The second volume in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic adventure The Lord of the Rings

"Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron." -- C. S. Lewis

"Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century. The book presents us with the richest profusion of new lands and new creatures, from the beauty of Lothlorien to the horror of Mordor, adventures to hold us spell-bound, and words of beauty and evocation to bring all vividly before us." --Sunday Telegraph

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape the rest of the company were attacked by Orcs.

Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin -- alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

The action really picks up in this middle volume of the internationally renowned classic epic THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The Fellowship, the band of nine companions whose task it was to bring down the Dark Lord Sauron by destroying his Ring of Power, has been sundered. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas race to rescue the hobbits Merry and Pippin, kidnapped by orcs, and receive help from an unexpected quarter. Meanwhile, Frodo and his servant Sam continue on toward Mordor, accompanied by their unreliable guide, Gollum, who himself once bore the Ring that Frodo now carries. Will Gollum lead them safely to Mordor, or will he betray them for the chance to take Sauron's Ring back for himself? And will Frodo be able to bear up under the increasing burden of the Ring--or will he succumb to its evil?