The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.86 You Save: $8.13 (74%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.05 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Hobbit
Book Review: Bilbo: A Study in Character Development
Summary: 5 Stars
The Hobbit is one of my favorite books of all time. Perhaps it is because I read it as a child, and it first introduced me to dwarves and elves in a way far different from their Disney counterparts. Perhaps it was the humanity of characters laid out for me to see. I am not sure exactly what it was, but after rereading it for the upteenth time, it still has not lost a smidgen of its charm.
Sure, Lord of the Rings is the serious book, the more adultish, more classic quest fantasy to save the world from mortal peril sort of thing. The Hobbit is more of a quest to save Bilbo from living his life without a single thing happening that was unexpected. I think this central difference, combined with a younger target audience for this book, makes this book have a much more carefree attitude, and a generally much more merry tale.
The pace of the Hobbit is pretty rapid, since really the journey of this story would have been of a similar length as Lord of the Rings, with a lot of detail simply missing from this book. The first leg of the journey was almost identical to Frodo's in route at least, yet it is over in a couple of chapters. Really, the lesser significance of this quest required a lot less development early on.
What you really do see happen in the Hobbit, which is nearly absent in Lord of the Rings, is how a bit of a fussy homebody is changed into a daring and wise companion by means of the journey. Bilbo proved to be the lucky 'fourteenth' man on the quests of the dwarf Thorin to reclaim his homeland and treasure, and that was lucky for not only the dwarves, but for Bilbo himself. Even Gandalf discovered that there was more to Bilbo than meets the eye, as the hobbit proved himself useful in a lot of very different situations.
It is a wonder to see a character develop like Bilbo during the course of a single novel. It is an exceedingly rare sight these days, to see something like this happen, and it is refreshing to see it again here.
The songs in this book aren't the poet things from Lord of the Rings, but more like drinking songs with simple rhymes. This [songs] is not a favorite now a days, but I kinda like them. Trying to figure out a tune to go with each one is difficult at times, but it makes it that much better. You can always just skip them, like I did when I was a kid.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: A great begining to the most popular fantasy of all time
Summary: 5 Stars
Bilbo Baggins is one of the great anti-heroes of modern literature. A somewhat self-centered but likable fellow with aspirations that rarely extends beyond a good pipe or his next meal, thrust without warning nor apology into a quest on par with those he would spin tales of over the course of an evening after dinner. There is no prolonged set-up in The Hobbit. The author starts us off with a brief introduction and immediately proceeds to completely foul up his protagonist's current life and foreseeable future by commandeering him on the afore-mentioned quest. Thus the fun begins.
Along the way Bilbo (a very small man, in both stature and mindset, and one with no desire to change either - thank you very much!) meets trolls and orcs and goblins and a even a huge, very old, and verrrry greedy red dragon who has no taste for thieves, but a taste for hobbits. Bilbo is so far out of his league, and caught up in world events of a world he had rather wished NOT to know of that it is a wonder he stays sane at all through his perilous journey "there and back again."
Everyone should read this book. Tolkien scoots us along (much faster than his drawling The Lord of the Rings pace) in a delightful fantasy filled with magic and wizards and creatures great and small, dangling us precariously sometimes over the edge of a few intersecting plot points (like snapping alligators in a pit) only to not-so-politely dump us off safe and snug at home once again with a few extra coins in our pockets and a lifetime of fresh stories to tell to everyone who was too timid to take the journey with us (and our strange new friends).
This book is a classic because it is easy to read, enchanting, and fun. It started the whole of 'Middle Earth' which in-turn begat the whole of fantasy role playing (an annually multi-billion dollar industry now). This is the Bible of modern fantasy, and one that will make your children laugh and cry and remember the tales contained herein long into their adulthood. I simply cannot recommend a better book to read to your children when they are old enough to understand the concepts this book describes so vividly.
Book Review: The Hobbit: A Foundation for Fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read quite a few reviews here that seem to assume that you (the reader), are well versed in the Lord of the Rings series.
Simply put, this book, when compaired to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, almost seem like they were written by two entirely different authors. Perhaps that's why this book is one of my favorites.
The Hobbit is a children/young adult novel telling the tale of a small, unlikely hero named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo, known as a "Hobbit", is elected to play the role of burgler and help a hand full of bearded dwarves reclaim there stolen treasure from the dreaded dragon, Smaug.
There are a few things to keep in mind. For one, this book was written well over half a centry ago. The english language has changed a bit over the ages it seems, and perhaps the age range it had been intended for then, will have a little trouble getting through it in our day and age.
