As a former book-loving kid and still voracious adult reader, it feels strange to admit that I never read the Lord of the Rings series. Yet I distinctly remember watching the first of the movies when it came out many years ago. I was both riveted by the optimistic fellowship of the ring and devastated when their guide and mentor Gandalf—spoiler alert—falls when defending his friends at the bridge under Moria. “How will they ever make it now?” I thought to myself.
