The second book in the
Lord of the Rings trilogy,
J. R. R. Tolkien's
The Two Towers continues the story of the quest begun by
Frodo and his company in the
Fellowship of the Ring.
Frodo and his servant
Sam Gamgee have been separated from the rest of the company, and the book follows the adventures of both parts of the company.
While
Frodo and
Sam continue with the Ring on their journey to the
Cracks of Doom, the
evil power of
Sauron that had begun to rise in the first book now has his forces everywhere they and the others of their broken company go. He has
Riders and spies out searching for the
Ring and those who would defend it, but for the men fighting to keep the Ring from enemy hands, that is still not the primary
threat for the moment.
The chief wizard,
Saruman the White, who has shown his
true colors as a traitor, takes further steps to gain the precious
Ring all for himself, and the company must overcome his fortress, the tower of
Orthanc, at
Isildur to protect the
Ring-bearer Frodo as he continues on. His own journey takes him and
Sam into the dark land of
Mordor where they meet an old acquaintance who plays an important role in the tale of the
Ring.
The final chapter of this tale is recorded in the
Return of the King, the third book in
Tolkien's trilogy.