Lego couldn’t have picked a better reference to use in the Lord of the Rings: Book Nook. The 1,201-piece set features a buildable Balrog figure with a placard that reads: “You shall not pass.” This pays homage to the conversation between Gandalf, who is represented as a Lego minifigure, and a Balrog in the movie adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring. In the J.R.R. Tolkien novel, the exchange is worded “cannot pass” instead of “shall not pass.”
Lego’s new Book Nook display models can be displayed in multiple different ways. After building the frame that houses Balrog and Gandalf, you can close it like a book, as shown above, and wedge it between two Lord of the Rings books on your bookshelf. Every time you look at it, the Balrog will remind you that you should probably read The Hobbit before The Lord of the Rings.
For big readers who own numerous copies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, this Lego set looks like a cool way to spice up a shelf filled with collectible editions of Tolkien’s fantasy stories.
That said, it’s also the cheapest Lord of the Rings Lego set in print right now–by a considerable margin. The only other Lord of the Rings Lego sets currently being produced are the 5,471-piece Barad-dur tower for $460, the sprawling 6,167-piece Rivendell replica for $500, and the recently released recreation of The Shire for $270.
For that reason, the Balrog Book Nook could be of interest to fans who read all of their books on Kindle. You can display the Balrog and Gandalf minifigure with the frame unfolded. The base has flames extending upward on both sides of the Balrog. When opened, the Book Nook is 17.5 inches wide, 8.5 inches tall, and 6.5 inches deep. Alternatively, you can remove the Balrog and Gandalf minifigure from the base altogether.
If you need more Lord of the Rings books to keep the Balrog Book Nook company, check out our newly published roundup of new and upcoming Tolkien book box sets and budget-friendly collector’s editions.