Saint Anselm College Great Books

122 responses so far ↓

• 1 LOTR // May 12, 2009 at 8:29 pm

  Wha– ?!?!
  ARE YOU SERIOUS???
  How could you even compare the two?!?!
  The Lord of the Rings Movies are 92174239874983274% (and more) better then harry potter!
  THE LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIES ARE AMAZING.

• 2 HP triumphs! // Jun 20, 2009 at 3:43 pm

  It’s not about the movies! It’s the books! The movies could never portray all that the books bring to life in your innermost fantasies of your mind! And, although I have not yet finished reading Lord of the Rings, I am willing to bet that Harry Potter is much more exciting and engaging than Lord of the Rings. The craze over these stories has little to do with cinema and everything to do with novels! However, I will say I love Lord of the Rings, but Harry Potter will never be overshadowed in my mind. HP FOREVER!!!

• 3 HPHPHPHPHP // Sep 26, 2009 at 12:26 am

  Obviously, its the HP books that make it fascinating! LOTr suks! Although the movies of HP suk more than LOTr, HP books are defeinitely better than the LOTr books! HP rawks! ROAR! EXPELLIARMUS!

• 4 kevin // Nov 8, 2009 at 3:21 pm

  Uhm , ya maybe if your a tween you would consider HP better than LOTR. HP is frankly a kids book. Everything in it is watered down drivel. The whole concept of Muggles vs the magic world is just contrived and difficult, and really makes the whole story line stupid. Ok, so ya, there is a magic world that the “muggle” world has no clue about… and these people with power don’t bother taking over the muddle world? Or making human their slaves? or making humanity a better place? seriously, it doesn’t make any sense.

• 5 JASON_LOTR BETTER THAN HP!!!!!!! // Nov 28, 2009 at 2:59 am

  OH YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

  A message for this stupid HPHPHPHPH :

  I think you haven’t read yet The Lord of the Rings. Please finish first the books that you are criticizing before saying that its sucks!

  For me, they are both great works of imagination but The Lord of the Rings could not be compare to Harry Potter! It is far more better aaaaandddd GREATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 6 Tomas Peverell // Dec 6, 2009 at 1:47 pm

  Now lets see,kids.

  Boy-who-lived versus the Lord of the Rings:

  Whinny kid who is crying throwout the series about his parents being dead,kid who can’t stand up for him self ’till he’s like seventeen,but others do it instead of him,and a lot else versus the greatest and noblest hobbit of all time,who confronted the greatest dark maia of all time despite the fact that he lost Gandalf long time ago.Even though he’s parents died very early and he has one of the most annoying cousins of all time he doesn’t even mention it,unlike Harry.

  Winner:Frodo Baggins

  Other Characters:

  Noble companions:
  Ronald Billius Weasley versus Samwise Gamgee
  Ron is also a winny bitch,living in his best friend’s shadow,jealous(Goblet of Fire,Deathly Hallows),poor and extremly stupid versus the brave,noble,wise(samWISE),companion Samwise The Brave

  winner:Sam

  Sirius Black versus Aragorn,son of Arathorn

  Now,despite the fact that he needs to act like a parent and guardian,he shows completely different behaviour and rushes to danger trying to convince Harry to do the same thing,Sirius acts very inappropriate for his age.Aragorn,Strider,Elessar,Dunedain,the ranger of the North,the King of the South,the keeper of the Narsil/Anduril,the slayer of orcs and beasts,Gandalf’s companion,proud and wise Aragorn is supreme character here.

  winner:Aragorn

  Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore versus Gandalf the Gray/the White/Mithrandir

  Many fans call this a close call.They’re two of my favourite characters,but I’ll have to be objective:

  Albus,equiped with his Elder’s Wand and 140 years of knowlege versus a descendent of Angels(Valas)a Maia himself,equiped with centuries of knowlege and a mighty staff,servant of the Secret Fire,Balrog-killer Mithrandir.

  It’s clear:Gandalf

  And now the villains

  Tom Riddle/Lord Voldy versus Gorthaur/Sauron

  There’s no need for explanation.All who read HP books and The Sillmarilion know who’s the supreme

  winner:Sauron

  Now the outcome:
  LORD OF THE RINGS RULES!!!

• 7 hp 4 eva!!! // Dec 23, 2009 at 11:12 pm

  how can you compare lotr to hp? really? hp rocks! obviously some ppl here havent read the hp books cus its not about muggles vs. wizards…its about defeating the dark lord…besides i have read both and lotr is just soooo boring i mean its so predictable!!! hp on the other hand has a magical world that is full of adventure, danger and magic spells! besides if you think hp is a kids book then you need to read the book cus there is nothing childish about it, see ya later lotr looooooserrrss!! haha

• 8 anonymous // Jan 13, 2010 at 9:44 am

  LORD OF THE RINGS IS PREDICTABLE? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F***ING MIND?
  It is far better written than HP. Much more mature, much more thought provoking…Harry Potter is for little kids who don’t have the IQ to handle a serious book. You probably will never be able to read War and Peace or Les Miserables or Mill on the Floss either if you can’t even handle LotR. Enough said.
  YOU are calling LOTR fans LOSERS? LotR fans have the intelligence to handle a long, detailed book, which you HP fans obviously cannot.
  So you can just push off and go read your little childish book about flying broomsticks in a corner. Get back when you can handle more mature content.

• 9 anon // Jan 31, 2010 at 5:58 pm

  I think that to even have this discussion is stupid.
  I also think those two series are directed at two different audiences and having read both series I think I can say that 11-17 year olds would appreciate the HP series and more mature and definitely patient adults would enjoy the LotR series. I loved both. But face it HP lovers, Tolkien is the superior writer and anyone who says otherwise should get some sense bitch slapped into them.

  zing

• 10 archie // Feb 3, 2010 at 3:13 pm

  The only problem when addressing such problem and provoking comparison is that people always pick a side and become a real fanboi. Where’s the objective viewing and discussing.
  Tomas Peverell, in his comment, was trying to compare, but you can clearly see whose fanboi community he belongs to.

  One other thing is, that people tend to think about Harry Potter as kids book. And keep in mind that those people probably didn’t read after first 2-3 books of the whole series, which become more mature and darker with each additional book.
  It kinda bother me and also insults the Geek community when it’s considered OK to talk about LotR, but immature and childish when people have serious discussion about HP world, character analysis or plot/story.

  I really enjoyed both, but can’t decide for only one. As I said, it’s hard to decide when you can’t held a non biased discussion with other people.

• 11 Jasper! // Feb 11, 2010 at 6:21 am

  HARRY POTTER

  HP is better than LOTR. The story is just sooo unpredictable and new conflicts are presented in every book. We can’t deny the fact that JK Rowling writes in a way that will never bore you.

  When you read HP, you can really feel the atmosphere… It just like watching a 3d movie… You can’t stop thinking of it… It’s addicting. I can still remember how i reacted when I first read HP. I was so obsessed with it that my classmates thought i was mad. I only started reading it early this year (i was only a movie fan before) but i felt like i lived with it…

• 12 Kia // Feb 28, 2010 at 4:44 am

  You must keep in mind the fact that Harry Potter just came out in 1997. Lord of the Rings has been around since 1953. The very fact that it still has such dedicated fans says a lot. We’ll see if HP survives the test of time.
  For me, Lord of the Rings wins all.

• 13 Edward // Mar 7, 2010 at 1:17 am

  As much as I like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings takes the cake. I mean, some of the stuff in Harry Potter was even INSPIRED by LOTR. Harry Potter just doesn’t have the ancient powers and history as Tolkien’s works, no questions asked. The ancient powers of darkness would’ve corrupted Harry Potter’s world before even Voldemort could blink. Arguable yes, but not without good reason as it took great magics to finally end darkness in Middle-earth forever. Magics Harry Potter could never conjour up.

• 14 HarryP // Mar 15, 2010 at 3:17 pm

  Harry Potter is much better than LOTr , when you read it you feel like you know Harry like you grew up with him

• 15 name // Mar 19, 2010 at 5:42 pm

  these are probabley the 2 best books ever writen, they both to me are equill but i would have to say i think it was harder to write the hp novels then the lotr ones, J.K.Rowlings was completely new, J.R.R Tolkiens outshined any other medievil fantasy book ever but it wasnt new, i have to say they are both awsome hp books are better tho lotr movies are better

• 16 pr.Simon.B.Heitz // Mar 23, 2010 at 2:00 pm

  I share the opinnion of the proffesional critics and those are;the form and composition of pr.Josephs writing are extremly difficult whitch results in phrases that only those who know how to understand really does pay attention to the beauty of selfsustaining teatrical core,and comparing such form with vocabulary that is so much more than a pure but studyed language…you get the amazing impression that is just a simple reflection of a world that pr.Joseph created and witch we will never completely understand.I think there is no need for me to talk about Harry Potter.

  Utulien ore,auta lome,I say to the J.K.Rowling!

• 17 Koen Scholten // Apr 9, 2010 at 12:56 pm

  I honestly can’t see why al lot of people think Lotr is superior to HP. @ Tomas peverell you’re comparison is clearly prejudiced. How you portrait Ron and Harry as stupid little whining kids which is nonsense. I could write that kind of comparison in 5 min but I won’t since it’s no use for my opinion.

  I like both but what some Lotr fans don’t seem to understand is that Lotr is not the only great fantasy world. HP and Lotr worlds are whole different. HP takes place in the real world Lotr does not. Also HP does have very intruiging story lines. Frodo is not per se better than Harry as a hero. Same with some other comparisons. I really love both books. But as i have to choose i choose HP because that was the one who tickled my fantasy and because of HP i started writing myself. J.K Rowling has done a amazing job writing this world which’s co-excist with the real world. If you aren’t a fan you don’t understand the attraction of the HP books / world. Also the film of Lotr is better than HP but not that much.

• 18 Md. Imbesat // Apr 19, 2010 at 5:43 pm

  HI all. seems a great discussions going on over here. I dont want to have prejudices. I love HP forever. I mean seriously. When I was starting to be drawn in the world of harry potter I asked for more books, preferably of fantasy genre. I came to know about LOTR then, my friends and a teacher suggested me about it. okay, yeah, so I got a pdf version of it and started reading it but it just cant be finished. I mean, I couldn’t feel myself getting into it, while the wizarding world of HP provided me that.
  Seriously people, thats the thing which matters. Driving yourself into what you are reading. If you cant do it then whats the point. It has nothing to do with whether HP is a kids book or not. Of course its not. People who say so just dont want to seriously consider it. There are hell lot of young and adult people reading HP and appreciating it around me. They are not only engaged in it but also in other books like those of Paulo Coelho and even other genres.
  I think you are getting the point. Do not just try avoiding HP you LOTR folks. It will surely stand the test of time.

