson. I really didn’t expect something like this so late, to be fair. This<\/em> is what I thought the whole book was like, for real! The whole story of Tin\u00c3\u00baviel and the Silmarils is exactly what I thought the entirety of The Lord of the Rings<\/em> read like.<\/p>\n
Though it made me wonder: the story bored me a bit, and then Tolkien immediately segues to the entire group realizing the Black Riders have arrived. I suppose I thought the chapter might end before this happened, but\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.lord, this is horrifying<\/em>. It’s easily the most suspenseful scene in the book as of yet, and the five of them just stand there, fire on their backs, waiting. When the Black Riders arrive, things are bad enough as they are, yet this makes this scene downright unbearable:<\/p>\n
Frodo was hardly less terrified than his companions; he was quaking as if he was bitter cold, but the terror was swallowed up in a sudden temptation to put on the Ring. The desire to do this laid hold of him, and he could think of nothing else.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
DON’T DO IT, FRODO. DON’T. DO. IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Of course he does it. That didn’t surprise. The instant chaos that occurs once he does? Yeah, that surprised me. The use of the Ring almost catalyzes<\/em> the shadows to descend on Frodo. The strange thing is how Frodo’s sight<\/em> changes. He’s able to see the Black Riders (and they him, surprisingly); his own sword flickers red<\/em>. WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS MEAN.<\/p>\n
At that moment Frodo threw himself forward on the ground, and he heard himself crying aloud: O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!<\/em> At the same time he struck at the feet of his enemy. A shrill cry rang out in the night; and he felt a pain like a dart of poisoned ice pierce his left shoulder. Even as he swooned he caught, as through a swirling mist, a glimpse of Strider leaping out of the darkness with a flaming brand of wood in either hand. With a last effort Frodo, dropping his sword, slipped the Ring from his finger and closed his right hand tight upon it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
SWEET SUMMER CHILD WHAT IS GOING ON?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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