Sometimes childish, sometimes rude, always clever and always very, very funny, this book has delighted most, and outraged a few, Tolkien fans in the US for nearly 30 years. Pulling in references to popular culture and fantasy literature as a whole, this is a killingly effective parody of LORD OF THE RINGS. From the dreary Goddamn (Gollum), to the feckless Arrowroot (Aragorn), the bungling Goodgulf (Gandalf) to the timid, meanminded boggies Frito (Frodo) and Dildo (Bilbo), no character is safe. Fleeing the Nozdrul, bored by acid-casualty Tim Benzedrine and harrassed throughout by the minions of Sorhed, the fellowship move through a Middle Earth like no other. Short, sharp and very much to the point, even Tolkien would be hard-pressed to surpress a giggle at BORED OF THE RINGS.
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First published in 1969, Bored of the Rings quickly became a cult book for its relentless, slapstick pastiche of The Lord of the Rings. Gollancz's 2001 edition marks the first appearance in Britain and in hardback.
Authors Beard and Kenny carry irreverence cheerfully beyond the borders of good taste. For some, it's a hilarious antidote to uncritical worship of Tolkien. For others, it's outright blasphemy. You choose...
Here's the formula. Take the rough plot of The Lord of the Rings. Give everyone daft names: Bilbo Baggins becomes Dildo Bugger, Sauron is Sorhed, and the hobbits Merry, Pippin and Sam are now the boggies Moxie, Pepsi and Spam. Make them all cowardly, dumb, self-serving and/or insane. Cram Middle Earth with droll American brand names, some now rather dated...
Bored of the Rings lurches drunkenly through Tolkien's narrative, scrawling graffiti on noble citadels and firing off gags with such machine-gun speed that something hits the funny bone on almost every page. A warning: "The halberd has fallen! The fewmets have hit the windmill!" A doom-laden prophecy: "Five-eleven's your height, one-ninety your weight, you cash in your chips around page eighty-eight."
Some pokes at the original are quite shrewd. The tiresomely lyrical Tom Bombadil mutates with hideous plausibility into dope freak Tim Benzedrine: "Toke-a-lid! Smoke-a-lid! Pop the mescalino!" Tortuous arguments about the disposal of the Ring are neatly condensed to: "'Alas,' explained Goodgulf." (Guess who?)
Cheap laughs abound despite occasional misfires. Even the map is chuckleworthy. But as the US paperback jacket warned, those who revere Tolkien "will not touch this gobbler with a ten-foot battle-lance". --David Langford --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
212,000 copies sold in HB, now in paperback in time for the third Lord of the Rings film.
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When Mr Dildo Bugger of Bug End grudgingly announced his intention of throwing a free feed for all the boggies in his part of the Sty, the reaction in Boggietown was immediate - all through the messy little slum could be heard squeals of 'Swell!' and 'Hot puppies, grub!' Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
When Mr Dildo Bugger of Bug End grudgingly announced his intention of throwing a free feed for all the boggies in his part of the Sty, the reaction in Boggietown was immediate - all through the messy little slum could be heard squeals of 'Swell!' and 'Hot puppies, grub!' Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Patrick Shepherd
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Need a little break from all the horrid seriousness of the day? Then this marvelously inventive parody should hit just the spot. From the hilarious twisted names of Dildo and Frito Bugger, Goodgulf the wizard, Gimlet the dwarf and Legolam the elf to the equally twisted representations of the Boggies in the Sty and the Riders of Roi-Tan and their merino sheep, to the exacting depiction of college life of the Forward, each page will bring a smile, a chuckle, and an outright belly-laugh.
I read Lord of the Rings when it was first published in paperback in 1965, and like many others fell totally in love with Tolkien's marvelous sense of language and incredibly detailed world building. When Bored of the Rings came out in 1969, I immediately grabbed it, as I grabbed everything else remotely dealing with Middle Earth. My shekels were well spent in this case, and I always remember some of these perverted alternative scenes whenever I re-read the original. This book follows the plot line of the original very closely, boiling down the original 1200 pages to this book's 150 and managing to cover every major scene, which is quite a feat.
