Title: The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure
First published: September 21st 1937
Finished reading: April 29th 2013
Pages: 388
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
I only first found out that The Hobbit existed AFTER I finished reading The Lord Of The Rings trilogy as a teenager… Which is a shame, since The Hobbit is considered to be the prequel story to the series. That said, I think I actually like this novel better than the other books. One of the (minor) problems I had with the other books is that the pace is so slow because of the many descriptions (although they are necessary for the more than excellent worldbuilding in all J.R.R. Tolkien‘s books). I didn’t have that feeling of a slow pace with The Hobbit. The young Bilbo Baggins is one of my favorite characters of the book exactly because he seems so out of place during the mission… And I love the fact that he is able to cheat his way through all those dangerous moments anyhow. If you are looking for a good fantasy read with excellent worldbuilding, character development and well written prose, don’t look further. The Hobbit and its mission to defeat Smaug the dragon and win back the home and treasure of the dwarves is more than worth it.
Bilbo Baggins is living like any other hobbit, enjoying a comfortable and unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag-End. He is not prone to adventures at all, but the wizard Gandalf decides to change his life forever when he picks Bilbo as the ‘thief’ on a dangerous mission. Bilbo only realizes this when a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one evening, and not long after that he joins them and Gandalf on a journey ‘there and back again’. Their mission? Travel to the former home of the dwarves, now inhabited by the enormous and dangerous dragon Smaug the Magnificent. The dwarves want their home AND huge treasure back and are determined to defeat the dragon… Will they succeed?
The Hobbit tells us the history of the famous ring of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and how it came into the possession of Bilbo Baggins in the first place. It’s a well written adventure packed fantasy story that will both enchant the young and old… This novel by J.R.R. Tolkien has all the elements of a succesful story that is essentially timeless. If you like the genre, make sure to read this one some day.
I love your reviews – they are short and sweet 🙂 Happy to see you liked this one ❤
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Thank you! It’s been too long since I read this one; I might do a reread some time soon and watch the two Hobbit movies so I can compare details. 😀
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I hope you do – I love seeing the book vs movie comparisons ❤
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It’s been a while since I last did one with a book I recently read… So I might give it a go with The Hobbit soon.
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I completely understand what you mean about the pacing for LOTR. I read the first one recently and the first half dragged.
I liked The hobbit, but I feel a lot of the description was they did this and they did that and we didn’t get chance to know the Dwarves well enough.
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I agree that I would have liked to learn more about the dwarves and their history as well… I always have the feeling the books are more about the worldbuilding and plot than the actual characters. (With a few exceptions of course.)
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I agree. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the LOTR series though.
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They’re really good, although they do read a bit slow… But I feel the excellent worldbuilding makes up for it.
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Reblogged this on Ms M's Bookshelf and commented:
I’ve not read the J.R.R. Tolkien books and I think I’ve only watched one of the Lord of the Rings movies but Yvo’s review of The Hobbit (which I may have read years ago in university) has reminded me that it’s about time I made a start at it. Whether you, too, have been remiss at reading this literary giant or are a fan of the movies or not, perhaps you, too, should grab one of his books and spend some time “escaping” into the world of Bilbo Baggins. Enjoy my Sunday reblog!
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Thank you for reblogging! I hope you will enjoy reading The Hobbit and Bilbo Baggins’ adventures.
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I too dearly love The Hobbit – ever so much more fun than the trilogy. It took me at least a year to wade through the middle book of the trilogy with it’s focus on fighting and battles.
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I’ve read the trilogy before starting with The Hobbit and it’s been a few years, but I remember that it took me a long time to finish the trilogy as well. Long descriptions are somewhat necessary for the complicated worldbuilding, but it also made it into a very slow read… The Hobbit is a lot better in that sense.
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I agree. I just flew through The Hobbit!
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It’s a pity you read LOTR first…but nonetheless, I enjoyed your review of one of my all time favorites. My review of both The Hobbit and LOTR: http://100greatestnovelsofalltimequest.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-lord-of-rings-by-jrr-tolkien-1954.html
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I wish I had known about The Hobbit before starting with LOTR… It’s still my favorite of the bunch even after having reread it various times.
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