Nineteen Eighty-Four vs The Lord Of The Rings: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fantasy
Nineteen Eighty-Four
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
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Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, often referred to as 1984, is a dystopian social science fiction novel by the English novelist George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair). It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker…
1 film adaptationBanned book
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The Lord Of The Rings
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Immerse yourself in Middle-earth with J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic epic fantasy masterpieces behind the films...This special 50th anniversary edition includes three volumes of The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the…
1 film adaptation
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Lord Of The Rings highest: The Lord Of The Rings 4.5 · Nineteen Eighty-Four 4.2.
- Nineteen Eighty-Four has the widest readership — 5733183 ratings behind its score.
- The Lord Of The Rings runs the darker storyline; Nineteen Eighty-Four stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Nineteen Eighty-Four
5733183 ratings vs 747420 for The Lord Of The Rings
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Lord Of The Rings
4.5 vs 4.2 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
The Lord Of The Rings
a darker storyline than Nineteen Eighty-Four
Want something lighter?
Nineteen Eighty-Four
an easier tone than The Lord Of The Rings
Scores by source
| Nineteen Eighty-Four | The Lord Of The Rings | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (5733183) | 4.5 (747420) |
| Hardcover | 5.0 (1) | 3.0 (1) |
| Google Books | — | 4.5 (13) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (593) |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| Nineteen Eighty-Four | The Lord Of The Rings | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 5733183 | 747420 |
| Editions | 536 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 3170038 | 436863 |
| Reading it now | — | 59917 |
| Written reviews | 171557 | 17291 |
| Wikipedia attention | 140637 | 117512 |
| Pages | 244 | — |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Nineteen Eighty-Four or The Lord Of The Rings?
The Lord Of The Rings has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Lord Of The Rings 4.5/5, Nineteen Eighty-Four 4.2/5).
Have both books been made into films?
Nineteen Eighty-Four: 5 film adaptations; The Lord Of The Rings: 3 film adaptations.