At the beginning of Setptember, @g33ky_daddy asked me through GoodReads if I would like to participate in a Read-a-long of The Lord of the Rings that he and some friends were doing on their blogs. I accepted to join the read-a-long, but got really busy during the first week of posting. So here is my answers to the first posting and then this weeks post.

The Lord of the Rings is my all-time favorite fantasy series. My love for Tolkien’s works go far beyond The Lord of the Rings. It extends to all of his Middle-earth works. I have read The Silmarillion, The Hobbit as well as The Lord of the Rings. I have read The Lord of the Rings annually for the last 20 years. I was excited when I learned that Christopher Lee does the same thing as well:

Lee had met Tolkien once (making him the only person in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy to have done so) and makes a habit of reading the novels at least once a year.

In the year 2012, I plan on focusing my reading in Middle-earth, by reading much more of Tolkien’s legendarium, including The History of Middle-earth series (which I have never read), The History of The Hobbit, and the newest release, The Children of Hurin.

Tolkien’s vast history, languages and geography make Middle-earth one of the most complete fantasy worlds ever created. I love that one man’s imagination created it all (with the help posthumously of his son, as well).

Now, onto the questions for The Fellowship of the Ring read-a-long!

The Fellowship of the Ring Book 1, Chapter 1-8

1. Hobbits seem to have songs for everything! I didn’t realize this was a musical… . how are you liking all the songs?

I really do not mind the songs at all. My biggest problem is that I don’t what kind of tune they would be singing to so when I try to sing them in my head, they never sound as good as I know The Hobbits and elves would make them. I don’t consider Tolkien’s works as a musical at all. Song is very important to all the races of Middle-earth so the song verses are appropriate to the narratives.

2. I love that we learn about Gollum and his past so early on. It gives a dark and foreboding (dare I say, perilous?) feeling to the whole thing. Were you surprised that the story took a dive towards the dark and scary so quickly?

Not really. Every civilization has a dark period in its history. I don’t even think that the story of the One Ring and its path with Gollum is that dark and scary. Once we realize the immense power that Sauron infused into the One Ring, you would think that it would have a dark and destructive history. The Ring would not seem as powerful if it just acted like a ring. They fact that the One Ring seemed to take over its wearer added to its power and mystique.

3. Tom Bombadil! what and who is he??? If you met him in a forest, would you trust him?

He is a member of a race that is not one of the major races of Men, Elves, or Dwarves. I believe that he is one of the ancient beings (the maia) that are talked about in The Silmarillion. He has somehow survived the Ages by staying to himself and helping all that cross his path. Since he was not affected by the powers of the One Ring (as Frodo knew the power to be), I would have trusted Ole Bombadil. He also did nothing to hurt the travelers or impede their progress.

4. What did you think when Pippin, Merry and Sam told Frodo about their “conspiracy”, and that they pretty much knew what he was planning from the beginning?

It was the typical curious behavior that in in every Hobbit. They are very smart and are a close knit race, so it is not surprising that The Hobbit friends were able to figure out that something was up with Frodo. This is a HUGE difference in the movies where the Merry and Pippen are portrayed as silly, bumbling oafs, a way Tolkien obviously did not write them. In the book, they are obviously the closest of friends, whereas the movies have Sam and Frodo as best friends and Merry and Pippen as partners in crime.

5. What’s your favorite part of the book so far?

Chapter 2 (The Shadow of the Past) is by far my favorite part of this section. I love history and loved reading about the history and research that Gandalf did trying to find out about the ring in Frodo’s possession. Also, reading the realization of the task before Frodo was interesting to read. At the beginning of the chapter, Frodo has a ring bestowed to him from his adopted uncle. At the end of the chapter, Frodo has the most powerful weapon known to Middle-earth and the most evil being known throughout history is back and wants his ring back, and to destroy it, Frodo has to go to his neighborhood and throw it into a volcano. That is a bad couple of hours in Frodo’s life!

The Fellowship of the Ring Book 1 Chapter 9 - Book 2 Chapter 3

1. What was your initial thoughts of Strider/Aragorn when Hobbits met up with him in The Prancing Pony? Did you think that he was linked with the Riders?

