As a long time fan of Tolkien’s work I have read the main books (The Hobbit and the three volume The Lord of the Rings) several times, and in recent years also listened to the audio books.

Of course I have seen the two movie trilogies, and I agree with many saying that The LotR films are superior to the Hobbit films.

It was with some trepidation that I started watching the first season of The Rings of Power.

The first few episodes felt a bit off, but through the series I did get to appreciate what they were doing. Being well aware that this is not directly material from the books, it is an imagining of things that have been hinted at in the books.

Through the episodes there are some clues laid out, and also some misdirection. My initial guess of one particular character turned out to be correct, but one other character I missed identifying until the season finale.

As a whole I enjoyed the season, and I may re-watch it before a (possible) second season arrives.

I will rate this as 7/10 on the Lurker’s scale.