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I agree with Lee and Incanus. I love the Shadow Of The Past chapter from FOTR, were Gandalf begins to explain the possible origin of Bilbo's ring, and Middle earth suddenly becomes so much darker. From that moment there's a real sense of being watched or hunted that runs throughout the book.

I think also a testament to the enduring appeal of the book is that it has had something relevant to tell me in each stage of my life and it still continues to inspire insight and new discoveries. You can read it as a young teenager and be fascinated by the story and the fantastical and then when you get older you begin to see threads running through it that connect to so many things and you when older and wiser see themes and ideas that you didn't know to look for in it when you were 11 or 15 or even 20. And I think it is a mark of great art when it keeps on giving even after you have lived with it so long. And as such there is no wrong or right way to read the novel but as the years go by I have come to see the narrative deeply mythological, in that the characters are of course of importance as people but they are in essence legendary and myth-like, depictions of individual virtues and flaws and ideals and evils. This world is near black and white in its depiction of these ideas of good and evil, the stories are almost like of a heroic society of ages past, where these tales carried a different society binding significance as they in part set the limits of those worlds and taught mores and moral values. They might contain some psychological depth but that was not their main concern. Greek myths, Roman stories of virtuous or villanous heroes and enemies, Iliad and Odyssey, Aeneis, Gilgamesh, Kalevala always come to mind when reading Tolkien, it is on that level of profundity.

Tolkien's writing in general is something I obsess more about than the films, an ancillary phenomenon. His ability to create this secondary world comes to me second to his beautiful aesthetics and visions he imparts in his writing, the details and depth of history indeed interesting but the style of his writing, the grasp of very human truths and enormous knowledge of our shared myths and legends and transporting them in some form into these stories is what really moves me and truly appeals to me. I think Tolkien is responsible for my love for English language and really showing me the power of written word. He as a classical philologist and professor of English Literature had some bearing on my own interest in languages and choosing to study Classical Philology. The novel made me aware of poetry at that early age of 11 or 12 and this love has continued to this day as well. Through the novel came so many artistic impulses and inspiration to seek out other writers of fantasy, myths etc. that it led to quite unexpected discoveries I might have not made without reading this book. So I can say it has been very influential in my life.

Exactly. You can suck at something but still enjoy doing it... like sex.

Agreed!