[IVote2]

I just finished reading the Lord Of The Rings series as well as The Hobbit. I don't know how I missed them when I was younger and an avid reader but I did.

I too read them after 9/11, and was astounded at the number of similarities I found to present day reality.

If for some reason they weren't read before, now is a wonderful time to do so. The desire of evil to overcome good and the necessary fight for freedom from evil is as appropriate to our times as it was when these books were written.

I recommend reading The Hobbit first.

Jen

[Osinski]

Definitely "the Hobbit" first. Gives one the necessary background to fully appreciate the later years. The imagery the books evoke! The characters! The story! I was there!