• 19 aa // Apr 22, 2010 at 2:07 pm

  HP fans seems to admit that LOTR movie is better than HP movie.
  what they didn’t know is that LOTR books are indeed far better
  and had more depth than their movie subjective interpretations.

  Tolkien is a Professor of linguistic, a phylologist which many of
  his professional writings are becoming academic literature for many decades.
  LOTR itself actually is a compilation of 30 years ongoing bed-story
  dedicated for his beloved children. it is a manifestation of love.
  meanwhile, HP was written simply for money (I guess).

• 20 HP. // Jun 25, 2010 at 1:20 pm

  guys it doesnt matter what was better written or what has lots more to it!! it is about what you enjoyed more what let you escape from the real world and to harry potter did just the thing it let me escape and let me be free. Im not saying lord of the rings is rubbish because i think it great but i always seemed to like harry potter more i just grew with it. And yes HP may be for a younger audience but it does not stop adults from enjoying it i know lots of adults who enjoy harry potter. so i think they are both good but harry potter is more enjoyable and you actually feel for the characters.

• 21 anonymous // Jun 28, 2010 at 10:42 am

  Statements like “Hp/LotR is more enjoyable” MUST NOT BE NOTED. This is a highly subjective manner, and we must analyze the actual substance of both books:

  1.Writing: Sorry, kids, Rowling loses here. Tolkien was a master with words.
  2.Plot:I have to give this one a tie.
  3.Imagination:Tolkien easily. He created an entire HISTORY and not just a secondary world.
  4.Character development:Rowling, I must admit.
  All in all, LotR wins.

• 22 Feanor // Jul 10, 2010 at 1:21 am

  Having been, at different stages in my life, a fan of both books, I understand both sides. when I was fifteen, Harry Potter was a much easier book to relate to that Lord of the Rings. However, once I got older, and became less interested in characters and more interested in story, Tolkien’s books moved me much more.

  That being said, I will have to say I consider Tolkien’s work far superior. It is a much richer world, with much more powerful characters and much more creative language and stories.

  however, I consider Harry Potter an excellent book for children. Tolkien’s work is definitely not written for young people, with the exception of The Hobbit.

  I regards to predictability, which seems to be a problem many people have with Lord of the Rings, I would respond by saying Harry Potter is at least as predictable, if not more. Every book in the series follows the same chain of events, usually concluding with someone other than Harry saving the day, but Harry getting credit for it. At least in Lord of the Rings, not every problem is resolved with duce ex machina.

  Also, I would say that it is hard to fully appreciate Tolkien’s writing without reading The Silmarillion. That is definitely not a book for children. It is a great epic, very similar to the stories of the Volsungs and the Kalevala.

  In short, both books have their worth. However, Harry Potter is a good children’s book, whereas the works of Tolkien are better for adults (excluding The Hobbit). I understand liking both, but I have to say I find the idea of grown men and women that read children’s books (and aren’t reading them allowed to children) a little disturbing.

• 23 Nimloth // Jul 11, 2010 at 7:28 am

  Simply,
  The Lord of the Rings!!

• 24 He who must not be named // Sep 15, 2010 at 6:12 pm

  I have read them all. Harry Potter owns!!!!!!!AH! Aveda kedrava !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• 25 dumbledore // Sep 15, 2010 at 6:47 pm

  I Like IKE Kids. Harry Potter’s worst book, The Chamber of Secrets tops all of the lotr books

• 26 Zachary // Sep 18, 2010 at 12:21 pm

  Harry potter tops lotr easily.

• 27 Zurdo // Sep 19, 2010 at 3:26 am

  It’s ok if you enjoyed HP while growing up. I did as well. But face it, people. If we are going quality-wise, in every sense, Tolkien stands high and alone.

  And you can start calling me names or cursing me or asking who the hell am I to be writing all this, but the fact is there: If you like HP more than LOTR, that’s fine by me. But there’s no denying the fact that Rowling was crawling through the path that Tolkien had already mastered. Get that into your heads.
  HARRY POTTER IS EXCELLENT. THE LORD OF THE RINGS IS NEAR-PERFECTION.

  The fact is there.

• 28 Anonymous // Sep 30, 2010 at 2:41 am

  I’m a bit surprised at all of the people saying that Harry Potter “Tops lotr easily” or even that “lotr sucks” (that was rather childish, I think). I can understand people having a preference one way or another, some people indeed enjoy Harry Potter more than The Lord of the Rings, but I think it is fairly obvious that LOTR is a superior piece of literature.
  I have only read the first two Harry Potter books, and that was a long time ago, so yes, I am biased, and no, I can’t fairly go into a detailed comparrison, but I would like to relate what I have found from what I know about the two series.
  Tolkien put a lot more effort into his books than Rowling did. Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying that Rowling was sloppy or a bad writer. In fact, skimming over some chapters recently, I have found that I enjoy her writing style immensely. However, Tolkien invented an entire world complete with history, languages (with their own grammar rules), cultures, countries… Rowling didn’t invest nearly as much time into her books as Tolkien did his.
  Tolkien’s books are written for adults, while Rowling’s are written for kids. Now, being geared towards adults does not automatically make a book better than one aimed at children, but it does allow for further depth. Tolkien can explore more complicated themes in his works because it was written with a more mature audience in mind.
  And finally, Tolkien’s stories are drawn from real life experiences. Rowling’s, as far as I know, are not. Much of the inspiration for the conflicts and battles in LOTR were inspired by Tolkien’s participation in World War I. This allows for a depth that cannot be found in books where the author has not experienced similar things first hand.

  In summation, no matter how much you prefer one or the other, “The Lord of the Rings” is superior in quality to “Harry Potter.” Honestly, I bet J K Rowling would agree with me.

• 29 Lord Of the Rings FTW // Nov 1, 2010 at 7:21 pm

  Zudo, I tottaly agree with you, the only thing I don’t beilieve what you said was the near perfection part. That is a lie. Lord Of The Rings IS PERFECTION! This is coming from a guy who read BOTH SERIES AND HAS DONE RESEARCH ON BOTH! Now think about it. If Lord Of The Rings came out before Harry Potter, and Harry Potter had silimar quailties. Then that means Harry Potter copied Lord Of The Rings just like Percy Jackson(Which Sucks BTW) copied Harry Potter. I mean think about it. Sauron who reforms. Voldemort who reforms! Really, and Gandalf and Dumbledore. I’m fine with other people liking Harry Potter. But READ THE GOD PERFECT LORD OF THE RINGS BEFORE YOU SAY IT SUCKS OR IS BORING!!!!! Seriously, it really pisses me off!

• 30 Lord Of the Rings FTW // Nov 1, 2010 at 7:24 pm

  BTW: To add on, I read Harry Potter when I was 6. And that was about 8 years ago. I finished Deathly Hallows 3 days after it came out. I know what happens in both. I finished all books that came out before I turned 13. Just face facts. Tolkien spent his(It’s a he) entire life on this. Imangie how much time it took for him to write 1000 pages of writing inculding BEAUTIFUL songs and poetry! Plus a new language and translation. Think about it. I give Lord Of The Rings Infinte trophies of Best Book Award EVER.

• 31 laura // Nov 19, 2010 at 11:00 pm

  THE DUDE WAS SIX !!!

  All in all, lotr movies win.

  Books, can’t be compared. A whole different playing field. But that being said, the HP field is a piece of dung.

  Haha, just kidding. But all of these outrageous posts are funny.

  Yes, I respect the the HP books, but as far as saying that they’re better books and more realistic/easier to enjoy… You need to wake up and know what’s good.

  Tolkien wasn’t trying to write this book for anybody to fall in love with.
  He wrote it for the sole purpose of a HISTORY, it’s not supposed to be easy to read. No one wakes up in the morning and pulls out their World History book and is excited to read about the founding of Athens and is all captivated by the romanticism of it. They’re reading it for interest and broadening of their knowledge because it’s INTERPRETATION.

  Anyone can read a book and take exactly what the author wants you to feel from it. It’s called using pathos in persuasive writing, and both Tolkien and Rowling know how to do it. Yeah, Rowling probably did that better in her books, but it’s also a childrens book. Children aren’t smart enough to think independently of the author. Tolkien could do it too, HE WAS A PROFESSOR IN IT. The fact was, he didn’t. The author created fully-functioning languages that evolved along with race’s history.

  Yes, it’s a harder read, but the challenge of it is the purpose. Reading literature SHOULD be difficult, because the purpose of quality literature is to make readers pause, reflect, and internally connect with the work. People don’t need to agree with the messages of the work, or even like how it is written, in order to internally connect.

  And as far as the story itself and depth of the worlds. I don’t think I need to even explain this.

  I have a hard time believing that Rowling would ever say that her novels are superior to Tolkien’s.

  If the own author couldn’t defend their work, how could you even mildly argue that theirs is better?

  Remember this is about which has more worth as LITERATURE. I think you get what I’m saying.

• 32 HP lovecraft FOREVA // Nov 22, 2010 at 4:39 pm

  coming from A level student, studying technical accuracy, language, sentence structure I think that LOTR is by far a much better book than HP. LOTR uses varing sentence structures to suit the paragraph’s purpose (building tension etc.). the language used in LOTR is of a vast vocabulary aiding the visual imagrey. my last point is the techniques used in the liturature are another object that builds on the imagrey built inside the book. HP uses mostly simple or converse sentences the laguage is ok and the techniques are scarce. much more time and effort was put into the LOTR books, the HP books seemed to be churned out as quickly as possible towards the end (explaining why she killed almost everyone off in the end). I think that LOTR should be compared to a more worhty book like the works of HP lovecraft and HP should be compared to the works of stephine meyer (twilight series)

• 33 harry potter forever // Nov 23, 2010 at 8:38 pm

  harry potter is better!!!

• 34 LK // Nov 30, 2010 at 9:23 pm

  I like both HP and LOTR but between the two
  LOTR wins no question.

• 35 frosserin // Dec 1, 2010 at 7:58 am

  GUYS!!!!…its ofcourse lotr..like anytime…TOLKIEN has created a different world nothing is related to our world..now thats what i call a fantasy..IT RULES!!! n not nly that he has created LANGUAGES…thats just too much…i heard that we even can do PHD on elvish…its much more greater..n LOTR givs us a message,about greed…lotr is artistic n creativ..

• 36 The Amused Spectator // Dec 11, 2010 at 9:05 pm

  Some of these responses really are immature. For example, “He who must not be named”. How many of the LotR fans read past ‘Chamber of Secrets’? How many of the HP fans even picked up a copy of ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’?

