J.R.R. Tolkien is the author of my all-time favorite novel, The Lord of the Rings, and while I was under the impression that I had read his lesser known The Hobbit, I had probably given up after starting it, because after a short while I couldn’t remember what was happening anymore.
I am pleased that, given the upcoming release of the first chapter of its movie version (by the master who gave us three of the most exciting and well made movies of all time adapting Tolkien’s Rings trilogy), I decided to pick it up again.
The Hobbit is a very fun and hearty story that, while not as magnificent as The Lord of the Rings, holds its own in Tolkien’s oeuvre.
In short, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is half-willingly dragged by his old friend Gandalf into a mystical adventure that involves helping 13 dwarves to recapture a long lost treasure from the Dragon Smaug. Countless adventures await the small company.
The Hobbit, narrated very well by Robert Inglis, is full of unexpected developments and twists of fate that so clearly presage what Tolkien created in the Rings books. While some hallmarks of Tolkien’s style, like the occasional character singing rather than speaking, might turn some people off, this is definitely a good book and I, perhaps because I was prepared to be disappointed, enjoyed it very much.
Grade: 8
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