The first half was awesome, but the second one felt a bit too drawn out.

Like the first, this book is split into two books, however they cover two distinct and parallel arcs and have almost no character overlap. Thinking back now, I don’t even see a reason to read them in this particular order. I generally liked the adventures of Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, et al. more than Frodo and Sam fighting their way through the wastelands, although their meeting with the people of Gondor was a welcome change.

In particular the battles at Helm’s Deep and Orthanc are written quite well, even though the latter is only recounted by the hobbits with the reader already knowing the outcome. I also like the interactions and banter between Legolas and Gimli as they grow closer.

I was a bit disappointed however by how easily Saruman was defeated, considering how much he was built up as an enemy. But the way of his defeat with Gandalf basically shit-talking him into retreat was quite funny and unexpected. Him being something of a pushover is also fine I guess, considering there is still Sauron looming in the background. I’m still puzzled by how Grima was able to throw the palantir from the tower window seemingly without being affected by it like Pippin was.

Still not quite sure which towers the title references, since there are more than two relevant towers in this story. One is probably Orthanc, but the other one could be Minas Morgul, Cirith Ungol, or even Barad Dur, although they never go there in this book.