It was compared to such works as Edwin A. For the latter, C. Lewis in particular drew parallels between Bilbo Baggins and Mole, drawing attention to their prosaic nature and their symbolism of a rural ideal.
The Hobbit was always very much a book for children, more so than the much darker stories of Middle-earth that went into making The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.
A few critics made the point that The Hobbit does not try to overwhelm readers by taking them to plains too distant to relate to. Thematically the story is concerned with the issues that face our own world, and Tolkien was nothing if not human. He had experienced loss, failure, and, most significantly perhaps, the horrors of the First World War, all of which informed his creations and mythology. The movie will actually be three movies, expanding The Hobbit out into its own epic journey.
Peter Jackson, the director, had this to say about the way the movies are coming together :. We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance. The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.
But four different trailers were actually released, each with an alternate ending depending on which character you follow. Bleeding Cool compiled them all for you :. Post a Comment. Thankfully, this was a short read. You can order the book from: Book Depository Free shipping You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions Unpopular opinion time: I don't like The Hobbit.
Before all of you start hating me forever, please, hear me out. I truly respect J. R Tolkien. If I'm not mistaken, this was one of the first really popular fantasy books ever written. And fantasy just happens to be my favourite genre. So you can see why I really wanted to like this book.
I wanted to like it so much, in fact, that I have tried to read it three times now. But each time, I have had to DNF it. I love The Lord of the Rings movies. I Unpopular opinion time: I don't like The Hobbit.
I love The Hobbit movies. But I cannot, for the life of me, finish this book. I love beautiful descriptions in books, but when the description has been going on for more than four sentences, I'm out. I get it. It's a really nice tree. Just get back to the story. Not much seemed to be happening. A page book somehow managed to seem like an page book. It was tedious. After the supposed "third time's a charm" attempt failed, I moved on to the films.
And I really enjoyed them. Well, I didn't like how they stretched one book into three movies, but that's a discussion for another time. The movies managed to keep everything I liked about the book, and cut out everything I didn't. Lovable characters and awesome world? No overly-descriptive writing? If you're one of those many people who adore this book with all of your heart and soul, great for you!
I'm glad you liked it. It's just not for me. And no, I will not try to finish this book again. That'd make four failed attempts. I've got to draw the line somewhere. Buddy read with Fares and I could not be more excited! Edit after finishing: So I'm bawling right now. Every time I have to say goodbye, I just can't bear it. Full review to come. Since this is a buddy read with the awesome Fares , my review will be chapter by chapter, accompanied by appropriate gifs and quotes every two days.
Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party. This is giving me such nostalgia! Underrated quote: The hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses have live Buddy read with Fares and I could not be more excited! The Bagginses have lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mine, and most people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected; you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him.
This is the story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. For your hospitality our sincerest thanks, and for your offer of professional assistance our grateful acceptance. Terms: cash on delivery up to and not exceeding one fourteenth of total profits if any ; all travelling expenses guaranteed in any event; funeral expenses to be defrayed by us or our represented, if occasion arises and the matter is not otherwise arranged for.
Or another gem: "Where did you go to, if I may ask? All jokes aside, it is the chapter where Bilbo discovers a lifelong connection with Rivendell, a place that will ultimately provide him with respite and comfort in his late years. They stayed long in that good house, fourteen days at least, and they found it hard to leave.
Bilbo would gladly have stopped there for ever and ever. Chapter 4: Over Hill and Under Hill When he peeped out in the lightning flashes, he saw that across the valley the stone-giants were out, and were hurling rocks at one another for a game, and catching them, and tossing them down into the darkness where they smashed among the trees far below, or splintered into little bits with a bang, Chapter 5: Riddles in the dark Gollum had no sword.
Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him. Or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up within Bilbo's heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering. All these thoughts passed in a flash of a second. If it weren't for Bilbo's empathy at that moment and he had decided to kill Gollum, Frodo and Sam would have had Gollum to help them make it to Mordor on a more secret path.
Bilbo's empathy saved Middle Earth. Think about that. Deep stuff. That bromance is the best. This chapter has some great lines by the dwarves, especially underrated ones like Dori and Balin. There are wargs, goblins and of course, Eagles in this one. The Eagles are cool and neutral assholes as usual. You know, as the saying goes, don't risk a feather for a mortal. I totally made that up, but that's how they are What did I tell you?
Chapter 7:Queer Lodgings I love this chapter so much. I love Beorn. I can relate to him - he's a vegetarian who loves nature, animals and plants.
And he's a bee keeper! It's as if Tolkien predicted our bee crisis and rise in vegetarianism. Beorn is the Tom Bombadil of the Hobbit - he doesn't care for shiny things, rings and gems. He just loves his nature. I love how Gandalf introduces the hobbits! We get spoiled by Gandalf's sharpened-by-a-whetstone-wit and Beorn's hilarious sense of humour!
There are some tantalising parts of this chapter where Beorn wants to know the story of the company's journey thus far. However, there are some weird bits like the dogs serving food on their hind legs and Bears dancing outside in the moonlight. This is the whimsical side of Tolkien I love!
