States. His only nonseries novel, Faerie Tale(1988),
is also his only novel set in our world, a mix of fan-
tasy and horror tropes about a man who discovers
the creatures secretly living among us. It is also his
most original novel and the best of his early titles.
Feist’s most recent series includes King of Foxes
(2002), Talon of the Silver Hawk(2003), and Exile’s
Return(2004) and is known collectively as the
Conclave of Shadows, which continues the history
of Midkemia. The sequence has an unusual struc-
ture in that the villain of the first novel, a tyranni-
cal despot who is ousted from power by the hero, is
later redeemed. The hero of the opening volumes,
who rises from poverty to avenge his slaughtered
people, is supplanted by his enemy as protagonist
of the third volume. As the defeated usurper wan-
ders the world beyond the borders he once ruled,
he discovers that the barrier between universes is
permeable once again and that an even greater
horror than before is about to invade. The decision
to use a villain as a protagonist and to reform him
while doing so is quite unusual in fantasy adven-
tures, which normally make clear distinctions be-
tween good and evil. Feist has proven to be a
durable, sometimes surprising writer who inserts
unusual concerns and techniques into otherwise
standard stories that give them an original and
convincing flavor.
The Fellowship of the RingJ. R. R. Tolkien
(1954)
The term trilogyis often applied to any series of
three novels involving common characters, al-
though it is traditionally a single story so long that
it is published as three separate volumes. That is
the case with The Lord of the Rings,partly because
J. R. R. TOLKIENhad so much story to tell and
partly because he expended so much effort in cre-
ating the historical background of his created
world and in describing the many different cultures
that inhabit it.
The opening volume is the most critical of the
three, because if readers fail to connect with the
situations and characters there, they are unlikely
to invest time in what follows. The story opens in
the Shire, home of the hobbits, who despite some
minor physical variations and a smaller stature, are
essentially humans, although their psychology is
considerably less aggressive than our own. The
peace and calm in the Shire serves as a sharp con-
trast to the violence and uncertainty that governs
the rest of Middle Earth. Bilbo Baggins is an aging
hobbit who was the hero of THE HOBBIT(1937)
and who discovered the magical ring of power
when it was lost by Gollum and brought it back to
the Shire. Although he has largely avoided the
downside to its dark magic, even he is partially
under its influence.
Bilbo has decided to spend his declining years
among the elves and leave all of his worldly posses-
sions, including the ring, to his nephew Frodo. A
good wizard, Gandalf, chances to see the ring and,
after investigating its history, comes to the conclu-
sion that it is indeed the ring of Sauron, an evil
creature who once tried to rule all of Middle Earth
and who is apparently stirring again, returned from
the dead. He charges Frodo with the mission of
carrying the ring to the elves, so that they—with
their greater wisdom—might decide what to do
about it. Frodo’s friend and servant, Sam Gamgee,
accompanies him, and two other Hobbits also join
the company when they meet by chance on the
road. Gandalf hopes to meet them en route but
must first consult Saruman, the senior wizard of his
order, unaware of the fact that Saruman has been
subverted by Sauron.
Their immediate enemies are the Nazgul,
nine supernaturally enlivened former kings who
serve Sauron, although there are other foes as
well. Frodo and his friends are helped by Aragorn,
also known as Strider, who has influence among
the elves, and they are pursued by a mysterious
figure who turns out to be Gollum, the former
owner of the ring who is determined to reacquire
it. The ring’s ability to corrupt makes it impossible
to use it against Sauron without creating, in effect,
another powerful enemy to be overcome. To some
extent, the novel includes the early stages of a
coming-of-age story, for Frodo’s carefree inno-
cence is tested severely as he begins to realize the
magnitude of what he has undertaken. The title
refers to the group of nine assembled at the end of
the first volume to continue the efforts to return
the ring to Mount Doom, the only place where it
can be destroyed.116 The Fellowship of the Ring