  I’ve read all of the HP books, and I’m on ‘The Return of the King’. I’m a big fan of Harry Potter, but I’m also enjoying LotR. I feel that both have depth and lessons to be learned, and both created an imaginative world. I admit, though – Tolkien took much more time and effort in creating his legendarium, as far as creating several new languages. His work is more mature and geared towards an older audience, and should be read by those who are at a more advanced reading level. Rowling’s books are more of a coming-of-age kind of story, and despite appearances, each subplot contributes to the overall plot. Both series have symbolism and good character development. Overall, I think that each have their merits.

  Conclusion? Stop acting like little brats and have a intelligent conversation, for once.

• 37 james // Dec 22, 2010 at 8:52 am

  YOU PEOPLE ARE BLIND HP IS A COPY OF LOTR
  1. Both are stories about underdogs who have been predestined to be the key players in the ultimate battle of good versus evil. Both accept their roles very grudgingly. Neither is physically imposing or exceptionally intelligent, but both have an innate courage and strength to persevere and complete their tasks. (I am going to assume that Harry is able to destroy Voldemort, because really, how else would the series end?)

  2. Both are fighting the most powerful forces of evil of their time. Sauron and Voldemort are both omnipotent villains, who if victorious, would plunge the world into decay and darkness. Furthermore, both are disembodied as a result of a previous defeat – Sauron is a giant fiery eye and Voldemort, at least in the first half of the series, is an incorporeal being as well.

  3. Both are assisted by the most powerful “good” wizards of their time. Gandalf and Dumbledore both have long hair and beards, large noses and wear pointy hats. They are instrumental in helping Frodo and Harry respectively with their tasks, but even they must leave the final fight to their mentees.

  4. Both HP and LOTR have the brilliant concept of the soul or the spirit of the villains being contained in one or more objects. These objects must be destroyed in order to kill the villains. Voldemort’s soul is in the seven Horcruxes while Sauron’s spirit is in the One Ring of Power.

  5. The Ring-wraiths or the Nazgul in LOTR are quite like the Dementors in HP. In addition to similarities in their wardrobes, they both inspire chilling dread and despair amongst those they encounter. Furtheremore, just as a Patronus charm is used to dispel the Dementors, so too does Gandalf project a beam of bright white light to scatter the Nazgul.

  6. Giant spiders make appearances in both books. Harry and Ron have to escape from the clutches of Aragog (which sounds awfully like Aragorn) and his family while Shelob tries to make a meal out of Frodo and Sam.

  7. Wormtail (Peter Pettigrew) and Grima Wormtongue (the advisor to King Theoden) are both weak creatures who are greatly influenced by their evil leaders (Voldemort and Saruman respectively) and betray the people they are supposed to protect, namely James and Lily Potter in HP and King Theoden in LOTR.

  8. Voldemort is supposed to inspire so much fear that magical folk do not even like to speak his name out loud. Instead, they refer to him as He Who Must Not Be Named. In LOTR, instead of calling Sauron by his name, Faramir calls him The Unnamed, The Nameless and most interestingly, He whom we do not name.

• 38 james // Dec 22, 2010 at 8:53 am

  LOTR IS 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000% better then the bad story known as harry potter…..

• 39 heartintwo // Dec 27, 2010 at 5:14 pm

  I read the first HP book in 2nd grade and followed the series breathlessly until the last book came out. Every summer I re-read the series. The books play like a movie in my head; I laugh and cry aloud at certain parts. HP was real for me; it practically raised me; sometimes when I look back I realize it was quite scary how much it possessed my & my friends’ lives. I am now reading LotR and I don’t know how the two can even be compared. Sure, there may be some *interesting* similarities, but the writing style and the way the reader connects to the characters is COMPLETELY different. LotR relies on a lot of third-person descriptions and details about the scenery, while HP is more dialogue- driven. I am not held fixated to the book with LotR as I am with HP. However, LotR is very thought-provoking and definitely for a more mature audience. Having said that, I absolutely disagree with aforesaid comments that HP is only for children/teens. ALL ages can relate to it, that is why it holds so much power. Furthermore, don’t comment on HP or spew useless drivel on what you think the theme or plot is unless you have read it, and understand the many-layered themes within it. It IS NOT ABOUT WIZARDS VS. HUMANS.

• 40 Idrial // Jan 5, 2011 at 9:24 am

  ”He not who not be named” (and I’m talking about the guy who says something) says:
  ”I’ve read them all. Harry Potter owns Aveda kedrava !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!! ”
  But because I was very interested in the spells of HP I know he spelled Aveda Kedrava” incorrectly its : Avada Kedavra.

  HAHAHAHA what an idiot, and he calls himself a fan, HAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA What a LOSER!!!!!!

  P. S. LOTR RULES Suckers

• 41 Austin // Jan 17, 2011 at 10:23 am

  Now, i must both books are best sellers, but…theres goes that but again i must i have more interest in Harry Potter and i think i always will most of you who are saying some idiotic things dont no what the hell your talking about. This is just an opinion so dont get in a fight about which one is right, because none of you are right. Some of you are making fun of the kid who say HP sucks okay thats your opinion but you shouldnt even say anything its not like where going to go on your side and say YEAAHHHHH LOTR ROCKS!! no im not going to do that because i like Harry Potter better then Lord of the rings and ive read both series so dont think i dont no what im talking about
  Sincerly: The HP Fan ,
  Austin

• 42 HP all the way // Jan 17, 2011 at 8:00 pm

  ive never read the lord of rings. But i think harry potter is epicccc! Ive seen all the movies but i dont remember them. im reading harry potter books right now! and everytime someone says u kno who i say voldemort? =D

• 43 Polly // Jan 25, 2011 at 4:17 pm

  I read both series in my early teens and without a doubt i much prefer Tolkien’s LOTR.The plots and characters and not to mention the descriptions leave a picture in my mind,something the HP series couldn’t.Im not saying i don’t like the series as i do.I guess its to do with preference.I like the fact that Tolkien didn’t just write a book ,he made a language and language that is now used in other books and throughout his own works.

  I like HP,but everything about it is too close to LOTR.Nearly everything about it can be related to something about LOTR.

  HP is like a re-write of LOTR and not a better one.

  (Opinion)

• 44 Caleb_S // Feb 6, 2011 at 1:41 pm

  I won’t be the first to admit that Tolkiens work is far superior in terms of writing and overall quality. But a lot of people my age practically grew up with Harry Potter. It were the first real books I was interested in and it got me to like reading as a whole. Had I not read the HP books I might never have wanted to pick up the LOTR books.

  So even though I think LOTR is better written then the HP books. HP will always top LOTR for me simply because those books are special to me. Besides I just want to give J.K Rowling some more credit, I’m sure she would admit that Tolkien is a fabulous writer and that LOTR is a fantastic series but I just think Rowlings story is interesting. You know, poor woman rises to be the first billionaire writer. Besides she still regularly uses the bus to travel.

  So all in all, Credits to Tolkien for the amazing piece of writing he created but Rowling takes the cake, simply because she and her books have a special place in my heart and that will never change.

• 45 Kel // Feb 13, 2011 at 9:59 pm

  I have read both. I love both. Harry Potter is good for a read where you don’t feel like thinking. Just read a good story. The Lord of the Rings is a rich and epic history. The writing cannot be compared. Tolkien was a literary genius. Harry Potter is formula fiction, The Lord of the Rings is a classic and has stood the test of time. It is so wonderfully written, the characters are stronger and much more deep. Although Rowling does do a great job. What’s “better” obviously comes down to personal opinion. But objectively, Tolkien’s work is clearly a better piece of literature.

  It’s hard to compare because Rowling set out to write for an audience. Tolkien just sat down and started writing. He made a history filled with cultures and languages (he was a linguist) and wrote a small fragment of his mythology to explain some of it. The result was The Lord of the Rings. He spent his lifetime building Middle Earth. That sort of time and effort cannot be neglected. While the reading through might be tedious to some. you get the feeling that Tolkien knows about every nook and cranny in Middle Earth. It’s authenticity is unrivaled because most authors set out to write a story. Tolkien created a world. To each his own, but please, do not make ignorant statements such as “lotr sucks” or “harry potter sucks” for that matter. Can’t we retain some form of maturity, here? Both are beloved by many, but in terms of literary genius, objectively, Tolkien’s work is superior to Harry Potter.

  But don’t get me started on the movies, if anyone seriously believes HP movies are anywhere close to LOTR…

• 46 Varda's handmaiden // Feb 22, 2011 at 5:51 am

  Ai Elbereth Gilthoniel!

  What wrong has Lord of the Rings comitted to be compared with so infrior a series!

• 47 Madison :) lotr all the way!! // Mar 10, 2011 at 9:25 pm

  I think…no wait I actually know that lord of the rings beats hp no matter what! I mean a whole second world of evles, dwarves, hobbits and wizards seems so enchanting and magical it totally beats a whole bunch of whiny children bitching about how the “one who must not be named” is evil and bad and blah blah blah. You want a real plot? Well then read lotr! I’ve read both lotr and hp and I can clearly state to anyone of the top of my head how I find it so exciting and magical! And btw there’s no age thing about the two because guess what, I’m 12 years old.

• 48 Emma // Mar 25, 2011 at 8:42 pm

  God, why can’t you realize that Harry Potter is better. Always will be. It is great, and I couldn’t live without it. Sorry LOTR lovers, but Harry Potter will always be rembered as the better book.

• 49 temporalthree // Mar 29, 2011 at 10:23 pm

  I have read both and watched all the movies. I grew up with Harry Potter, but I also read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
  Being a member of the literati, frankly, the distinction is clear.

  Harry Potter is great, but it’s just that. The Lord of the Rings, however, is a seminal series.

  Harry Potter has an enormous appeal to younger readers because, obviously, they are the target audience: of course they will say that Harry Potter is better. The value of Tolkien’s works however, far outweigh the value of the Harry Potter series; you could practically say Lord of the Rings invented magical fantasy while Harry Potter is its snappily dressed envoy to a younger generation. One series defined the genre, the other series expanded it, one series built an entire fantastical world while the other created a subculture. Kids want to read about characters, which is why books like Harry Potter and Twilight are so popular. More mature audiences understand the need for complexity: they want a book that encompasses an entire universe and tells a tale in the context of that universe, not a book that has a protagonist and antagonist while everything else is little more than subtext. The world knows the value of Tolkien’s works, after all The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are taught in middle and high schools, Harry Potter is not.

  While I’m sure many of you may disagree, the reason you may dislike The Lord of the Rings is probably simply because you may not understand it, after all it is a very challenging read, while one of Harry Potter’s strong points is that the series is very accessible. I’ve noticed that people who read a lot will generally like Lord of the Rings and people who read less will generally like Harry Potter. However a great series merely requires interest, while a seminal work, an epic, requires understanding.

