The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Book 2.
Book 2 of FotR covers everything from Rivendell through Frodo and Sam leaving the fellowship. It does NOT include the orc attack leading to Boromir's Death.
This is one of my favorite sections of the entire LotR story. It sets the tone for the rest of the book, and, most importantly, answers the question, "Why Hobbits?" During the Council of Elrond, we learn much more about the nature of the One Ring. It gives one the power to dominate others. This is why you cannot give the Ring to Gandalf or Elrond, or any of the other powerful characters. The Ring will use their power always toward evil, therefore, it takes great weakness to overcome great power. Frodo is the chosen one because of what he is not. He is not a leader a great people, he does not possess great strength or magical power, he has no desire for power of any kind. Because of Frodo's natural disinclinations, the One Ring has very little to work with to corrupt Frodo. He is the perfect antidote to Sauron's evil. It's kind of like giving the nuclear launch codes to a puppy. This is also why the other hobbits are allowed to join Frodo. Gandalf tells Elrond that while it may seem wise to trust in strength, we should rather trust in friendship. The decision to go against what seems to be the obvious choice is what will save Middle Earth. Turns out, you can counteract great violence and evil with love and friendship...it's a shame we keep forgetting that.
There is a lot of talk about "fate" in the LotR and in The Hobbit. It seems very obvious to me that in the case of these stories, "fate" is code for the divine. This "fate" is what turns tragedy into triumph. The Moria sequence to me is the most important series of events in the whole story. In fact, if the fellowship at not gone through Moria, the quest very likely would have failed. In Moria, Pippin throws a pebble down a well. This is what causes their presence to be noticed. While this seems to be a tragic mistake, I want to jump ahead in the story to look at what happens because of this one little act.
1. Gollum finds the Fellowship and begins to follow them. Those who know the story know how crucial Gollum is to the fate of Middle Earth
2. The Balrog is awakened and defeated. Those who have read the appendices and other writings know that there was also a war in the north that we never hear about in the LotR. The elves, dwarves, men, and Beornings join together to drive an army out of Dol Guldur and defeat an attack on Dale and the Lonely Mountain. Had Pippin not alerted the Balrog, it would be alive to lead the armies of Sauron against Rivendell, Lothlorien, and Erebor.
3. Gandalf is killed. The showdown with Gandalf and the Balrog is the coolest fight ever. Both Gandalf and the Balrog are Maiar, which is basically an equivalent to being angels/demons. His physical death allows him to return to the undying lands, where he can report Sauroman's betrayal. He is then given Sauroman's power and authority and sent back to once again aid Middle Earth.
So the choice to send Pippin with the Fellowship leads to a seemingly innocuous incident which causes the balance of power to shift to a staggering degree to the side of good. Gollum will aid in the destruction of the ring, the Balrog will not be a factor in the War in the North, and Gandalf gets a power upgrade and replaces Sauroman. If that isn't divine intervention, I don't know what is.
Anyway, book 2 has a much better pace than book 1, and the asides and meetings all seem to have much more to do with the main plot and less to do with what hobbits eat. Galadriel is even more awesome/kinda scary in the book, and we get to see much more of Boromir's slow corruption by the ring. I wish book 1 was this good.
9/10
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