The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
1955 · J.R.R. Tolkien · 416 pages · Fantasy
The Return of the King delivers one of the most emotionally complete endings in all of fiction. The climax at Mount Doom is shattering, but what follows might be even more impressive: a long, deliberate unwinding that insists on showing what happens after the victory, who pays the cost, and what can and cannot be restored. Tolkien could have ended the story a dozen different ways and chose the one that hurts the most and means the most. This is the rare conclusion that doesn't just resolve its plot but earns its final sentence. If you've made it this far, you already know this book is worth finishing. It is.