  Verdict: Lord of the Rings.

• 50 Deepsunil // Mar 30, 2011 at 12:50 am

  Yeah…

  I just like grew up with Harry Potter and set.

• 51 temporalthree // Mar 30, 2011 at 8:39 pm

  you think i care? no? screw it?

• 52 Adi // Apr 15, 2011 at 11:33 pm

  LOTR is ver very well knit together book… from timeline to languages… ITS LIKE EVERYTHING ONCE EXISTED AND WE ARE READING HISTORY but in a 1000x more interesting way…. MOREOVER HP IS KIDS BOOK….. A PROPER ENGLISH CRITIC WILL ALWAYS FAVOUR LOTR!!!

• 53 Himanshu // Apr 22, 2011 at 1:59 pm

  HP is a very good book(I personally enjoyed it very much),but face it guys,LOTR is an epic.Most of the characters and plot elements of HP universe are inspired from LOTR-the locket,dementors,older wiser mentor figure(aka Dumbledore),spiders,coming of age quest,magical sword(Gryffindor’s sword)…..list can go on and on.
  However endearing,replica can never equal the original.
  PS-This is not to say that Rowling is a bad writer,but Tolkien is the father of modern fantasy.

• 54 Overlord // Apr 22, 2011 at 2:59 pm

  Harry Potter was a cheap book.I read all the parts and they were hastily(rather crappily) written,Whereas Lord of the Rings easily is the most epic novel ever written.J.K Rowling only copies what the great author J.R.R Tolkien wrote
  Result:HP=-0% LOTR=99999999999999999%

• 55 LOTR IS THE BEST // Apr 27, 2011 at 11:53 am

  1. HARRY POTTER IS A WUS FRODO IS A BRAVE YOUNG MAN AND SAM IS FAR BRAVER THEN RON SAROUN IS WAY TO EVILER THEN VOLDMORT SO YEA ALL YOU HARRY POTTER LOSERS GO F*** OFF!!

• 56 READ THIS POST NOW. // May 9, 2011 at 3:37 pm

  Ok sure, everyone has their own opinions, but remember, the books are unlike each other! Harry Potter is better if you want one of those books that you can get into easily, whilst LOTR is one of those books that you have to devote some time. I admit I had a hard time reading those first few pages of LOTR, but as soon as I got the story, I couldn’t put the book down. I had to find out what happened next. If Harry Potter fans say that J.K Rowling sold more books, sure it did. But how many enjoyed it more then LOTR? Plus, their both aimed at different audiences, Harry Potter is aimed at kids to Teens. Whilst LOTR is aimed at adults. Most people who commented that HP was better were kids to teens (Don’t try and lie, I caught many people who lied about their age.). IMO: Lotr is better because the storyline was very interesting and I loved how the story played out.

  TO ALL LOVERS OF LOTR: Read A Song of Ice and Fire, it’s a GREAT book. Not AS good as LOTR, but it was almost as good.

• 57 Caroline // May 30, 2011 at 12:04 am

  LotR is great, but Harry Potter wins. I love the world of LotR, but the characters in LotR are black and white compared to the characters in the HP novels. Harry Potter talks more about the emotions of the characters and does an exemplary job describing what LIFE EXPERIENCES led to the people that the characters are. (Snape, Voldemort, Draco Malfoy etc). It shows how much of an impact experiences can have on a person.

• 58 son of Aragorn // Jun 10, 2011 at 11:43 pm

  wtf wtf!!!??? u f*ggot! harry potter is a stupid hormonal teen who waves around a d**k shaped stick after being orphaned because his parents commited suicide because he was a nerd! Frodo Baggins is an everyday hobbit who is suddenly taken to war because the whole world is doomed. Moldywart is only a freak who doesnt have a nose and tries to kill a kid and his band of old hags and nerds!

• 59 Muffin Prat // Jun 13, 2011 at 5:58 pm

  Oh my god…stop bashing each series, it’s honestly so sad to see

  I think that (as a series) Harry Potter would be better. The characters are MUCH better made, and they have actual personalities.

  But as a whole world of fiction, J.R.R Tolkien simply cannot be beat! He made a whole world and described EVERYTHING about it, from it’s history, to it’s species, to it’s geography! He even made languages about it!

  Also, don’t give any BS about “hastily written Harry Potter books”, J.K Rowling took years just to craft a storyline and spent the next decade adding more and more onto it. It does pale in significance to the time put in by J.R.R Tolkien, but PLEASE don’t say that it was hastily written…just don’t.

• 60 Muffin Prat // Jun 13, 2011 at 6:00 pm

  And Himanshu, Frodo was over 33 years old when he went on the quest :/ Hardly “coming of age”…

• 61 FB123 // Jun 18, 2011 at 6:30 pm

  Both books are absolutely amazing. It is a very difficult decision, but LotR is better. It is a much more epic adventure. A whole world is created. As much as Harry Potter stirs emotion, I feel that LotR does so even more. Frodo has so many opportunities to turn back, but even though he wants to, he keeps going on because everyone is counting on him. Moreover, the fellowship gives everything to help the quest, especially Sam. Both Sauron and Voldemort are horrifically amazing villains. Harry Potter is a kid’s book-a great one-but a kid’s book. It reignited my love of reading, so it’s still an amazing book. Love them both

• 62 Fred // Jun 24, 2011 at 7:39 am

  First off, I would like to point out that branding the Harry Potter series as something only kids can be bothered with is inaccurate. The percentage of Harry Potter readers who are adults is around 40% (it varies slightly depending on who you listen to).

  Another thing I would like to point out is that just because someone is a professor does not mean their work is automatically superior. In fact, it clearly doesn’t mean anything if the work of someone with little to no qualifications, but a passionate stance towards writing can be compared in any way.

  A third thing I would like to point out is that saying Harry Potter is a rip off of LOTR is also inaccurate. LOTR or any other Tolkien book can not be considered a first of it’s kind. Fantasy novels had existed long before. What LOTR did do was make fantasy a commendable genre by bringing a higher level of quality and depth to the genre.

  Speaking of depth, LOTR may have immediate depth, such as lengthy descriptions, but Harry Potter has a level of secondary depth unmatched by LOTR. Secondary depth is basically character and plot depth, when things throughout can be linked like a web. Those experienced in literature, like myself, view stories/series’ not as a linear system, but as a web. The main plot line lies at the middle of the web, and many lines stretch to this centre point from a number of starting points with a number of aspects linked along the way. If you chart the many aspects of each series, what you get is LOTR as a linear system and Harry Potter as a web. A web is considered a more advanced level of writing than a linear system for obvious reasons.

• 63 Idrial // Jul 6, 2011 at 1:16 pm

  Seriously HP fans, you are saying that HP is better than LOTR but you give no arguments. I’ve read all the books and the point is that LOTR is much better than HP in many ways: better writing, better characters, better plot and much more emotion and twists, HP is the occasional nice but LOTR is simply much better and if you give me (and perhaps other LOTR fans (not gonna happen)) that HP might want to get as good (obviously not better) LOTR you must give reasons and not something stupid like go and say HP ROCKS and LOTR SUCKS!

  P. S. LOTR Rules! Why?
  Read my post it again!

• 64 Idrial // Jul 7, 2011 at 5:51 am

  Here are my arguments:

  LOTR is better written in many ways, Tolkien was a linguist and knew everything so well in a sense to stop and he did so while he described each stone in Middle-Earth and everything else you get what happened (as you have a little imagination) a sort of 3D movie in your head, while it is NOT boring it is just way to describe what makes it fun and there are many more”expensive”words.

  The characters are better in many respects, first of all the characters have a history and a genealogy second, even the characters are individually better than HP in terms of better courage, bravery, humor (not all), strength and emotion in terms of Tolkien also created racial surely among the most famous: the Hobbit, he also invented the Nazgûl, the Mûmakil, the Balrog, the Uruk-Hai and many more.

  The plot is better, because that’s the little Hobbit Frodo
  Must destroy the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. HP fans would say, “Yes, but Harry Potter must also defeat the great evil”artifacts”and”the destruction that is true, but that’s (at that case in the first 5 books) are not the main line of the story while in LOTR that it continues, because even though the Fellowship broken and they continue to think of Frodo as they fight they fight against Sauron that must be destroyed.

  The Emotions: In HP are very few emotions, and a bit more like LOTR: In HP is the only emotion that is in them when someone dies, and sometimes if someone is very happy, but LOTR is more then that ordinary emotions as normal, angry, sad, glad, happy, etc. and LOTR is better written, for example: When Harry to cry because his parents are dead, I am nothing and that is because some when I was 9 my mother died and now I’m only 14, but when Sam misses Frodo simply I get a sad feeling, and so there are more examples.

  And then finally the twists: It’s simple HP is just too predictable, while in LOTR you really should see what happened or just to skip to the next chapter.

  These were my arguments, now you HP-Noobs!

  P. S. LOTR RULES!

• 65 Lyra // Jul 8, 2011 at 8:28 am

  I will try and give an unbiased opinion, since I did read LotR first and only just started on Harry Potter. First and foremost, I did not enjoy HP as much as I did LotR. No, it wasn’t because my loyalty is only given to Tolkien; it simply did not thrill me as much. I tend to read books that are slightly heavy, so HP just didn’t give me much satisfaction at the ending of each book. It was nothing like the journey that you would experience while reading a book like Les Misérables or LotR.

  Having said that, I would admit that HP /does/ have better characters. They are three-dimensional and believable, and that’s what I really liked. Also, Rowling writes scary scenes quite well; I never got frightened just by reading LotR (though many people claim to). The books grip you, and that’s a good thing.

  On the whole, I enjoyed HP, but it wasn’t on the same level as LotR. Both plots are complicated, but LotR is just on an epic scale. Tolkien’s writing is far superior to Rowling’s, and his dialogue is elegantly and thoroughly crafted, unlike the very in-your-face dialogue written by Rowling (”MIND THAT TREE!”).

  Fred: I would just like to point out that no reader of literature in their right mind would actually say they are well-versed in it. It is simply too vast a subject, and the very fact that you actually think yourself to be very experienced in it says that you aren’t really.

  Any literature is dangerous unless taken in extremely large doses, which very few people have.

• 66 zakk112 // Jul 11, 2011 at 4:52 pm

  WAT THE F! IS WRONG WITH MOST PEOPLE! THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO LIKE HP ARE PREPUBESCENT DOUCHES AND 6 YEAR OLDS! WHILE LOTR IS AWESOME, THRILLING INVOLVES ALMOST A QUARTER OF THE POPULATION AND DID I FORGET AWESOME?!! 2 ALL THE HP FANS OUT THERE IN THE WORDS OF THE WHITE WIZARD HIMSELF..’FLY YOU FOOLS…’!

