'This is fantasy at its absolute highest level.'

The second season of the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has premiered on Prime Video and is earning rave reviews from critics.

Reportedly the most expensive show ever made, the series is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and brings to screens for the first time "the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history".

Having first debuted in 2022, Rings of Power has returned for a second season - the first three episodes of which are now available to stream.

The plot synopsis for season two reads:

"In season two of The Rings of Power, Sauron (Charlie Vickers) has returned. Cast out by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), without an army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.

"The new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity.

"Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots—as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other."

Reviews have just hit the web for second season - which sees Ciarán Hinds (Kin) join the cast - and the vast majority are positive.

Currently holding an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the general consensus is that season two is a vast improvement on the first batch of episodes.

You can read a sample of some of these new glowing write-ups below:

Empire: "Lavishly made, endlessly beautiful to watch and substantive enough to make you care, this is fantasy at its absolute highest level."

The Film Yap: "Amazon Prime Video's second season of the LOTR prequel series is a dazzling improvement on the first, as the various powers of Middle-Earth battle and seduce each other."

Financial Times: "This season brings a better balance of talk and action."

JoBlo's Movie Network: "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has found its stride and is ready to rule us all."

Mashable: "New forms of corruption, new evil creatures, new battles -- it's all on the table, making for a season that is substantially darker than the first (but more wickedly fun)."

The Verge: "The Rings of Power is even more grandiose and visually stunning in its second season. What stands out this time around, though, is how much more Amazon wants you to see that budget being put to work."

The first three episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two are streaming on Prime Video right now, with the remaining five episodes of the season to release weekly on Thursdays.

• Airports could impose ‘two-drink limit’ on passengers ahead of flights
• Expert explains why ‘rawdogging’ is one of the most dangerous trends yet
• Airline launches all-you-can-fly yearly membership for under £450