The Lord of the Rings reading order

A plan for the whole series

3 volumes, 1,430 pages, about 25 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “The Return of the King” (by 45%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.

Stages

2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 12, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 21, 2026

   • 1. The Fellowship of the Ring1954 · 496 pages · 9 h
   • 2. The Two Towers1954 · 432 pages · 8 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by November 30, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 29 h12 daysby December 12, 2026

   • 3. The Return of the King1955 · 502 pages · 9 h
4. The end of the series

   December 12, 2026

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.3 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: The Return of the King (9.1, 2,111 ratings). Weakest: The Fellowship of the Ring (8.8). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 45%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (9.1) scores close to the series average or above it.