Clearly though, as a parody, this book is not a stand-alone. Much of its humor derives from the reader's knowledge of the original. It also helps if you're old enough to remember some of the television commercials of the sixties, as otherwise some of the references in this book will pass over your head. There are also some pokes at certain Presidents, TV series, movies, cultural icons, and the hippie and drug-laced counter-culture of the day.
Like many good things, this book is best devoured in small bites, a few pages a day, stopping before your humor-detector collapses from over-stimulation. A great way to relax for a few minutes at the end of the day.
--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In this outrageous parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, we get to follow the preposterous antics of an unbelievable group of misfits out to unmake a ring, and destroy an evil power. Goodgulf the wizard leads Frito, Spam, Moxie, Pepsi, Stomper the Ranger (he has many names), Bromosel, Gimlet the dwarf and Legolam the elf across Lower Middle Earth, as they dodge the evil pig-riding Nozdrul, foul Narcs and other baddies, on their way to dark Fordor.
As you can tell from the summary above, this book is not to be taken seriously! It is outrageously funny! Can a reader ever forget the four boggies meeting with the wild Tom Benzedrine and his magical lady Hashberry? No! Indeed, hardly a RPG session passes when one of us does not quote from this hilarious tome: "'Then we must head east,' said Goodgulf gesturing with his wand to where the sun was setting redly in a mass of sea-clouds."
This book is laugh-out-loud funny, and should be read by every fan of the great Tolkien. I recommend it wholeheartedly!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By "phil-haigh"
Format:Paperback
I purchased the original print of "Bored Of The Rings" from Forbidden Planet in London some 17 years ago. Fans of the Great Work will love it, as will newcomers who have seen the films but not yet read the book. Bored of the Rings is a well-executed genuine parody that stands by itself. While it bases itself on and pokes fun at a similarly named book, it is well-executed and extremely entertaining. Miss this re-print at your peril. PS, Dune fans should check out National Lampoon's "Doon". Fancy a beer?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant brilliant brilliant!
If you know and love the Lord of the rings then you've got to read this. I first read it in the 1970s. A gentle (well reasonably gentle) parody. Read more
Published 1 month ago by P. Rodgers
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bored Of The Rings (GOLLANCZ S.F.)
As it was a present I fail to see how you expect me to comment upon this item - unless you are willing to pay me to visit?
Published 4 months ago by Mr. R. A. Minter
5.0 out of 5 stars
The antidote to Lord of the Rings.
I read LOTR once a year, then this immediately afterwards.
The book depicts Lower-Middle Earth as a commercialised dump and its inhabitants as having pretty much every... Read more
The book depicts Lower-Middle Earth as a commercialised dump and its inhabitants as having pretty much every... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Desk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good laugh
If you are a fan of the lord of the rings you will see the funny side of this book! Good laugh.
Published 18 months ago by A. lacey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't have a curry before... it's too late!
And of course, the thing to avoid is eating curry in between lagers, reading this ALOUD with dramatic florishes (some of which were frankly, unprintable, and certainly... Read more
Published on 2 May 2008 by Mark Grindell
1.0 out of 5 stars
Yeah, a bit funny but ultimately just silly schoolboy humour
Barcode: 9780575073623
I started reading this around the same time i read the actual Lord of The Rings Trilogy which obviously is pretty essential to 'getting' this book... Read more
I started reading this around the same time i read the actual Lord of The Rings Trilogy which obviously is pretty essential to 'getting' this book... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2008 by L. Green
2.0 out of 5 stars
Outdated
Firstly, it must be noted that this book was written some forty years ago. Four decades back the expectations of humour were quite different. Read more
Published on 17 May 2007 by Mr. G. Battle
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Original Parody!!!
This is of course, the original parody. Well, that's what I think. This hilarious book spawned many parodies but this is the most funniest. I read this in under a day. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2006 by Bungus Malone
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outrageously funny!
In this outrageous parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, we get to follow the preposterous antics of an unbelievable group of misfits out to unmake a ring, and destroy... Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2005 by Kurt A. Johnson
1.0 out of 5 stars
Showing its age
I found this both dated and dull... the humour is rather broad and clumsy, as a work of parody it seems to demonstrate a prejudicial a view of generic fantasy rather that a keen... Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2005 by Stephen Foulk
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