[philip.j.fry]

Originally Posted by theblueraja

LOL,
I remember reading the book and this guy called Tom Bombadil sprang up, i thought - hold on - this guys not in the film - hmmm, interesting. Then a few pages on i just wanted to smack his brains out with a large stick. He pretty much ranks as the ONLY character from a book that has managed to really **** me off.

Then i realised why he wasnt in the film. Whats the score with his wife though, anyone know? They didnt elaborate on that but suggested that she was special...

Edit : Beat me to it - Looks like im not the only one ^^

It's mainly about the way it was written, Tolkien wasn't just writing a single novel that had a beginning and an end, but a whole world where every character had their own history and destiny. So you get bits like with Tom Bombadil, where the main characters cross paths with him and he is not just a supporting character but a whole individual, but because Lord of the Rings was not his story you only get a short snippet of his life. There's another book called The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, which I believe is a childrens book. Really, to get the true LOTR experience, you have to read everything else like Unfinished Tales. Christopher Tolkien has also done a very good job of collating some of his fathers notes and essays.