this post was submitted on 10 Jun 2026
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Bear in mind that LOTR started out as a sequel to a children’s book, and changed into something new about halfway through FOTR. So you’re literally seeing the epic fantasy genre being born on the page in front of you.
While technically true, I feel that this is a bit of a misnomer. Even though LotR is usually considered the archetypal example of "epic/high fantasy", based on the other most popular works in the genre I think that LotR (and the rest of the non-Hobbit legendarium) is better described as "myth", and I think that fans of epic/high fantasy coming to Tolkien are often disappointed for this reason.
For me the disappointment went the other direction - I read LotR first, and then I went on a fantasy reading binge and was repeatedly let down because I couldn't understand why none of it felt like Tolkien.
I did read The Hobbit and enjoyed it quite a bit. It felt much smoother.
Also read his short stories "Farmer Giles of Ham" and "Leaf by Niggle".