I never thought that Strider was linked to the Riders. Tolkien made it very clear that the Riders were cloaked in black and were not likely to just hang around someplace. I thought that Strider was an interesting character. The fact that Butterbur knew of him as “one of the wandering folk - Rangers we call them” made me think that he was not evil. I think that Butterbur would have givenStrider a much more grim description if he knew that Rangers were of ill rupture. I love the way Tolkien introduced Strider to the story. It gives him a hidden sense of power format he start, then we learn that he is the heir to the king of all men, and we learn that he has legitimate power, but has turned away from the path…for the moment.

2. What was the biggest surprise to you during this section of The Fellowship of the Ring?

This is hard for me because I have read LotR for the last 20 years, but I would have to say that the lineage of Strider is one of the surprises of this section. To find out that your new BFF is the heir to Isildur, who struck down Sauron and captured the One Ring oh so long ago must have given Frodo some relief. Unless he really listens to the history and realizes that it was also Isildur who DID NOT destroy the One Ring when he had a chance and against Elrond’s advice. But Frodo still has to feel good that Strider (Aragorn) is along and pledged to him and the task of the destruction of the One Ring.

3. Do you like that Tolkien goes in depth and tells the readers of the history events of the war that is upon the Fellowship?

As I said above, I love history and the extensive history that Tolkien wrote for Middle-earth is one of the main things that I love about The Lord of the Rings. I think that the history needed to be told since the only ones that were aware of it were Elrond (because he was present) and Gandalf (because of who he ACTUALLY is that is not completely clear at this point). History is always used to teach those of the present the lessons that they need to learn. It was necessary for the future Fellowship to understand the importance of the One Ring and what it means to Sauron, and to what lengths Sauron will go to to get it back.

4. How far do you think you would have lasted if you were Frodo and nearly becoming a Rider?

I don’t really think that this is a question of pain tolerance (as the question seems to imply) but rather, I think, it is a question of willpower. Even though Frodo didn’t realize he was close to falling to the ‘nether world’ of the Ringwraiths, he knew that he had to be strong to continue his quest. Hopefully, he knew that with Aragorn’s help, and later Glorfindel’s help that he would be able fight the sickness that was overtaking his body. I don’t really know how I would have lasted with evil overtaking my body and soul. I would hope that I would be able to hold on until help could rid me of that evil.

5. As dangerous quest unfold to become, the other hobbits want to stick by Frodo til the end. Would you sacrifice yourself and stick with Frodo til the end?

I would stick with my true friends through thick and thin. I think that Hobbits did not truly understand what their quest entailed after the Council, but they knew that there friend was in trouble and needed help and they were going to help in anyway possible. I tend to be the same way with my true friends. I do whatever is in my power to help them.

Today marks the return of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (BFF) with the release of their new album Rocket Science. Bela Fleck is my favorite musician on the planet. He has revolutionized how the banjo is played and how the banjo is viewed by others. I first discovered Bela Fleck while watching Late Night with Conan O’Brien in October of 1993. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones were on supporting their new album Three Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I watched in amazement as four musicians dazzled me with a blend of jazz, bluegrass, and funk for three minutes. I don’t even remember what song they played on that show, but it was enough for me to go buy the CD the very next day. Within the week, I had the 3 other discs from the Flecktones.

Shortly after I started listening to BFF, i learned that original member Howard Levy left the band to spend more time with his family. Howard was the fingers behind the piano and the air behind the harmonica that rocked through these 4 discs. I was sad to hear of his departure, but I found that BFF would continue as a trio. They continued to record and tour with three members: Bela Fleck (banjo), Victor Lamonte Wooten (bass) and FutureMan (Synthax Drumitar). I was able to see them live during this period and the show was amazing! In 1997, saxophonist extrordinaire Jeff Coffin joined the band and brought an entireley new sound to BFF. They continued to bring fresh new music for the next decade winning Grammys almost every year. Jeff left BFF in 2009 to fill the slot of Le’Roi Moore in Dave Matthews Band after his tragic death in 2008. I will miss Jeff and his amazing saxophone.

Now we are in 2011. Howard Levy has re-joined BFF to record and tour with Rocket Science. I am still listening to it for the first time through Rdio. The opening licks have transported me back to the early ‘90s when I first started listening to BFF. I absolutely love that the cover is reminiscent of the original three covers with Levy in the fold. Hearing Levy’s piano and harmonica has brought Bela Fleck and the Flecktones full circle…a circle that has taken 20 years to complete. I hope that Levy stays around for a few years to see just how good the Flecktones can really be.

