"'Never have I laughed so hard at any other book. The Harvard Lampoon's BORED OF THE RINGS is unquestionably a comic masterpiece as well as a brilliant parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's famous THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. A gem of irreverence...filled with an incredible menagerie of mad characters including lustful Elf-maidens and a roller-skating dragon. A side-splitting swipe at the Eternal Quest and the castles, wizards and other folderol of 'ancient' lore...a CATCH-22 for lovers of the days of yore.'" (Harvard Daily News description from book jacket)
Overall Review: *** (out of five)
Strengths:
- Intelligent Humor. It is obvious that the writers of this book both know the material they are mocking and a great deal about intellectual history and the pop culture of their time. Most of the jokes in the book are spot on, including the meta-humor.
- Dated Humor. Many of the jokes are very specific to the culture of the '60s. This means that some of these jokes would go over the head of younger audiences, unless they happen to be up on their 1960s history.
- General Drug Use and Amorality. It is difficult to mock the '60s without their being references to drugs and sex. So, while there is pervasive bad behavior, it is important to remember that it is mocking these practices, not condoning them.
