the Rings. He’s certainly braver and more badass than Merry or Frodo now – this chapter sees him literally run into fire and revive hope for all of Middle-earth, with zero friends or allies, against overwhelming odds! Flaming torrents, Nazgûl, the sorcerer Ringwraith King of Angmar, trumpets and hunters and “innumerable” orcs – this battle is exhilarating, and Cam calls it the best chapter Tolkien has ever written. Maggie finds the battle much more uneven, and Gandalf’s deployment pretty frustrating. But hey, she doesn’t write these descriptions, so I can confirm that she is objectively wrong in that assessment! Then we unravel the strange new development where people in power keep mischaracterizing Gandalf the White as his (superior) grey counterpart, and the complex, evolving use of fire imagery to chart the morale of Gondor’s defenders.

Also discussed: more evidence that Denethor can read minds, Faramir initiates a good father battle between Gandalf and Denethor, Tolkien’s restless pacing and battle vignettes, Gandalf the White’s Balrog moment, and the horrifying resolution of Dernhelm / Beregond / “tomb of the unknown soldier” concept that Tolkien has been developing since Two Towers ended.

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Pippin just might have overtaken Sam as the MVP of Lord of the Rings. He’s certainly braver and more badass than Merry or Frodo now – this chapter sees him literally run into fire and revive hope for all of Middle-earth, with zero friends or allies, against overwhelming odds! Flaming torrents, Nazgûl, the sorcerer Ringwraith King of Angmar, trumpets and hunters and “innumerable” orcs – this battle is exhilarating, and Cam calls it the best chapter Tolkien has ever written. Maggie finds the battle muc