"Knight of the Shire" Detail

[wallace_trust]

This scene is my favorite in all of LOtR. The emotional thrills of Sam's battle with Shelob, his storming of the tower, and his dramatic rescue of his dearest friend still makes, to me, the most incomparable reading experience imaginable. Since then I have read many other books seeking this level of emotional reward, but I've never found it again. In my experience no love, whether real or fictional, romantic or not, has ever been portrayed as beautifully as Tolkien drew the unconditional love between these two desperate sweet souls. It is truly the heart of the story.

For those who are only familiar with LOtR through the movies or adaptations, I cannot recommend enough that the original words be read.  Tolkien's books simply have no equal. 

This is a detail of one of my many attempts at illustrating this beloved scene.