Okay, so I'm biased. For many of my generation, it's Harry Potter. For many of the older generation, it's "Star Wars", or "Star Trek". Still others love "Percy Jackson", "Game of Thrones", or "Hunger Games". There are many fandoms, and they all have devoted followers. Some are even a little crazy. Most are based on books that have been adapted for TV or the big screen. But even with so many to choose from, "Lord of the Rings" is my favorite by far, and not without reason.

Although I could go on for days, I will limit myself to a mere 20 reasons why Lord of the Rings is the best!

1. Great Story

Ironically, the original trilogy, written by J. R. R. Tolkien, weren't popularized until after his death, more than twenty years after their publication. Though they are extremely dense reads, they are what caused Tolkien to become known as the father of modern fantasy.

2. Fun Tag Lines

The trilogy of movies brought us memorable phrases such as, "Fly, you fools!" and, "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!", and "Potatoes? Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew?" Or the ever-important, "My preciousssssss."

3. Hunky Men

It's not just their looks! The men of Middle Earth are leaders, strong, brave, and true. Aragorn and Legolas are the most obviously handsome (and I am pretty partial to Legolas–the pretty blonde elf), but I think Faramir, son of the steward of Gondor, is very underrated. He is gorgeous, and virtuous to boot. As is Haldir, an elf of Lothlorien that leads the battalion that comes to Rohan's rescue in the Two Towers.

4. Powerful Women

The women of Middle Earth are no pansies. Arwen and Galadriel are powerful and beautiful elvish women, and Eowyn of Rohan is equally as powerful and beautiful, albeit human. The two former of course even have the gift of immortality. Arwen is super compassionate and wise, and Galadriel has the gift of speaking silently to the mind. There's more to them than meets the eye. And we can't forget that Eowyn disguised herself as a man to join her kin in battle.

5. Villains We Love to Hate

Of course there are your standard villains. These are Sauron, Saruman, and Gollum as the most obvious bad guys. However, one of the slimiest and most detestable villain is Grima Wormtongue. He helped Saruman gain control of the mind of the king of Rohan, causing him to banish his nephew and neglect his dying son. Then when he was discovered to be manipulative, he sneaked off to tattle to Saruman. We don't like him.

6. Beautiful Horses

The Rohirrim are masters of the horse, but the most beautiful horse in the whole trilogy is Shadowfax. He is the Lord of all horses, said to run faster than the wind, and (coolest of all) said to understand human speech.

7. Strange Creatures

There are so many, it's hard to know where to start. There are oliphants, which are like elephants but much larger with two extra sets of tusks. The orcs can be fascinatingly different, although very ugly. The Balrog could strike fear into the bravest of people. He is a fiend that lives in the Mines of Moria, literally made of flames and smoke, and possesses a large whip that is also made of flames. To top it off, there are helpful and good creatures, such as the Ents, or treeherders, of Fangorn Forest.

8. Poetry

Especially in the book, there's poem after poem. Some of these are also included in the movies, but mostly in song form. They can be silly, like the hobbit tunes, or very serious and lyrical, like those of the elves.

9. Moving Music

The instrumental music is inspiring all by itself, but the soundtracks also offer some stunning pieces, supercharged with emotion. I have two personal favorites, both from The Return of the King. The first is the song that Pippin sings when he is in the service of the steward of Gondor, called "All Shall Fade." The other is the song "Into the West," which is actually in the credits, and sung by the husky alto, Annie Lennox.

10. Friendship

The most beautiful friendship in literacy, according to me, is that of Frodo and Sam. In the beginning, Sam was only Frodo's humble gardener. But he was also his friend, and the truest, bravest friend that anyone could ever ask for. He stuck with Frodo through everything, and loved him even when they had a falling out. When I am deciding to make a new friend, I often wonder, "I wonder if they're a Samwise Gamgee." The stakes are high.

11. Diversity

There are multiple races in Middle Earth. Some are inherently bad, others inherently good, and some are a mix of both. But the beautiful thing about the Lord of the Rings trilogy is in the Fellowship of the Ring, when a group of nine sets out from Rivendell to destroy the one ring. The group is made up of two humans, one dwarf, one elf, one wizard, and four hobbits. And even though they are very different from one another, they learn to rely on and help each other.

12. Love

SPOILER ALERT!

Okay, so at the end of Return of the King, Eowyn and Faramir end up together, which is spectacular, since both of them have had tons of heartbreak and deserve to be loved. But the real star of the show when it comes to romance are Arwen and Aragorn. One a human, the other an elf, Aragorn is fated to die while Arwen will live forever. In a way their love is somewhat forbidden, or at the very least not encouraged. Yet they come back together in the end, against all odds.

13. Jewels

There are three special jewels in the series, the first the crystal that Arwen wears around her neck, which is called the Even Star. She gives this to Aragorn as a token of her love for him. Super romantic! Then there is the light of Eärendil, which Galadriel gives to Frodo in a crystal vial. And finally, the one ring. Although it appears to be made of plain gold, a fire reveals an evil inscription that gives it away as the one ring.

14. Invented Language

The language of the Elves is very beautiful, and totally invented by Tolkien. The other languages of Middle Earth (save English) were also invented by him. Talk about genius, since Elvish in particular is very beautiful when spoken.

15. An Exciting Map

If you're at all into maps, the one for Middle Earth is quite stunning. You look at it and feel transported, as if the realm is real.

16. Mythical Weapons & Armor

In the way of weapons, Frodo ends up in possession of a small elvish blade called Sting. It conveniently glows blue when orcs are nearby, which is super helpful if you'd like to stay away from orcs. He also has a pretty awesome piece of armor, a piece of chainmail made from a metal called mithril. It is so strong and hard that it can't be pierced by a large spear with a huge amount of force behind it (we learned this firsthand when a cave troll tried to skewer Frodo with a spear). Bonus: it's sparkly.

17. Humor

There are many points of comic relief in the trilogy, but my absolute favorite has to be in the Two Towers when Gimli and Legolas are counting their number of kills. It doesn't sound funny, but it is. You'll just have to watch the movie to understand.

18. Hobbits

Hobbits are the best. Seriously. They like to sleep, smoke pipes, and eat food at all hours of the day. They live in burrows in the sides of hills, and their land is green and plentiful. If I had to be of any made up race, I would definitely choose to be a hobbit. The only drawbacks would be being really short and having a lot of hair on your feet.

19. Battle Sequences

SPOILER ALERT!

There are many awesome battle sequences in the quest to save Middle Earth. The best by far is the battle at Helm's Deep in the Two Towers. It is a super intense experience that takes a good chunk of the movie, and the best part is how it's won. The men of Rohan nearly lose their stronghold, even after having an army of elves that come prepared to help right before the battle begins. The orcs have them overrun and have forced them back into the mountain. And after a long night, Gandalf brings the Rohirrim as the sun rises to save them!

20. An Immersive Fantasy

The best part about the world of Middle Earth is that, if you let yourself, it feels real. There are so many pieces that remind you of the real world, full of both good and evil, love and hate, hope and despair. All the emotions of this life are rolled into one with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and all the lessons of life.

And I'll end with this quote by the wise and benevolent Samwise Gamgee:

"It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it'll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand, I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something....That there's some good in the world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."