The best part about Tolkien is the vastnes of the world, and everything just “works” and makes sense together. Few other series have such a free sandbox feeling.

Then for LotR specifically, it is an expansive story that may have some boring parts but it all comes together fantastically to make a powerful whole. All of the characters and their motivations make sense, and working together across the world, they fight a long and nearly hopeless battle. So it’s about overcoming great difficulties, with the teamwork of thousands of people and multiple races, and help from even a normal skill-less person is valuable aid.

I loved the movies but they could not properly show the true vastness of the world, nor all the small storylines that add up together to tell a greater one. Other series may have more exciting stories, or more accessible prose, but no one has come close yet to the comprehensive detail of Middle-Earth.