J. R. R. Tolkien's first book in the
Lord of the Rings trilogy, the
Fellowship of the Ring details the start of a quest to save
Middle Earth from the clutches of
Sauron, a power of evil who is rising again.
The tale of the Ring began in the prequel
The Hobbit, wherein
Bilbo Baggins, a fairly
middle-aged hobbit from
the Shire, embarks on a journey when 12 mysterious guests show up on his
doorstep along with his friend, the wizard
Gandalf. Along the way, he finds a magical Ring, which he passes on to his nephew and chosen heir
Frodo in the
Fellowship of the Ring.
The Ring becomes the key to the survival of
Middle Earth, and with it
Frodo must defend himself against the evil
Sauron's
Nine Riders, or
Ringwraiths. To do this, he must cross the entirety of
Middle Earth to
Sauron's land of
Mordor to
Mount Doom; with him go eight others to form a company of nine, the
Fellowship of the Ring, formed to help and protect
Frodo in his quest.
The story of the quest is continued in the second and third books of the
trilogy,
the Two Towers and the
Return of the King.