J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit

At least fourteen years ago, I started reading The Hobbit with my dad and while I can't remember it well, the thought of those times brings a smile to my face.  Unfortunately, and I don't remember how, we lost the copy of The Hobbit that we had and we didn't get to finish it back then which was a shame because it was nice spending time with my dad.  I did eventually get to finish Tolkein's book years ago when I found it in the library.  Happily though, while at work, I found a copy of The Hobbit in the stockroom and I bought it immediately.  Originally, I was going to wait to read this again but I changed my mind recently and pulled it out of my mountain of books.

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a fantasy novel from J.R.R. Tolkein, aimed at children, set in Tolkein's fictional world of Middle-earth with fictional creatures such as hobbits, dwarves, elves, and goblins.  It was published in 1937 and went through a number of revisions and has been reprinted since; the world was expanded in the sequel Lord of the Rings which is aimed at an older audience because readers wanted to know more about Middle-earth.  The Hobbit has inspired the recent film franchise by Peter Jackson, two films have already been released and the third is being released this December, which followed the other film franchise inspired by Lord of the Rings.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Fantasy fans; excellent for kids to introduce them to Tolkein

Favourite Characters: Fili and Kili

Favourite Part: "What shall we do, what shall we do!" he cried.  "Escaping goblins to be caught by wolves!" he said, and it became a proverb, though we now say "out of the frying-pan into the fire" in the same sort of uncomfortable situations. - Page 115

Good Points: Very descriptive; interaction with reader

Bad Points: Not a vast amount of speech; time skips

The Hobbit starts as Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from Bag-End, is greeted by Gandalf the Grey and tricked into hosting a party for Thorin Oakenshield and twelve of his fellow dwarves who used to live in the Lonely Mountain before the dragon Smaug attacked and forced the dwarves out 150 years the start of The Hobbit.  They eat and sing together as Bilbo and Gandalf sit back and watch the madness; when the madness settles, Thorin and the dwarves discuss on getting their home back and Gandalf gets a map out which shows a secret entrance in the mountain and proposes that Bilbo acts as a burglar for Thorin and co. which seems ridiculous for the dwarves but Bilbo, in spite of their mocking, joins them and their adventure to the Lonely Mountain across Middle-earth, meeting elves, trolls, and goblins as well as other creatures along the way.

Tolkien's writing style is very descriptive, bringing this amazing, weird, new world to life thus creating this world to inhabit in my imagination.  A lot of thought went into this world as Tolkien built an amazing world where hobbits, dwarves, and elves all live.  Having a great amount of description regarding how each of the creatures look in this world, how their communities and hierarchies work, and some history of Middle Earth, laying some good ground work for the Lord of the Rings which is set in the same world.  I can understand why Peter Jackson and co. wanted to turn both books into a film as they had a lot of material to work with.

Another great point that I enjoyed about The Hobbit was how he wrote it as if he was interacting with the audience because I found it engaging as I felt like someone talking to me.  I found it interesting because it had this feel that a story was being told from the past - like history - or like a grandparent/an elder is telling a grandchild/someone younger.  For me, this was a good point because it reminded me of when my dad and I took it in turns reading this out loud to one another.

Out of all the characters in The Hobbit, Fili and Kili were my favourite characters for the same reasons; Thorin was a close second but only because he's portrayed by Richard Armitage in the film trilogy.  However, I like Fili and Kili because in comparison to the other dwarves, they haven't been hardened by the dwarves' past experiences with Smaug and the elves.  On top of that , they are young and naïve which could be considered bad but it makes them stand out and think they're incredibly sweet as they defend their fellow dwarves and Bilbo throughout the story.  They even defend their uncle, Thorin, until the very end of the final battle, a great quality in any character, especially a warrior.

While there was a lot of description in The Hobbit, there wasn't a vast amount of talking which is a downside for me because I enjoy reading various interactions between characters.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a prominent feature of The Hobbit because Tolkien was establishing a new world and he wanted us to learn about the creatures that inhabit Middle Earth.

Time seemed to skip quite a bit throughout The Hobbit because it followed Bilbo and he was knocked out every so often or was away from the bulk of the action so time whizzed by while he was unconscious or lost.  Because of this, I lost track of the time and how long Bilbo and the dwarves were on the quest.  Both of these points are only bad for me because I like to know what characters are like together as characters interacting allow the reader to get to know each character's personality better and I also like to know what is going on as much as possible; they weren't major bad points, it's just my personal preference.

"What shall we do, what shall we do!" he cried.  "Escaping goblins to be caught by wolves!" he said, and it became a proverb, though we now say "out of the frying-pan into the fire" in the same sort of uncomfortable situations. - Page 115

This is my new favourite proverb because it was just so silly it made me laugh and I loved how it interacted with the audience as it tried to explain and simplify what is happening at the time while making it relatable. It also simplified how Bilbo was feeling at the time as he panics which made me laugh as well as this little hobbit who wouldn't have left his hobbit-hole if it weren't for these dwarves.

Tolkien used a great amount of description that can fuel anyone's imagination, especially a child's, and how he interacts with the reader is like he's telling the story himself made The Hobbit even more engaging which is a great thing for a children's book.  However, the downsides for me were that there wasn't a vast amount of talking amongst the descriptive parts and there were large time skips that made everything whizz by but these are just my own personal preferences in a book because I like to see the characters interact so I can form my own little film in my head.  I have found a silly downside to reading The Hobbit before the final film in the trilogy and it is that I know what happens in the end and even though it may be changed, I know who may die in the end so I will recommend not reading this if you don't want to know the ending of the trilogy, though The Hobbit has been around for years so the ending is out there and many know what happens.  In the end, this is a great book to introduce Tolkien and hobbits to children and I know I'll share this with my own children like my dad did with me.