The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in 1954. It follows the story of a group of characters as they battle against the forces of evil. The creatures featured in the novel include Gollum, a slimy creature who was once a hobbit; Orc, a race of humanoid creatures; Ent, a race of tree-like creatures; and DWARF, a race of short humanoids. All of these creatures play an important role in the story and help the protagonists to achieve their goals.