• 67 zakk112 // Jul 11, 2011 at 4:55 pm

  LOTR is understatedly better than HP in such a way that it is very easy 2 describe…harry is a 17 yr old who’s is basicly an english version of edward from twilight, while aragorn is like a cross between hugh jackman and silvestor stallone with a hint of david carusso!

• 68 zakk112 // Jul 11, 2011 at 4:55 pm

  how can u argue against such odds???!!!

• 69 Idrial // Jul 12, 2011 at 4:56 am

  I agree with Zakk112, but also he gives no arguments so if he self is such”adult”must he also give his arguments which strikes me so much against a LOTR Fan.

  P.S. I’m Dutch so my english sucks sometimes.

• 70 greenheaven // Jul 15, 2011 at 4:56 am

  I just have concern for those kIDS and tEENS saying ‘LOTR sucks’…its like saying 70s and 80s music suck and justin beiber rocks…regarding my view I felt that HP was Ok…at times I felt rowling just didnt want to invest much time on the story and just get her books published and make money…of course she has copied a hell lot from Lotr and who knows may be from other less known books…the thing is she is not creative as tolkien who used his own imagination to bring up such an epic…some people may like hp more than lotr, for some otherwise including me, for some hp may SUCK ..no problem with all these catogories but those who say Lotr suck are ignorant FOOOOLS…

• 71 Person // Jul 15, 2011 at 9:27 am

  I don’t see how Lotr and Harry Potter can be compared. The quality literature in Lotr is obviously better however Tolken has tendencies to go off on a tangent, perhaps spending pages and pages describing a tree. Not everyone has patients to read something like that which is why people may say it is boring. The HP books are more about the plot and the characters, who are easier to relate to that the ones from Lotr as they are not all perfect and they all have there own flaws which makes them seem more human. Both Gandalf and Dumbledore are obviously based on Merlin. All wizards wear pointy hats. This does not mean J.K. Roaling copied Tolken.

• 72 Andrew // Jul 15, 2011 at 11:59 pm

  Honestly, I prefer Lotr. But I also love hp. But I don’t think they should be compared because Lotr was written decades before hp, and was for a different audience. But for all of you out there who say Lotr sucks, maybe you should actually read it before you make stupid comments like that. And just because it’s harder to read doesn’t mean its boring. I also don’t appreciate all of you who are making fun of hp because it’s a ” childrens book”. It is not a childish book. It actually gets just as many adult readers as kid readers. I’m sure neither of the authors would be proud to have fans like you. And thank you for the reasonable people who said good things about both books.

• 73 Anonymous ;) // Jul 16, 2011 at 6:31 am

  Hey, you know, I’m not trying to pick sides here but I think that LOTR is much better than HP hands down.
  I read all the HP books when I was about 9 or 10 and I absolutely fell in love with it but when I watched the LOTR movies last May or so that made me change my feelings about the two.
  After I finished watching ROTK, I just kept on roleplaying it and roleplaying LOTR and roleplaying it! Much more than what I did with HP.
  I’m reading FOTR now and I’m just captivated by Tolkien’s work.
  If any of you HP fans would say that HP is better then fine with me. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion but mine is LOTR all the way.
  ———————————————————
  I just wanna go to Middle-earth when I die.

• 74 Idrial // Jul 17, 2011 at 10:58 am

  First of all: it’s nonsense to say that LOTR and HP can’t be compaired because we’re doing it right now.

  Second: I also think HP is not a ”childish” book it’s alone so that LOTR has more adult readers then HP.

  Third: This is personaly, Person, you’re saying: J.K. Roaling but not J.R.R Tolkien, way?

  Fourthly: Anonymous , you’re giving comments before you have finished all the books.

  Fifth: I personaly think J.K. Roaling has copied some things from J.R.R Tolkien but not all of it and there is some own creativity in it.

  Sixth: I want to go to Middle-Earth BEFORE I die.

• 75 Idrial // Jul 17, 2011 at 10:59 am

  Sorry, Person: Why?

• 76 Mr Anonymous // Jul 17, 2011 at 12:01 pm

  It depends on which way you look at it. HP has alot of character depth while LOTR has alot more of detail. Also you should not compare them because they were written at different times and aimed at diffrent audiences. I find that the text in LOTR is alot more complex and so for people who are more patient while HP is alot more eaier to get pulled into.

  P.S HP is not just for kids!! Many adults read it.

• 77 lotr // Jul 19, 2011 at 6:32 am

  LotR is so much deeper, richer and more influential than HP will ever be, and HP just ripped off tolkien genius! (dumbledore, the gay wizard, to gandalf, the invincible, omniscient, battling wizard who is super human)

• 78 BUMALOU // Jul 19, 2011 at 9:15 am

  Harry Potter in essence is just a rip off of Lord of the Rings

• 79 madeline // Aug 16, 2011 at 9:52 am

  HP IS SO MUCH BETTER!!!!
  i know i haven`t read lord of the rings but my brother tellls me every detail i can predict every word thet will come out of his mouth!!!!
  and death eaters have WAY cooler faces then orks!!!Dumbledore is much more powrful till he dies and harry potter is much better then frodo as a charecteur in every movie because he is much more real and intreaging then a frodo (yes frodo is a good actor, one of my favorites)but i dont wanna say lotr sucks because is dosenet harry potter just has a better story and if you read #3 then you will know that is a mystery, murder, magic(MMM)and some arent but by far the 3rd book is best harry potter book and it`s not predicable

• 80 Jarred Velky // Aug 18, 2011 at 12:20 pm

  The when Someone said a blog, I am hoping that this doesnt disappoint me approximately this place. Come on, man, Yes, it was my choice to read, but I just thought youd have something fascinating to mention. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something you could fix in the event you werent too busy interested in attention.

• 81 boring // Aug 19, 2011 at 10:05 pm

  yawnh..
  yep. i’m boring too…

• 82 SuperShotgunn // Aug 31, 2011 at 4:08 am

  a

• 83 girl // Sep 5, 2011 at 3:20 am

  Lord of the Rings is superior to Harry Potter?????????

  I would never used the word superior, LOTR and HP to me are on the same level (yes feel free to shoot me for saying that)
  In terms of substance, realism and credibility Harry Potter wins for me….(PLS FEEL TO YELL AND SHOOT ME AGAIN)

  1. First of all Lord of the Rings came out first so that gives it an advantage, second of all the name ‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS’. sounds so epic and intimidating, However to me that is where it ends, I think the rivalry between LOTR and HP is based on opinion.

  2. Lord of the Rings is set in medieval times…they have swords ,bows, arrows and ride on horses ,lord of the rings are more like bible stories. Harry Potter is more modern they have cars, guns and trains. To many people it depends on what fantasy you enjoy if you like modern fantasy you will prefer HP, if you like traditional fantasy you would prefer LOTR.

  3. Both stories are solid…lord of the rings has a Hobbit whose aim is to destroy a powerful ring; In HP A Boy has a quest to defeat the dark lord. (Harry is a stronger character than Frodo)

  4. HP has Death….good and innocent people die sometimes for no reason, sometimes for love or sacrifice) In LOTR, good people hardly die. The ‘Death’ theme is also fleshed out in HP and more realistic. The consequence of killing a person is no difference from what we human beings think of it, for instance in Half Blood Prince, Slughun gives probably one of the most powerful speeches in any HP film, when he tells a young Tom Riddle that ‘‘killing rips the soul in half it is a violation against nature’’. Whenever I hear those words ,I understands more, the teens that massacred there classmate in Columbine and other people who go on massacre and then kill themselves in the end. When you take a life you technically no longer have a soul and you automatically become a monster. A perfect example of another fictional who became like Tom Riddle is Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The ‘Death and Killing’ theme is LOTR isn’t as in depth as HP or as realistic.

  5. HP unlike LOTR has politics and government corruption that is no difference from the real World we live in. Politics/Corruption in the sense that some people are aware that Mr Malfoy is a Death Eater, however no one says anything or even bothers to investigate him because he donates money to Hogwarts and the ministry of magic. It wasn’t until he got caught and arrested at the end of order of the phoenix that the M.O.M had no choice but to be locked up.
  6. LOTR could be seen as racist because all the good guys are white and light looking, the Orcs and wicked men are all dark skinned and look like native African, Muslims or Arabs. Aragon even referred to himself and his comrades as Men of the West. HP characters are just so diverse there are whites, blacks, Africans, Asains, Indians and more.
  7. HP unlike LOTR has racism and prejudice…In the HP world calling a muggle born a mudblood is like calling a Gay person a Faggot or a Black person a Nigger.
  8. HP racism, prejudice and intolerance of others also extends to the Death Eaters who are like the KKK, they dress like them and love to kill Muggle and Muggle-borns just like the KKK liked the kill blacks.
  9. HP racism/prejudices also extends to slavery to elves like Dobby, slavery in the HP world is not that different from what it used to be in America, In fact there is the Slavery Rights Acts in HP (thanks to Hermione) which is very similar to the Civil Rights Act the 14th amendment if the USA constitution.

  10. In HP you have economic and social class issues and the privilege or consequence that comes along with it, perfect example of this are the Wesley and Malfoy family

  11. In HP you have WAR…LOTR also has WAR but HP WARS are MORE BRUTAL AND REALISTIC, good people die, Voldemort is lIke a HITLER figure and his evil army are like Hitler’s NAZI army.

  12. Also in HP both men and woman are equal there are both female heroes and villains in HP. perfect examples are Hermione, Ginny, Dolores Umbridge and Bellatrix.

  13. LOTR can be sexist at times. EWOYN went to war not by self will but out of a broken heart, Arwen doesn’t do much and in the battle at Helms Deep the women and children had to be kept in the caves. In HP the girls and women kill ass along with the guys….Hermione, Luna, Tunks, Molly Weasly….I could go on

  14. HP has more complex characters….Snape is way more complex and unpredictable compared to any LOTR character. Apart from Boromair and his Father and may be Gandalf, Almost all Lord of the Rings characters are good and perfect, there is no trace of evil in them and all of them are willing to do good. HP characters are more humanistic and relatable sometimes even the Heroes can be driven by rage, anger and loss which may make them want to do evil things, perfect example is the lead character himself (Mr. Harry Potter) harry sometimes played dirty during Quddtich and he nearly killed Draco and Bellatrix at of anger and hate.