The second, as mentioned above, is that this book is not wholy in the theme of the Lord of the Rings trilogies. The narration is much more light hearted, even humerous at times. Personally, I argue that this is where the Lord of the Rings failed, with its dry, history text like narration. With the Hobbit, we get the feel of sitting around an old arm chair, while Old man Tolkien gets into his adventure, playing out the roles of the characters, and making the sound effects himself. Simply put... it "READS" a lot more fun.
The Hobbit is also a little different from the Lord of the Rings as it takes the world around it at face value. A few things are explained in great detail, while most of the world at large is only breifly explained. Some people would prefer a greater detail into the world that Tolkien has created. Not all people, however, want a 4 page description on ever characters lineage, or every cities history. For those people, good new, tolkien has a near unlimited amount of text on his invention. For every one else, this book flows a little smoother than some of his other works.
I will say that a lot of new readers are turned off by the first chapter. There is a lot of exposition, and it containt a lot of information that won't really make sense to new tolkien readers. My advice, is to push through. The book really picks up, and is one of the most magical, wonderful reads you'll ever get through.
Book Review: Adventure and the Individual
Summary: 5 Stars
For over fifty years, THE HOBBIT has been a wonderful introduction to the world of literature. The humorous tone and fantastic imagery of dragons, lost treasure, magic rings and swords adds up to much more than mere entertainment for children: they work to present the timeless themes of heroism and identity.
By now, the comfortable life of Mr. Bilbo Baggins in his hobbit hole at the Shire is quite famously well known. Born into a respectable family and inheriting both his home and country gentleman status, Bilbo sees little need for new experiences. So when the wizard Gandalf brings the thirteen dwarves to Bilbo's home inviting him on a quest to recover a treasure from a fierce dragon, they find Bilbo unwilling to take risk. Moreover he lacks the self confidence to test his way of thinking against the wider world.
The small hobbit is surprised to find himself running out the door, without any worldly processions, and leaving his home to set out into the unknown. Thus begins one of the motifs running through out the story; in facing the unexpected an individual discovers new strength. Soon he is confronting dangerous trolls and cruel goblins. When the dwarves prove unable to make good decisions or act effectively, Bilbo must go deep into his inner reserve of courage and common-sense to lead his friends to safety. To the surprise of Bilbo and constant delight of readers; with greater danger comes greater resolve and wisdom to do what must be done.
Finally Bilbo enters the heart of the Lonely Mountain and pauses to consider this crucial moment; will he go forward with his plan to confront the dragon Smaug, or turn back out of fear. The decision alone in the tunnel is the defining moment in his ability to shape his identity and assert power over his own fate. What is more Bilbo knows it, and going on in that moment reassures his strength of character for the rest of his life.
In presenting his classic story of a small, common person finding identity through heroism and grand adventure, J.R.R. Tolkien gave us a powerful way to learn about ourselves. The book was a favorite of mine growing up and has been a major influence in my writing. I hope you will give this book to a young person and share the magic of literature through this extraordinary adventure.
[...]
Book Review: A Classic Fantasy for Kids and Grown-Ups
Summary: 5 Stars
I've got six years worth of seventh grade students in Stafford, Virginia, who could tell you as well as I could why no one should go through life without reading this timeless tale. But, as they are not sitting here at the computer with me just now, you'll have to take my word for that.
By now, most of the civilized western world knows that The Hobbit is the prelude to The Lord of the Rings (which is even better, yet more accessible by older teens and adults than by children). I've always told the kids that I teach who read Harry Potter (and I'm a Potter fan, too), that when they're ready to "graduate their reading", The Hobbit is the next step. It has all the appeal of the best in "young" fiction, but it is absolutely "literary", too, in the most classic sense of that word. And well it should be. J.R.R. Tolkien was a student and teacher of linguistics himself, and his love of history (over allegory) is omnipresent in all of his works, not least in The Hobbit.
It's the story of an unlikely and reluctant hero, Bilbo Baggins, who is unceremoniously roped into an adventure with thirteen dwarves. Their goal: traverse the whole of the Wilderlands in Northern Middle Earth to the Lonely Mountain, defeat a dragon who stole the dwarves' treasure, and reclaim the kingdom under the mountain as their own.
What follows is largely episodic in nature, as the first half of the book chronicles the various dangers and respites along the way (one per chapter until they reach the mountain itself). By chapter 8, not only have you met hobbits, dwarves, and wizards, you've outwitted trolls, dined with elves, evaded goblins, avoided being eaten alive by a nasty little subterranean fiend named Gollum, been rescued from the tops of burning trees by flying eagles, befriended a were-bear, and hacked down an army of giant spiders. And then, just when you've taken a breath, you realize the book is only half done ...
To give any more away would be simply gratuitous. If you're a kid, read The Hobbit. If you're an adult, read The Hobbit. If you're a highly intelligent family pet, read The Hobbit.
(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, the author of a horror novel called "Teeth".)