Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and his The Lord of the Rings series were not happy after book publisher Harper Collins announced at the beginning of this month they would be selling new editions of The Lord of the Rings with Prime Video’s Rings of Power-themed covers.
Harper Collins announced on July 8th they would be publishing new tie-in editions of The Lord of the Rings.
They tweeted, “A new legend begins… The Rings of Power arrives on Prime Video on September 2nd, and these brand new tie-in editions of The Lord of the Rings are available now.
“Add them to your collection and immerse yourself in Middle-earth,” they added.
This original announcement was lampooned by fans.
Twitter user FedeeOnorato wrote, “Un insulto a las portadas originales,” which translates to An insult to the original covers.”
“These are the ugliest book covers I’ve ever seen,” tweeted Silmarils.
Babymoon23 wrote, “the cover images are actually not at all related to “The Lord of the Rings” original trilogy (3rd age) but “The Rings of Powers” serie (2nd age)… what’s the point??”
She added, “No it doesn’t help and this is so wrong at many levels. i’m disappointed to harpercollins for the first time.”
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“Hate it,” wrote Thedicemechanic. “Focusing on swords is just completely missing the point of the story. The quest isn’t won through swords, but through mercy and love. F***ing appalling.”
Tuuliareads wrote, “Just… No. Honestly, movie and TV show covers on books are tacky. Unless it’s concept art or landscapes. Then I could MAYBE consider.”
Lothiril wrote, “When the book covers are no longer related to the books that they’re covering… Elrond isn’t even in The Two Towers. Adar isn’t even a character in Tolkien’s universe. And Galadriel is hardly what The Fellowship of the Rings is about.”
User J_verain tweeted, “I love LOTR. I’m looking forward to the show. These covers really aren’t good.”
“Next set of books I buy, either Lee again or the Johan Egerkrans covers. Unless you get Jenny Dolfen to do a set. Hint hint,” the user added.
On top of these Rings of Power-themed covers for the three books in The Lord of the Rings, Harper Collins also has The Lord of the Rings Omnibus Tie-In edition listed on their website.
The official description states, “Begin your journey into Middle-earth. The inspiration for the upcoming original series on Prime Video. This single volume, paperback omnibus edition includes the three titles that comprise J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.”
They announced this omnibus on Facebook writing, “Begin your journey into Middle-earth. This new one-volume, paperback edition includes the three titles that comprise J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. Available August, 16th.”
This tie-in omnibus edition was roasted by Twitter user Stig Kenobi who wrote, “Amazon is at it again. Sticking their fake fan-fiction crap on legit Tolkien work.”
He added, “Basically the book comes with a s**t-stain on it. This time on a paperback set to be released on August 18.”
In a subsequent tweet, he wrote, “They are trying to sneak-market their travesty onto everything Tolkien now. Like bacteria attaching itself to healthy tissue.”
Others echoed his opinion. Linus_hell tweeted, “These are barely worth the a** wiping, that I would them for.”
GLOptimusPrime also tweeted, “I refuse to buy books that have those s**t stains on their covers, Amazon Prime Video.”
What do you make of Harper Collins partnering with Prime Video to create Rings of Power themed covers for Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?