We all know the tale of a wise wizard, with an evil best friend, going on a journey with the little hero who has the loser best friend and the funny fat guy who travel through a dangerous forest with giant spiders to discover hideous creatures and finally encounter the dark lords. Then the battle of good and evil starts and blah blah blah, you get the gist, but this fairytale is about to get weird.

We all know the “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter,” but do you truly know them? For you uncultured swine, Harry Potter is the most miserable, lonely boy you could ever imagine. After his parents died, he had to move into a house with his relatives, the Dursley’s. Ever since he was an infant, the Dursley’s would make him stay under the stairs, in a cupboard, and to not make a peep when guest are over. Basically, they are the annoying, easily angered rich, and he is their slave. However, on his 11th birthday, his world was changed from miserable and normal to lovely and magical. Hagrid, the funny giant, explains, “you’re a wizard Harry” and Harry meets his best friends: Ron Weasley, the redhead who is scared of spiders, and Hermione Granger, the smart one of the three.  The three of them go on an amazing journey through their “freshman year” of wizardry school, ran by a wizard named Dumbledore, while running into many challenging obstacles on the way. For example, a troll in the women’s bathroom.

Lord of the Rings follows a boy named Frodo Baggins, the nephew of Bilbo Baggins, who is the most famous hobbit in Shire and hates when dwarves create a mess in his home. Frodo accidently put a ring on his finger that alerts those aware of its whereabouts. This lead him to a wizard named Gandalf the Grey, who is followed by many dwarves, elves, etc. Frodo is their only hope in stopping Sauron. As you can already tell, they have many similarities. First off there are the wizards: Gandalf the Grey and Dumbledore. Both of these characters are mentors to the main characters of the story and convey a serious tone in their stories, however have a quirky attitude. Dumbledore is mainly known for saying, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,” and Gandalf is known for saying, “You shall not pass!” But there’s more!

There is an evil sorcerer known as the “Dark Lord,” which is portrayed as Voldemort and Sauron. The main character has a birthday that sets off the entire story, and they later inherit an invisible device. Harry receives a cloak, and Frodo recieved a ring. There is a giant spider, Aragog and Shelob, however Shelob, in my opinion, is a heck of a lot scarier. There is a dog named Fang, and there are “elves.” Plus, there is a dangerous willow tree! However, you can never forget the forbidden language, “he who shall not be named,” Voldemort, also known as Tom Riddle, and the Black Speech of Mordor.

As you can tell, if you just say that there are wizards, elves, and spiders, no one will be able to tell the difference, however many have their opinion about which is better and mine is that they are both great. They are both a series that you can not just put down, and I recommend it to all of you. Especially those who say they are allergic to reading, because these just might cure your problem. And just remember, “all we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us.”