The Hand of Andulain is the debut novel from Aaron Mahnke, who is, by trade, a graphic artist and designer. He was introduced to me in mid-2010 by our mutual friend, Patrick Rhone, for his long form writing at his blog. Over the last month or so, we have struck up a friendship through our love of fantasy fiction. I have been a huge fan of his blog for sometime and was very excited when he announced that he was releasing The Hand of Andulain in the Kindle store. I think that I may have been the first sale that Aaron made as I woke up on the Saturday morning it was supposed to be available, and I bought it before I even got out of bed.

The Hand of Andulain tells a very rich story that takes place in an ancient land. It details the journey of an unwitting adventurer and his best friend as they embark across their land to find the story behind a mysterious piece of jewelry that has come into their possession. We also learn how the prince of a neighboring kingdom gets involved to help the friends on their journey, while trying to wrestle control of his father, the King, and their Kingdom away from a growing evil that is takign over the land.

Bran and his best friend, Callidus, live in the small town of Landermal, where their families are farmers by trade. They were coming home from hunting one day when someone comes running out the forest in front of them. It is clear that this person is being chased and he is running for his life. Suddenly, a pack of hideous creatures break through the forest and resume their chase of the man. Bran and Cal take up their bows in an effort to protect the stranger as he begged for help. Suddenly the stranger falls with an arrow in his back and just as Bran is about to attack the three creatures, they disappear. With his dying breaths, the stranger gives the boy the pouch that he is carrying, which he is trying to protect, and tells him not to let it fall into the enemy. Thus begins the journey that Bran and Cal must undertake to find the meaning and origins of the mysterious contents of the pouch.

Mahnke has developed a rich world for the friends to travel in. There seems to be two main races of beings, Men and Eki. The mysterious stranger turns out to be a member of the Eki royal house. Eki seem to be almost elf-like in their descriptions. Mahnke describes them as cat-like with movements that were “graceful and fluid”. We find out that seem to be immortal as well. The world is filled with small towns and large cities and treacherous mountainous regions and protective waystops, which were “small, concealed holes that were built and maintained by the Eki”. I had no problem visualizing the terrain that he would describe as the party crisscrossed the land.

Mahnke does a great job by not inundating us with a lot of characters to keep up with throughout the story. There are two story arcs that are running concurrently. There is Bran and Cal, along with Bran’s tutor, Auctoris, traveling at the direction of Auctoris and his limited knowledge on what he thinks is in the pouch. Then there is Prince Malach, who is framed for a crime that he did not commit and escapes his own father’s army and searches out his best friend, Elos, who himself is an Eki. Then there are a couple of people in the enemies camp to watch (but I will discuss them so that I don’t spoil the story). At most there is probably seven main characters to keep up with and three or four minor characters that aid in the party’s adventure.

The story starts off a little slow as Mahnke builds the world and introduces the characters to us. This is the first book in a proposed trilogy titled The Tapestry Saga (and I happen to know that some prequel type material is in the works as well!). Setting the stage for an epic fantasy of this caliber is very important, and Mahnke does a great job at it. He smatters in some history of the world, as well as how each of the main players relates in the big picture. Not since the late 80s with Star Wars have I been so interested in knowing the history of the work that I was reading.

J.R.R. Tolkien is an obvious influence in Mahnke’s writing. That is ok for me since Tolkien is my all-time favorite writer. I did see a number of similarities to The Lord of the Rings, but it did not bother me. (Unlike when I attempted to read Eye of the World when I was in my late teens…I could not finish it, and I have not read any of the Wheel of Time books since.) I could probably compare each of Mahnke’s characters with a character in Lord of the Rings and be pretty close about it. Again, there is just enough of a difference with The Hand of Andulain that I do not mind the comparisons.

The magic system, or the Art as it is called, is not very fleshed out in book 1. The magic is my favorite part of reading fantasy novels, and I was a little disappointed by not knowing more about the Art. Hopefully, book 2 will provide more background to the Art than was mentioned in The Hand of Andulain. It is very powerful both offensively and defensively. It seems people have different levels of ability to use the Art, and I am not sure if everyone can access its abilities or it is a select few. Again, hopefully it will be spelled out in book 2.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Hand of Andulain, especially as a debut work. I have enjoyed Aaron’s non-fantasy fiction writing for awhile, and I am glad that his talent extends into yet another genre that I enjoy. I am very excited at the prequel material and to see what adventures lie ahead in books 2 and 3. The Hand of Andulain is available on Kindle, nook, epub and paperback. You can find links to all available formats at Aaron’s book site.