This book (yes I know that link is for the whole trilogy condensed into one book whereas this post is only going to talk about the second half of the Two Towers, but deal with it mate) is the fourth instalment of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic (virtually myth-status) fantastical trilogy. I have a lot to say about this trilogy, but I'm reading it all in one go, so I'm saving my reflections and my recommendations until the final post, and here will simply outline in brief the specific plot of this instalment. Spoilers, obviously.
Herein, rather than following the men and wizards and whatnot, we follow Frodo and Sam's journey toward Mordor - which gets off to a rocky start when Gollum (an ex-hobbit who had the ring for about five-hundred years before Bilbo found/stole it off him) sneaks up on them: despite his probable treachery, the hobbits decide that they need Gollum to show them the way, as he's been to Mordor before, unlike them. They take a shortcut across marshes full of ghosts, and sooner-than-you'd-expect reach the gates of Mordor - which are incredibly heavily-guarded, so they plan to find another way in. However along their route they are captured by Gondorian captain Faramir - who is quite suspicious of them, especially Gollum, whom he nearly orders to be killed. However the hobbits manage to make a good impression on Faramir and he releases them, with a warning to trust neither Gollum nor the route he's taking them. It turns out Gollum has been leading them to an incredibly precarious stair cut into the side of the mountains that surround Mordor, and at the top of this stair is a tunnel that is home to Shelob (an evil giant spider basically). Sam had become separated from Frodo & Gollum during the climb, and without anyone to look after him Frodo is incapacitated by Shelob - which is exactly what Gollum wanted, so he could take the ring back once the hobbit had been eaten. However Sam shows up in the nick of time, and with a combination of sheer ballsiness and the magical phial that Galadriel gave to Frodo, he manages to fight Shelob away from his friend and master. Unfortunately, Sam assumes that Frodo is dead - he is merely paralysed by Shelob's venom - and hesitates a bit too long, giving orcs from the nearby tower of Cirith Ungol the chance to stumble across Frodo's body. Naturally, they take him as a prisoner back to the tower, leaving Sam in quite a bind. Thank goodness he had the foresight to take the ring off Frodo just before the orcs turned up.
That's it for book four...
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