  15. Also HP has Free Speech oppression… a good example of this is in order of the phoenix when the minister for magic using his power to influence the Daily Prophet to smear anyone and silence anyone who claims the dark lord has returned, how many times have we seen this in our society…why do you think USA has the first amendments rights and EU has ART 10.
  I think in term of substance, realism and credibility..HP is the better series. Tolken wrote Lord of the rings from a direct point of few, Its is pure fantasy with a happy ending, HP and Star Wars in particular present a more compelling view of our world. I don’ know why it is forbidden to say no other series is better or can be better than LOTR, however this is not true.

  I don’t get mad when people say HP or STAR WARS is better than Lord of the Rings as long as they can give valid argument and good reasons.

• 84 baggins // Sep 13, 2011 at 4:34 am

  HP just like a diary of one boy,not a fantasy novel.maybe just a little boy have dream to have magic.but LOTR is the true fantasy,with all creatures in middle earth.LOTR the best.!!!

• 85 Peter Kenobi // Sep 13, 2011 at 4:47 pm

  I have read all the Harry Potter books and all the LotR books. I love them both. However, I would say LotR is better and here is why.
  LotR isn’t just a story, it’s a whole world with languages, culture, history, religion, and much more. LotR really tells the story of an entire universe. This makes LotR a fantasy that you can dream of and imagine. Harry Potter is a mystical world very much related to our own. Most people in Harry Potter live just like regular humans. However a select few people live in a secret wizard world where magic is used in their daily lives. This allows the reader to really relate to the characters in Harry Potter. All in all, Harry Potter is good to connect with characters, but LotR is much better at allowing the reader to escape to a whole other world. LotR is much deeper thinking because there is an entire fantasy world versus a secret society in the modern day world. LotR is very complex and has very deep meaning.
  You can take very good messages from both stories. Harry Potter shows that you should love your friends and be loyal to them. It shows that you should always stick together. All of Hogwarts had to stick together and fight Voldemort. It also shows that you should persevere. LotR shows a lot of the same ideas. It also shows that you must stick together and be loyal. The Fellowship failed and therefore the journey was made harder for Frodo. However Sam always stuck to Frodo’s side. When Frodo left the Fellowship to go to Mount Doom, Sam came. Sam saved Frodo from the giant spider and from the orks. LotR also shows that you need to persevere. Frodo went all the way to Mount Doom and even though he could of turned back, he didn’t. On their journey Sam says to Frodo:
  “I know. It’s all wrong. By rights, we shouldn’t even be here… but we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.”
  “What are we holding onto, Sam?”
  “There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”

  Overall, I like both LotR and Harry Potter, but LotR has a much deeper meaning and a richer world.

• 86 ANONYMOUS // Sep 23, 2011 at 6:36 am

  ALL THINGS SAID!!!!LOTR IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE BEST EVER FANTASY!!!!!!!AND I CANT HELP BUT FELL SAD OR PITY THOSE WHO SAY J.K.ROWLING HAS DONE A GREAT JOB(BUT IF IT IS IN MAKING THE LAMEST SERIES EVER…THEN I WILL HAVE TO GIVE HER CREDIT)……..ALL SHE DID WAS COPY THE MAIN THEME OF LOTR(WHICH IS THE RING THAT KEEPS SAURON ALIVE…IN OTHER WORDS…TO MAKE U HP FANS UNDERSTAND……THE RING WHICH ACTS LI8KE A “HORCRUX”…)AND JUST GIVE A NEW NAME FOR IT IN HER HP SERIES”HORCRUX”…..HAAAA!!!!!ITS SOOO CREEPY THAT ITS MAKES IT JUST AS LAME!!!!!!!!!!.SHE IS NOTHING BUT A JACKASS WHO COPIES THINGS FROM THE GREATEST FANTASY EVER(LOTR) AND MAKE A LIVING OUT OF IT!!!!!SHE IS JUST AS LAME AS YTHE SERIES IS…..U KNOW WAT THEY SAY….LIKE AUTHOR LIKE BOOK!!!!!!!HEHE

• 87 TROLLBUSTER // Sep 23, 2011 at 9:43 pm

  Does it have to be a lame competition? I like both. I remember having this argument in the playground when I was like eight years old, I have since grown up, I thought everyone else had fdone the same. Apparently not.

  OK, so there are obvious similarities. Rowling clearly ‘borrowed’ ideas from Tolkien, but didn’t Tolkien ‘borrow’ ideas from ancient folklore etc?

  Also Tolkien wasn’t writing for the child/young adult market like Rowling was, so don’t get too up yourselves when you say his books are ‘better’.
  I’m not saying I prefer either, as I love both. Both have their good and bad points, but these stupid arguments just get on my nerves. Everyone’s different, so they’re gonna have different opinions. Accept that and grow up.
  Peace.

  P.S. ‘Anonymous’, stop ranting. I can see a bit of drool running down your chin.

• 88 Silver Assassin // Sep 25, 2011 at 4:01 pm

  i can’t decide. sarun isn’t even there, he’s a F***ing ring, voldy wins Bellatrix is the best villian ever. but what about Strider. he has everything and Elves can kick anyone’s ass. i love them both. and about dumbledore vs gandalf everyone is forgetting the original wizard Merlin

• 89 Kel // Sep 26, 2011 at 2:18 am

  The appeal of Harry Potter is more vast, simply because it is easier to read. I imagine people dismiss LOTR before reading it the same way people hate Shakespeare before reading it. Elegant prose is diminished to ‘boring’. What you like best is obviously subjective. I loved both, but I found LOTR much more satisfying. It is rich with history (Tolkien created a whole world with histories of different races and languages) and is far more than just a story. It is also a classic piece of literature; there is no argument as to which is better written – beautiful prose. Otherwise, it all comes down to personal preference, which isn’t an argument at all, it’s an opinion.

• 90 Anonymous // Oct 7, 2011 at 12:24 pm

  Harry Potter just CANNOT be compared to LOTR! (Trust me! I read both)

  Tolkien has devoted his entire life creating a whole new world, a history , languages, pronunciations, an imensity of characters, traditions, costumes and so on (those who read LOTR knows what I’m talking about! C’mon it’s an whole new universe!). LOTR is also more than just three books with more or less 400 pages, it’s a whole colection of books. The experience of reading “The Lord of The Rings” doesn’t dries so easily like Harry Potter does, for example, while I was reading Hp, I felt the need of more history, more explanations, and I simply don’t get what I was looking for! With LOTR it’s diferent, if you read it you will have an extremely detailed (but not difficult) piece of art! I’ll give you an example: If you want better understand LOTR ( besides the 3 books and the respective appendix) you’ll have : “The Sillmarilion”, “The Hobbit”, “Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth”, “The Children of Húrin” sum to as about 10 books and more or less 10 small stories.
  LOTR is also an extensive metaphor about the Human condition, our need of power, our inability to content with the “little things”, such as friendship and loyalty. HP fans could say that J.K. Rowling’s books are about this exact theme, and they are! but – it’s wrote for kids! I’m sorry but it’s true, Hp it’s for those who cannot understand subliminal messages!
  I must be honest, I like Harry Potter, since I was a little girl that I like it, but now I only read it and watch the movis when I want to be lazy!
  Hp fans (age of 13-80’s): It´s time for you guys to grow up! Leave Harry Potter and devote your intelligence and time to a GREAT work of a GREAT fictional epic history and you won’t regret! Once you put beside the myth that LOTR is boring you will find it an addiction.

  REQUEST TO HARRY POTTER FANS: Please! Start presenting some arguments! I’m getting tired of your comments: “Hp is better because it is!”. I guess this forum is to discuss arguments, not to present you opinions!

• 91 WHICH ONE IS THE OLDEST? (LOTR) // Oct 7, 2011 at 3:29 pm

  Evil sorceror referred to as “Dark Lord” who desires to regain physical shape:

  -Voldemort
  -Sauron

  Wise old mentor with a long gray beard and a wizard hat:
  -Dumbledore
  -Gandalf

  A birthday sets off events:
  -Harry’s 11th
  -Frodo’s 33rd and Bilbo’s 111th

  Inherited invisibility device:
  -Cloak
  -Ring (although the Ring takes you to a different ‘world’)

  Dog named Fang:
  -Owned by Hagrid
  -Owned by Farmer Maggot

  Evil, creepy hooded creatures:
  -Dementors
  -Nazgul

  Deceased parents:

  -Harry’s parents were murdered
  -Frodo’s parents drowned

  Taken to live with uncle
  -Harry lives with his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia
  -Frodo lives with his Uncle Bilbo (film version – second cousin once removed in the book)

  Giant Spider:
  -Aragog
  -Shelob

  Bad guy with a “wormy” name:
  -Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail)
  -Grima (Wormtongue)

  Longbottom:
  -Neville Longbottom who excels at Herbology
  -Tobold Hornblower from Longbottom who knows much about herbs and pipe-weed

  Fight with a troll:
  -Harry, Ron and Hermione fight a troll on Halloween
  -The Fellowship of the Ring fight a troll

  Dark forest
  -Forbidden Forest
  -Old forest just outside of the Shire

  “Elves” describing a race of people:
  -House elves act as servants
  -A race of peoples from Middle Earth

  Small, pitiable creature who talks in third person:
  -Dobby
  -Gollum

  Goblins:
  -Run wizarding bank Gringotts
  -One of the evil races of middle earth

  Holder of the keys:
  -Hagrid (Keeper of the Keys)
  -Hurin (Warden of the Keys)

  Mischievous pair:
  -Fred & George Weasley
  -Merry and Pippin (film version)

  Forbidden language:
  -Saying “Voldemort” -
  -Black Speech of Mordor

  Dangerous willow tree:
  -Whomping Willow
  -Old Man Willow

  Basin of seeing :
  -Pensieve
  -Galadriel’s Mirror

  Powerful, life-saving swords:
  -Godric Gryffindor’s sword
  -Anduril

  Scar on forehead :
  -Harry
  -Merry

  Do not disturb water because of…
  -The giant squid
  -Watcher in the Water

  Longed for safe-haven:
  -During the summer Harry wishes he was back at Hogwarts
  -On their quest, the hobbits long to be back in the safety of the Shire.

  Scar from Evil forces :
  -Harry’s scar on forehead
  -Frodo’s scar from the Morgul Blade

  IT’S ALL SAID!!!

• 92 Chris // Oct 9, 2011 at 6:04 pm

  Ok, for everyone saying teens do not understand lord of the rings, please reconsider. I am 14, and read both series and seen both movies trilogies/sagas. And, i’ve gotta say, i love both, but, no person in this world can compare to tolkien. Lord of the Rings is far superior, it is also much more mature, it’s fans are more devoted then some of the HP fans. i do love harry potter, and it does have a very special place in my heart, but, we Lord of the Rings fans care for our series’ more. look at all the HP comments, 99% of them simply say “hp forever!” while we provide examples and arguments. I’m a J.K Rowling fan as well as Tolkien, but, NOBODY in this world can compare to Tolkien.

