The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Hobbit
Book Review: Great!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a really nice unabridged reading of the Hobbit. It is a classic hero-epic tale, and the audio verson is a great way to introduce it to younger readers who are not ready to tackle it in print. It got two thumbs up from my 7 year old godson, and though violent in parts, it is considerably less intense than Lord of the Rings.
Also, as an adult who enjoyed this book as a child, I loved listening to it in the car on the way to work. The performance was first rate, and the material delightful. I also enjoyed going back and seeing the differences in Tolkien's concepts of characters and such between this book and Lord of the Rings.
Book Review: Nearly as good as reading
Summary: 5 Stars
Mr. Inglis does an excellent job narrating The Hobbit. His different voices for each character adds a little extra to this timeless story. I consider myself a veteran reader of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I cannot count the times I have read all the books. I started reading them back in the 70s long before the resent popularity push. The story is a great escape from my stressful life style. This rendition is no different. The only drawback I have to listening to an audiobook is my concentration level. If I play the CDs while roaming the web or doing other work, I loose a lot of the story. There is nothing better than settling down with a good book, but I guess someone else reading it to you comes in a close second. This audiobook is one that should be used as a bedtime story for the young'ns. That is why Mr. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit, and here is your chance to be a hero for once. Book Review: In the shadow of 'Rings'
Summary: 5 Stars
It's difficult to decide where J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit ranks among the all-time greatest works of fantasy literature. In a manner of speaking, guilt by association is to blame (or thank). A major factor in the success of The Hobbit is its connection with Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The tale of the burglar Bilbo and his Dwarven compatriots' journey to find and slay the dragon Smaug acts as a prelude to Rings, and as such has developed a very unique stigma - it can almost be labeled the black sheep of Tolkien's fantasy universe, relying on The Lord of the Rings for its fame. The original edition of The Hobbit, released in 1937, was even altered to better match the storylines developed in the more recognized Rings series. However, despite these changes (which may or may not have been necessary), The Hobbit is a top-notch fantasy epic through and through. From Gandalf's battle with the mighty cave trolls for Elvish treasure, to Bilbo's battle of wits with the creature Golum, all the way to the Battle of Five Armies, the story is consistently energetic and the characters remain warm and welcoming throughout. What makes The Hobbit truly unique to this day is Tolkien's ability to use the setting of Middle Earth as a tool to weave a story that is unique in its intentions, but parallel to the fantasy epics it sets up.
Many aspects of The Hobbit evolved out of the beliefs and knowledge of its author. J.R.R. Tolkien was an extremely educated man. He was the professor of Anglo-Saxon language and English language and literature at Oxford University for thirty-four years. All of his works of literature reflect his love of language - modern and historical, real and invented (including the beloved Elvish tongue). Tolkien's works were influenced by English and Celtic lore, and Norse and Finnish mythology, but above all he was influenced by a devout belief in Roman Catholicism, as evident by the Christian theology sprinkled throughout his works. This is evident at the close of The Hobbit when Bilbo renounces the treasure offered him at the end of his quest because he has no practical use for too much gold. In other words, he already had everything he needs at The Shire in his warm hobbit hole.
One of the many timeless aspects of The Hobbit is its approachability. People of all ages have read and fallen in love with Tolkien's prelude. This speaks volumes as to the narrative voice with which Tolkien tells the story of a hobbit, a wizard, and thirteen grumbling dwarves. The language used to convey the story is very simple and yet paints a perfect picture in the reader's mind. For example, the riddles Bilbo uses to trick Golem out of his `precious' ring are complex enough to dupe the readers (along with Golem), and yet simple enough to warrant thoughts of "oh man, I should have known that!" In a genre as imagination-driven as fantasy, being able to clearly visualize a world as vivid and complex as Middle Earth is essential to both the plot and the characters, and it is one of the strongest aspects of The Hobbit.
Tolkien's method of storytelling is very similar to the way he employs simple language. Like an inverted funnel, everything starts off simple enough in Bilbo's hobbit hole in The Shire, but it doesn't take long for the characters to find their way into situations that compound upon one another as the story moves along. Without the reader even noticing it, Tolkien takes Bilbo and the dwarves from smoking tobacco in the large region of Eriador to the horrific events at the Battle of Five Armies - that is, from a nothing to an epic. This pacing is best represented towards the book's conclusion when all manners of Goblins and Wargs are closing in on the dwarves, humans, and elves that have taken refuge in the halls of the Misty Mountain. Just as all the energy of the war seems primed to take the book beyond its typical `micro-epic' feel, Bilbo is knocked unconscious, and wakes only after the battle has been concluded. This type of transition is so smooth that, like the book itself, the scope of the War might not be comprehensible to readers until they have completely finished reading the aftermath.
It's a very hard task to find fault in one of the greatest works of fantasy fiction ever written. In fact, the only way to find shortcomings of any kind is by comparing it to the few books in the genre that may have had better reception from the public - including The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter just to name a couple. In this way, once again, it's guilt by association for Tolkien's The Hobbit. The three volume Rings series is the quintessential fantasy epic - well-written characters from all different backgrounds and races traverse alien lands and face unimaginable foes so that they can save the world and their way of life. While some of those elements are present in The Hobbit, they certainly aren't to the same extent that they are explored in Rings. For example, the reader doesn't find out that any piece of land in Middle Earth is in peril until all but the end of Hobbit, whereas Rings is totally devoted to saving the world by destroying the One Ring. Up until the war in The Hobbit, Bilbo, Thorin and his dwarves want nothing more than to find and reclaim a long lost material wealth.
In the end, a reader should never have to choose between any of Tolkien's works - they are all special, all brilliant, and, especially in the case of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, they all complement each other. And while The Hobbit may not have the truly epic feel of Rings, it does achieve a level personal interaction with the reader that the sprawling, conquering epic cannot match.
Book Review: The book that started it all!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my favorite book that Tolkien wrote. I honestly wish that it would be come a movie not unlike its sequels in the Lord of the Rings.
The characters are well thought out and everything just seems to flow. The novel is creative and exciting. It often gets overshadowed by the Lord of the Rings but honestly this is the gem of the series in my mind.
Pick it up today if you haven't read it!
Book Review: the start of it all....
Summary: 5 Stars
this prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy was the beginning of the Middle Earth world. Easier to read, an ideal start for young fantasy readers before they tackle LOTR. This book began a life long love of fantasy for me.