On the one hand, I appreciate the amount of effort (roughly Tolkien's whole life) that was spent on creating Middle-Earth. Yet I have to say, regrettably, that I think Lord of the Rings is grossly, grossly, overrated.The dialogue is execrable. The poetry and songs are (largely) grating. The descriptions are (largely) uninspired. Most of all, the characters are as tangible as a Ringwraith without a cloak.It can't be that it seems cliched to me (it is the first - and last - fantasy novel that I have read). It can't be that I am too cynical (I thought The Hobbit was excellent). It's just that this fat lump of a book is plain poorly written. Sorry, Tolkien fanatics.