"Lord of the Ring: Return of the King"

It's official: my favorite book in the whole world (aside from the Bible, of course) is "Lord of the Ring: Return of the King." The first time I read through Tokien's trilogy, I thought that it was "pretty good"; but now, I would have to say that it is an absolute masterpiece. There is something in the human heart - designed by God - that makes us long for honor and valor, pure love and friendship, as well as joy and peace. All of these things come to a glorious fulfillment in Tolkien's trilogy. There is darkness and unspeakable pain that must be endured - but, as Sam states, "...even darkness must pass. And when it does, the light will shine out the clearer." I love that line. The truth is, there is light in the world that the darkness will never - and can never - overcome. Hope always remains.

Now, after several weeks of off-and-on reading, I finally finished "Return of the King" this afternoon. And I unashamedly admit that I cried like a baby when it finished - the end was that good. There is a sense that one has when reading RotK that everything is right and good in the world, and that peace and joy will reign forever. Makes me the of the Kingdom, actually.... Yet, to my great joy, the real "new age"(one was declared in Middle Earth when the Dark Lord was finally destroyed) will be unimaginably better than the one Tolkien was able to create in his books.

On another point, I have to say that "Return of the King" is one of my favorite romances of all time. Now, I know that probably threw a couple of you into a fit of laughter, but I'm serious. Mostly. ;-) I love Aragorn and Arwen's relationship, as well as Eowyn and Faramir's. Theirs wasn't the "puppy love" that you often encounter these days, but was true and pure and based on commitment.