• 93 Alexandra // Oct 24, 2011 at 1:09 pm

  I Love Both of the series! But if i had to chose one it would be Harry potter everytime!!! though i’ve never read lotr books so i’m not sure who wins there :L But By The looks of the comments Lotr wins but only by a bit.

• 94 Berkay // Oct 26, 2011 at 3:14 pm

  OMFG!! I cant believe that 14 year old kids are comparing Lotr with stupid HP.J.K Rowling stole the whole characters in LOTR.LOTR has the best soundtrack ever made,its the best movie ever and its the best book ever written.

• 95 kalya // Nov 19, 2011 at 4:28 pm

  I just read the LOTr, and i was disappointed. In HP, harry is as to overcome many more challangeces, most by himself. As where Frodo is more cooridly and easily controlled by the powers of the ring. Hp also as a more epic war, than the three combined in LOTr. Tolkien is more orginal, but i find JK’s story more epic than any ever written by Tolkien.

• 96 Anuj Jain // Nov 21, 2011 at 10:21 am

  well after reading all comments i would say that those who have read lotr first will prefer it i havent read lotr yet but see tolkein made a whole new fictional history so didnt bother for making it realistic but rowling created a whole new harry potter universe parallel to one already existing of muggles that gave her the right impetus for realism and one thing noone can deny (those who have read it without any pre made self statement that lotr is better ) is that hp is till now most obsessive and addictive world ever .you simply live and grow up with characters (one of the best thing about rowling ) and those who say that its only for teens it exemplifies great emotions of love sacrifice friendship and standing up against evil . dont believe me lotr fans ? then go read it again without any biased view . dumbeldore alone explains all of them with his extremely deep and short statements they are worth thinking over . he is the best character i have ever come across .and last but not the least hp holds some of the best qoutes and one liners ever .

• 97 Anuj Jain // Nov 21, 2011 at 10:28 am

  one thing i forgot to mention : hp was released in 70s an era of movies and was so strong that made people switich of tvs and take up books if any other book that was read by good handful of people after that well i daresay that the owe it to HARRY POTTER and if iever read lotr it might be because of HARRY POTTER !!!!!!!!!!

• 98 Bilbo // Nov 25, 2011 at 8:42 pm

  C’mon
  HPHPHPHPHP !!!!
  Lord of the rings is much more influential and spirited and witty than harry potter. And harry potter just copies Tolkien’s Genius. I mean Gandalf/Dumbledore homosexual/ SAM homosexual.
  The longbottom river/Neville Longbottom.

  And do you even know how dumb it sounds when you run araound your house wearing your mom’s dress, shout Expelliarmus.
  So….
  GAME SET MATCH!!

• 99 Bilbo // Nov 25, 2011 at 8:44 pm

  HOLY S*** Anuj jain
  Have you even read any book ever?
  Harry potter came out in 1996
  So learn to read.

• 100 Dieble // Nov 25, 2011 at 8:55 pm

  I have the 100th message

• 101 Ringo // Nov 26, 2011 at 6:35 pm

  I personally find that Harry Potter appeals more to the masses because of its writing style. It’s a much more “raise a question, and answer it” technique than LOTR. I’m not saying it is poor writing, but the very fact that Rowling can connect events is not brilliant. Improvisers do it all the time in shows that they make up in 20 minutes. It’s a skill that can be honed. LOTR, however, has a much larger scope and history than HP and, therefore, relies more on the storyline of the world, and not the story of a character, as its catalyst. To include all aspects of a world and its history in one culminating journey requires a much more intimate knowledge of the world created than harnessing one character’s history and showing the other other events in relation to that character. I’m just saying that Tolkein has a more complicated balance of character dynamics WITHIN the world of Middle Earth. Whereas Rowling has a complicated story WITHIN the world of the character of Harry Potter. The two are different. I prefer Tolkein’s approach, as it is much more scholarly in its approach.

  And, as a purely fan-based argument, and not a writer’s argument, the wizardry in HP marginalizes the integrity and wisdom of the LOTR wizards. To explain, the wizards in HP are given formal schooling, years of it, along with myriad other wizards. However, the wizards in LOTR are few and require an in depth knowledge of the world, as well as necessity for survival to expand their knowledge and power. To put it simply: in HP you have classes and homework to gain power; in LOTR you pretty much have to die defeating a Balrog to gain power. Who’s more of a BAMF?

• 102 Christian Ayer // Nov 27, 2011 at 2:07 pm

  Im honestly not sure. I love HP and the wizarding world, but Tolkien’s books are filled with elves and dwarves and old times with a hard journey ahead. This is also why I like the Inheritance Cycle books. If you ask me who is the better villian, I would say Im not sure. If you asked me who the better hero was, I’d say Harry: Seriously, Frodo passes out half the time and almost dies because he wouldn’t guve up a ring set out to destroy him.

• 103 Emily // Dec 4, 2011 at 2:20 am

  I think that both are great! If you think about it though, Harry potter is more about politics within a world being taken over but lord of the rings is about a villain who cant be controlled by rules. I would comPare the ring to the Horcruxes. Both drive man and creature mad in the hunt for them. The ring has to have a magical power to control people but the Horcruxes rely on the inner workings and weaknesses of man to control them. Both have something about them which drives an entire war. Villains: souror (spelt wrong probs) he has no real motive apart from a ring which has magic which is a powerful concept, but not as thoughtful as jk rowlings voldermort. He’s better because his very name is feared. He has a human motive. Dear, voldermort is terrified by death and so he will kill the innocent and become inhuman justto avoid it. He has a better backstory too. Goodies: Harry and frodo. Harry is brought up by cruel people who give him a rough time. Hes then thrust into a world where he’s liked and welcome. But he’s suddenly told he holds the key to an entire worlds safety, which shouldn’t mean as much to him because none of his family is left, but he finds himself caring. Of corse he has help, he’s 11! If he did it on his own it’d be unrealistic. Frodo is within the comfort of a family( bilbo) and is pulled out of that. He’s weaker than Harry, too many times does he give in to the ring. However he has amazing amounts of sympathy and love ( golom). On this both are as good as each other.

• 104 Anuj Jain // Dec 14, 2011 at 11:09 am

  ok sorry about 70s thing ! it is 90s
  but it was the media era !

• 105 Brock // Dec 20, 2011 at 2:30 am

  For all those comments where people have said that Harry Potter has a much more epic war, and that Lord of the Rings sucks because the war is not believable, LoTR’s wars are based on World War One. Harry Potter’s wars are derived from J.K Rowling’s imagination. For the ones who said that LoTR had no emotional value, have you even read the books? There is so much emotion in them that you could cry, laugh, and throw your book at the wall all at the same time. Lord of the Rings is much better than Harry Potter. J.R.R Tolkien has created not only a secondary world, but also a complete history, going back thousands of years, whereas Harry Potter is merely a secondary world. I think people have to start to remember that there IS actually government in LoTR, contrary to what some Harry Potter fans are saying. This is set in Middle Earth (i.e. the middle ages) when there was a different system of government.
  I think that Harry Potter is a lot simpler to understand, and J.K has made it very, very obvious what the characters are feeling. Tolkien, on the other hand, has made it difficult to tell, until you’ve been with them a fair way.
  People who say that one series is better without reading the other have no idea about literature.
  Lord of the Rings is better in so many ways.
  Harry Potter is better for lighter reading.

• 106 Devansh // Dec 20, 2011 at 4:04 am

  Emily, you are entirely wrong on the point that people don’t fear to say Sauron’s name.

• 107 Devansh // Dec 20, 2011 at 4:30 am

  Anuj Jain, you have not even read LOTR so how can you even say anything about LOTR vs. HP? And also, when it comes to LOTR vs. HP, LOTR stands out as the best. Take the main villains as an example. Sauron has a personal land for himself, control over a volcano, a gigantic army and powerful men allies while Voldemort has to stay in hiding all the time with his death eaters until the last book when he is can show himself freely but only for a short time.

• 108 Vick // Dec 20, 2011 at 1:03 pm

  They are both different stories, whenever you see someone who hate Harry Potter, he then must be a LOTR fans. If I’ve to choose, it would be Harry Potter, not the movie, the content, well I am a LOTR fan too, so don’t get me wrong. LOTR is stunning, but Harry Potter is better with me, like a potential boy, live under a bad family, discovering his background secret, Harry Potter’ve got very rich storyline, that is what LOTR loses at, LOTR is amazing and perfect, I agree, but poor storyline, too few for me to discover with, besides I get bored easily, all you’ve saw on film was just the surface of it, you will discover more if you read Harry Potter’s series and explore its very own wikipedia: harrypotter.wikia.com, it’s real that Harry Potter owns a better background story and content, you can compare LOTR’s and HP’s via their series wikipedia: lotr.wikia.com, harrypotter.wikia.com, it’s okay to accept new thing, if you insist to compare LOTR with HP, it’s okay too, but you will love HP until you discover all of it. I was a LOTR fan too, until Harry Potter release its sixth book. It’s fine if you still prefer LOTR series. Hmm, one last thing, I said it above, all you’ve saw on film is just the surface of it, little screen with big background, so don’t judge anything or overexaggarate anything blindly, or else you will get scold. And LOTR fans, please stop using harsh word to attack Harry Potter, I’m so curious that how could people compare it, it’s just like comparing Louis Vuitton with Hermes, depends on people’s hobby.

• 109 #replying "WHICH ONE IS THE OLDEST? (LOTR) " // Dec 20, 2011 at 2:01 pm

  Evil sorcerer referred to as “Dark Lord” who desires to regain physical shape: Voldemort, once regain its own physical shape, able to harm world.

  Wise old mentor with a long gray beard and a wizard hat: Dumbledore, greatest sorcerer in Harry Potter’s universe, most famous for defeating the previous Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin – First Class, Supreme Mugwump of International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot headquarter. Dumbledore became the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared.

  A birthday sets off events:
  -Harry’s 11st and Dumbledore’s 115th

  Inherited invisibility device: The Invisibility Cloak, one of three deathly hallows, able to hide from death, if wear it without taking off, immortal.

  Dog named Fang: Hagrid’s fatty, coward pet dog, nothing special.

  Evil, creepy hooded creatures: Dementors, former guards of Azkaban wizarding prison, teamed with the Dark Lord’s side while Second Wizading War, Dementors feed off human happiness, and thus cause depression and despair to anyone near them. They can also consume a person’s soul, leaving their victims in a permanent vegetative state, and thus are often referred to as “soul-sucking fiends” and are known to leave a person as an “empty-shell.”

