BYTE MARKS
And now, digital hobbits

By Burt Lum

The long-anticipated Lord of the Rings movie, "Fellowship of the Ring," could not have come at a more perfect time. Closing out 2001 and ushering in 2002 with an escape to a fantasy world like Middle Earth seemed just the right stress buster for a tumultuous year. Although escapism is never the only solution for harsh reality, it sure feels good while it lasts.

For fans of hobbits and the Shire, the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien is so detailed and well-crafted that the imagination is freely coaxed into hyperdrive. So for the Lord of the Rings movie to satisfy the discerning fan was a monumental accomplishment. I remember reading the trilogy on several occasions and at each time getting so lost in the book that fantasy and reality blurred. That same feeling stirred as I watched the movie.

Fan sites proliferate all over the Net. One that stands out is theonering.net.

Bear in mind that "The Hobbit" was published in 1937 and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy came out in 1955. So these books have been around for quite some time, and generations of fans have been converted. The movies will boost the numbers in LOTR cyber-fandom.

As seen with theonering.net, an incredible amount of information and comment continues to breathe life into Tolkien's work. It's interesting to read the comments from hard-core fans like "Anwyn" at greenbooks.theonering.net/anwyn/ and to gain insight into the movie from someone who knows the book like the back of her hand.

Another site that will conjure feelings of connectedness to Middle Earth is "There and Back Again" at thereandbackagain.net. This Flash 5 site is simply incredible.

The site is a multimedia assault on the mind with maps, images, illustrations, wallpapers, etc. They even have several images by Tolkien from the early paperback editions. This reminded me so much of the LOTR posters I hung from my college dorm room and a time when I longed to escape to Middle Earth.

Reach Burt Lum at burt@brouhaha.net.