January 1, 2004

ON MY BOOKSHELF

“The Two Towers: The Lord of the Rings, Book 2”
by J.R.R. Tolkien

Shawn Maiden, 23, surfer

Shawn Maiden, a 1998 Leland High school graduate, has spent his share of time sharing the sea with the monsters of the deep. Maiden grew up swimming at the Almaden Swim and Racquet Club on Crown Avenue.

However, Maiden’s real love affair is with the ocean. As a result, the self-proclaimed water-man has moved out of Almaden and over to Hawaii, pursuing his number one passion: surfing.

Maiden, who recently completed a marketing degree at Loyola-Marymount University, was an All-American water polo player at Leland in 1997.

“Playing polo and swimming when I was younger has definitely helped me with surfing,” says Maiden. “I’m pretty tall. I think having long arms and efficient strokes lets me use my height to my advantage.”

Last month between the great autumn swells of North Shore Hawaii, Maiden spent some time reading. The 6-foot 5 fun-lover devoured J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Two Towers.”

“The Two Towers,” Tolkien’s second installment to his epic “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, continues the story of the Hobbits and their search for Mount Doom. Frodo, the trilogy’s main character, and his companions, must reach Mount Doom to destroy The Ruling Ring. If The Ruling Ring falls into the wrong hands, the hands of The Dark Lord, evil, will rule the world.

In this classic struggle between good and evil, Tolkien displays some of his finest work. “The Two Towers” elaborates on the masterful plot laid out in the first episode, “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

The book mainly follows Frodo and his companion Sam, as they travel down the great River Anduin, followed by adark and mysterious creeping figure.

“‘The Two Towers’ is an amazing story,” says Maiden. “The way Tolkien develops his characters and mixes that with the plot is unbelievable. Even though the story is all fantasy, Tolkien gets his message across. He wants people to think about what they really want to do with the time they’re given. Personally, I’d like to surf Indonesia.”

- By Justin Petersen