  Deceased parents: Harry’s parents were murdered, but Harry’s mother, Lily left a Love magic between the Dark Lord, causing Harry Potter immune to the Dark Lord until 1994.

  Taken to live with uncle: Harry lives with his uncle Vernon, bullied all the day.

  Giant Spider: Aragog, owned a forest of spider.

  Bad guy with a “wormy” name: Wormtail, traitor of James Potter and Lily Potter, betrayed Potter family to the Dark Lord.

  Longbottom:-Neville Longbottom who excels at Herbology, later became a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry, fought and survived at Second Wizarding War, destroyed one of the Dark Lord’s horcruxes.

  Fight with a troll: Harry and Ron fought a troll by levitating the troll’s club.

  Dark forest: the forbidden forest, dark forest beside Hogwarts Castle, thousands of creature living there.

  “Elves” describing a race of people: House elves, magical creature which is devoted and loyal to the one designated as their master. Serves old wizarding family, possesses very powerful magic, even more powerful than a wizard.

  Small, pitiable creature who talks in third person: Dobby, protects Harry Potter until the very end, being murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange while apparating after saving Harry Potter and his friends.

  Goblins: Run a wizarding bank called Gringotts which located miles away under London city, highly intelligent race, possesses a few magic.

  Holder of the keys: Hagrid (Keeper of the Keys), notified and revealed Harry Potter’s truth. Friend of Harry Potter.

  Mischievous pair: Fred & George Weasley, well known for their sense of humour and pranks, Fred’s dead, given Harry the Marauder’s Map which helped him and his friends to defeat the Dark Lord.

  Forbidden language: Saying “Voldemort”, define the speaker’s courage, Taboo-ed word after the Dark Lord takeover the Ministry of Magic (Taboo means a extremely powerful curse which embedded on a word, once someone speaks the word, the caster will be notified immediately the location of victims.)

  Dangerous willow tree: Whomping Willow, The Whomping Willow is a very valuable, very violent species of magical plant. Whomping Willows attack anyone and anything that comes within range of its branches. A deciduous plant, its limbs function as arms and any damage to them must be treated in much the same way, planted due to Remus Lupin’s werewolf transformation, allowing him to transform to a werewolf in privacy.

  Basin of seeing : Pensieve, the Pensieve is an object used to review memories, memories can then be viewed from a third-person point of view.

  Powerful, life-saving swords: Godric Gryffindor’s sword, the sword of a famed wizard Godric Gryffindor, made thousand years ago. It is one of the few things that can destroy a Horcrux

  Scar on forehead/ scar from evil forces: Harry’s scar is the result of a failed murder attempt by Lord Voldemort due to his mother’s loving sacrifice protection.

• 110 pedro penduko // Dec 22, 2011 at 2:14 am

  LOTR. It is a fine finished literary gem. And I agree that the story was made out of love and passion. Mr. Tolkien has written the story for the love of his children, unlike JRowling: for money (she has to finish the succeeding books because of it).

• 111 anonymous // Dec 22, 2011 at 4:03 pm

  This isnt even worth being called a question. Ofcourse lord of the rings is better. OFCOURSE. Movies..lets see they dominated the oscars while harry potter barely made an appearance and the films are just more spectacular. Books..well this is just simple. Tolkeins works are a masterpiece. Who are any of you or even JK Rowling to try to match or challenge. It’ll be a long time before anyone takes Tolkeins throne.

• 112 Devansh // Dec 31, 2011 at 5:43 am

  Vick, how can LOTR have a poor storyline?!!!!!
  If it would not have been having a rich storyline, how could it have been so famous??? And when talking about background of LOTR, there are the rich appendixes and 2 more books (The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales).

• 113 Hermione // Jan 3, 2012 at 3:45 pm

  Well don’t yell at me just yet. I promise to write back as soon as I finish the other series.

  I just finished reading the Harry Potter series a month ago. The best series or books I’ve ever read. They are so interesting and heart meting. It almost made me cry when it was over. I can say I love Hermione. The books are farway better than the movies. In opinion the only good movies are 1-3. My favorite books are 4 and 6. 4 has a surprising twist and has action the whole book. 6 has an adventourus ending. My least favorite was 5. Quite boring really. But no worry Lord of the Rings fans, I plan on starting this series next. I am upset at all the crude comments toward Harry Potter. Half of you never even read this but watched the not as good movies. Well this is my conclusion: I’m obsessed with Harry Potter. If you’re aloud to read it, I’d advise you to attempt it. I promise to write again as soon as I finish Lord of the Rings.

  Please no bad comments back unless you agree with what I’m saying. Thankyou for you’re review on both series and I’ll be writing back soon.
  Hermione

• 114 The Unknown? // Jan 4, 2012 at 6:56 pm

  Honestly not that I’m saying anything at all against Harry Potter (Go Luna Lovegood, BOO Ginny (the worst nick-name in the world, who wants that name?) Weasley!!! ”), but in The Hobbit in a song last sentence on page 22, it reads ‘gems on hilt of sword.’ J.K. Rowling totally stole that from J.R.R. Tolkien for the sword of Godric Gryffindor because the sword has rubies at the end. Rings was wrote before Potter. Am I honestly the only one to piece this together? If I find more comparisons, I’ll reply, sorry Potter people but that’s a burn toward you.

• 115 Saruman the Grey // Jan 7, 2012 at 9:48 am

  Harry potter is just an another version of the lord of the rings. Read the two>

• 116 Zero // Jan 8, 2012 at 1:04 pm

  TBH… i agree with alot of the Lotr fans here… HP is written more for Younger audiences if your a Kid (btw tween is such a retarded word -.-” your either a teen or your not theres a reason why your called twelve and not twelveteen…) anyways the point is… Harry Potter, Dont get me wrong i liked the story… but the plot in every movie is almost so predictable and very repetitive in so many ways for instance… Harry goes into a dungeon… walks around the corner OH CRAP TROUBLE!… the Camera angle gives it away so much, you know sumthing bads gonna happen, Now onto the book ive read all of them and i really enjoyed them all… but TBH thats when i was like 12… I never really liked lord of the rings untill i was 15 and once i read the books and watch the movies i was hooked… The plot was great the movie scenes were the best! The book leaves you thinking after each page like … Damn how the hell is a small hobbit supposed to walk into mordor and Reach to mount doom!! Frodo as small as he is he doesnt let that get the best of him… he carries the ring makes it in get his finger bit off and comes out like a Boss.!!! Harry on the other hand i cant believe throughout the books and movies he learns a few spells… over the course of years you wouldve thought he learned some spells to defend himself instead of relying on other all the god damn time… Anyways…

  LOTR!!! Prevails sorry HP fans

• 117 Devansh // Jan 14, 2012 at 3:44 am

  Well, to tell the truth the first five books of HP do nothing to destroy the hocruxes of Voldy (except the second one). They are mostly a formality except the scene in which Voldy gets a new body. But in LOTR, the journey of Frodo and Sam continues through all the books. The songs and the poems in LOTR make it more emotional than HP and I was about to cry when Boromir died so I skipped the chapter of his death.

  So LOTR wins, sorry HP fans!

• 118 Phoebe // Jan 23, 2012 at 10:45 am

  Can I just say a lot of LOTR fans have said J.K Rowling didn’t create a whole new world and have to say, have you been reading the right series? I haven’t actually read LOTR but two of my best friends and neither exactly raved about it (One of them actually hasn’t finished them) but out of four best friends and I, we’ve all loved Harry Potter (None of us felt forced to, cause its a classic) and while we have all moved on other fantasy/sci-fi series, we all hold a special place in readers’ hearts for HP. Also, when people say LOTR is the grandad of modern fantasy, what about Narnia? (Going completely off topic, I think Narnia is magical in its “They’re completely normal way”) Didn’t Narnia, technically come first (If you don’t include the Hobbit), its like when people say Star Trek was the first sci-fi when Doctor Who was first aired six years earlier. Coming back to the topic, its HP, I’ve tried to get started on LOTR but haven’t YET. JK Rowling inspired me to be a author, J.R.R Tolkein didn’t. Also, JKR has said she’s a LOTR fan (I think) so I don’t think she would think highly of either “sides” bashing. Finally, expand your minds so for one to be great, the rest have to be awful. LOTR fans, no offence but as you have still have the Hobbit to look forward to, so gloat about that! Can’t both sides hate on something that deserves it, like Twilight? BTW, if you haven’t guessed, HP takes it everytime.

• 119 Mere // Jan 25, 2012 at 1:36 am

  While I did enjoy HP as a kid, I was introduced to LotR later and realized I’d been missing out. How can people say things like “LotR’s characters are black and white?” Lets be serious here, compared to LotR HP is just a bunch of stupid teenagers and their stupid drama. The characters in Lotr have history, romance and emotion. They make you feel what it’s like to die for your king, to give up your immortality for your true love, (technically this applies to HP too I’m just pointing it out.) to risk your life to save the world. Tolkien created an entire world with mythology, and politics, art, music, true love and language. All of Tolkiens works were true masterpieces and while HP is fun for little kids it will never be able to come close to being in the same league as Lord of the Rings.

• 120 fettabsaugen // Jan 29, 2012 at 11:42 am

  Bei der Güteklasse der geeigneten Brustimplantate geschrieben stehen heute ausgewählte Designs zur Verfügung.

• 121 Devansh // Jan 31, 2012 at 10:25 am

  To the person called “girl”:
  Some of your points are wrong. The reason why all good characters in LOTR are purely good is because in LOTR everything that is evil was good once. This showed sense to the characters that what becomes of being evil. Another reason why this is so because in HP all the characters are men and are corruptible while in LOTR many character’s aren’t men. AND LOTR IS NOT RACIST. Remember the White hand of Saruman, Isildur’s black stone of Erech, the black chair of the Steward of Gondor, the white light of Minas Morgul, the Nazgul appeared White to Frodo when he wore the ring etc etc.

• 122 osullc16 // Feb 3, 2012 at 8:02 pm

  I have read both HP and LOTR. I have to say LOTR is the better book due to Tolkien’s superior writing. HP books are really good but the LOTR is a masterpiece. LOTR is a greater original work in which Tolkien was trying to create a mythology for England. In doing so he created a ’secondary’ world filled with distinct landscapes, creatures and people with culture and language. Even Rowling was inspired by LOTR. For example, its obvious the Dementhors were ripped off from the Ringwraiths. I don’t blame Rowling for taking some elements of LOTR and adding them into her own story, because its hard not to be inspired by Tolkien’s great work.

  As C.S Lewis once said of LOTR- “here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a book which will break your heart.”

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