LOTR: Loetr? Lahter?

As Don Draper once said, "Nostalgia – it's delicate, but potent." Owing to the fact that I myself experience this feeling quite often, I cannot agree more with Draper's statement. Nostalgia is indeed a very powerful emotional feeling; one that is able to overwhelm the body mentally, physically, and emotionally. Because of this, humans tend to favor those items or ideals that bring back distant memories of times passed – the good times. This is true especially in regards to the glorious innocent days of childhood.

I had my first experience with Harry Potter at the age of 7. My 1st grade teacher insisted that I read The Sorcerer's Stone instead of the novel that the rest of the class read. So everyday I would spend my reading class hour alone in the library, reading Harry Potter. And you know what? I loved every moment of it. From the very first sentence to the very last one, the wizarding world of Harry Potter grasped me in a vise of interest and refused to let go. I can honestly say that some of my happiest times were spent reading the Harry Potter novels and waiting in line for the next in the series to be released to the general public.

My introduction into Tolkien's fantastical realm wasn't until I entered the 7th grade. As a fan of the Inheritance Cycle, I was eagerly anticipating the release of the third novel, Brisigr. In order to appease the anticipation I had, I decided to read the inspiration for Paolini's work: The Lord of the Rings. Needless to say, I was taken aback by the sheer scope and depth of Tolkien's work. Christopher Paolini really took a great deal of time in his creation of the languages and the history of Alagaesia, but in comparison to Tolkien's Middle Earth there is a large discrepancy in depth. However, his writing is in need of praise as well. Tolkien weaved an intricate story with flawless form and ease, and the result is one of the best trilogies of literature

I would be lying if I didn't say that I experience much more nostalgia when reminiscing upon Harry Potter. So as nature would have it, I would be much more inclined to say that Harry Potter is the better series. However, I will not say this. Although happiness swells up inside of me at the very mention of J.K. Rowling's beloved series, I cannot with good conscience claim it is the better of the two works. Harry Potter is a fantastic series, however when it is compared to Lord of the Rings, it loses out at a close second. The eloquence and detail Tolkien wrote with brings so much more to the reader's attention. Rowling's simple phrasing and vocabulary, while still great itself, lacks the extra something that would keep it in the same league as LOTR. Furthermore, one just has to look at the worlds themselves to understand that the LOTR has a much more complex and thought out realm than Harry Potter's mortal/wizarding locales.