Also: this is a weird enough thing that I feel the need to mention it.
Middle-Earth is probably the single most hard-worldbuilt place in fantasy history. There's a scudding Silmarillion for it. However, the way that Tolkien writes it in Lord of the Rings is actually really scudding soft. Whenever he mentions fancy place names or ancient dragons it's not to give you a history lesson, but rather to keep that sweet, sweet text flow that he's always been so good at.
Take this line for example:
“You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.”
How many people who read this are gonan know what the Secret Fire, Anor, and Udun are? The answer is very few. But this line is so badchull and incredibly fun to both read and say, which was Tolkien's whole intent.
So that's what I mean when I say that The Lord of the Rings is the softest hardy in fantasy history.
(Come back next time for how Harry Potter is the hardest softie in fantasy history)