Gandalf leaves the dwarves to journey through Mirkwood alone. Some of my favourites quotes: At any rate he under no enchantment but his own. He lives in an -oak-wood and has a great wooden house; and as a man he keeps cattle and horses which are nearly as marvellous as himself. They work for him and talk to him. He does not eat them; neither does he hunt or eat wild animals.
Beorn was jolly for a change; indeed he seemed to be in splendidly good humour and set them all laughing with his funny stories; nor did they have to wonder long where he had been or why he was so nice to them, for hetold them himself.
He had been over the river and right back up into the mountains - from which you can guess that he could travel quickly, in bear's shape at any rate. From the burnt wolf-glade he had soon found out that part of their story was true; but he had found more than that: he had caught a Warg and a goblin wandering in the woods.
From these he had got the news; the goblins patrols were hunting with Wargs for the dwarves and they were angry because of the death of the Goblin King. Side note: I wanted to share something special with all my reading buddies. This is the exact copy of The Hobbit my aunt gave me ten years ago for my 11th birthday. I've read it about eight times. It is the book that got me into reading and eventually got me two Tolkien tattoos and a lifetime of love.
What I love about The Hobbit is that the protagonist isn't some young person with strength and energy to boot - he's a middle-aged guy who finally lives a life of adventure. It's a message that anyone out there can have an adventure despite their age.
View all 48 comments. Where there's life there's hope. I've been thinking a lot of how many stars giving to the book, since there were parts that I loved a lot, but there were others that I found tedious and even anti-climatic, but in respect to this great writer, J. Tolkien, I think that the book deserves at least 4-stars rating with which I feel easy since I am not giving it a full rating but also I am not punishing it for things that maybe a future re-reading will solve.
In a hole in the ground there live Where there's life there's hope. Anyway, it's amazing how with this line It's so fantastic to think how Tolkien felt the impulse to write down this line, and from it, a whole epic universe came into life. I loved to read when some book came up from a dream like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or from an unknown impulse, like in these case.
I watched at some moment a documentary abour Tolkien's work and I learned how he was looking for a mythology, in the sense like the Nordic one or the Greek one, to call as own on England, and it was the trigger to creat such vast and appealing universe. And even more interesting to choose its point of development, since the core books like this one, The Hobbit and the following trilogy of The Lord of the Rings , are located in an time where the magic is leaving the Middle-Earth and the age of men is becoming the important one.
If you sit on the doorstep long enough, I daresay you will think of something. I think that certainly many people could love "more magic" in the main story, there would be others who enjoy the "more downed" tone with more "realistic" elements.
In that way, everybody can like this story since there is a good balance of magic and "terrenal" stuff. Thief, thief, thief! We hates it, we hates it, we hates it forever! Still, it was amazing how Tolkien could develop such impressive "sequel" from the book of The Hobbit with only editing one chapter, but definitely a key one. It's wonderful how the mood of the book is at hand with the maturing of Bilbo Baggins, the main protagonist, since the story started quite innocent and even with such humoristic moments and step by step is turning more and more serious, in the same way as Bilbo is getting more serious about his role in the mission.
My Precious, my Precious. The two introductions about characters that I absolutely loved were the Elrond's and Smaug's About Elrond He was as noble and fair in face as an elf-lord, as strong, as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer. I mean If you are not impressed about a character when he or she is introduced in such way, well, I don't know what else you'd need. About Smaug My armour is like ten fold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!
Oh yes, right then, anybody without a ring of power on his finger should run like crazy and never NEVER stop to look behind. It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him. Without spoiling anything really crutial, I think that my most favorite part were the moon-letters. I mean, secret messages that you can read only at certain position of the moon in the year Not with this moon.
Or something much like it I mean, it gives a promise that may that map has some other secrets in there, only to be revealed at the right position of the moon in the year. Obviously, Gandalf is a great character, but I think that it was "too" great and Tolkien had troubles to think about challenges to put into the travelling group and they could mean a real risk having a powerful wizard in the midst.
I understand. Gandalf rules! In here, about Smaug's fate Thanks to a very convenient failure in his armour that a hobbit that he doesn't know anything about warfare, he was able to deduce a weak point that many, many, many warfaring races weren't able to deduce? And so, this menace that it's been spoken about along the whole book It's killed with a single arrow and even the arrow is shot by a totally new character that you didn't know anything about until that moment?
Certainly, the first part of Peter Jackson's film adaptations gave him a lot of credit and respect, presenting him as a powerful leader, where in the book, he doesn't do anything useful. And in fact, I didn't find out why so many dwarves in the story since nobody did something particulary memorable. At some moments, you think that Balin will become something more in the story but no, Bombur is only remembered by his weight that I found something cruel how he is treated in the story and even I thought that since Gloin is the father of Gimli, he would do something awesome at some moment but no.
So, why so many dwarves in the group if they won't do something useful in the story? I think Gimli, one single dwarf, did more to give a good name to the dwarf race in The Lord of the Rings , than 13 dwarves in the whole The Hobbit. I loved the trolls!
Maybe some people didn't get the most humoruous aspect of them. I don't know but I found that such amusing, that they had such common and "modern" names in the middle of such "epic fantasied" names.
At the end, The Hobbit is a wonderful piece of writing where you find a totally new race in almost each chapter and not only you know the new race but also you get a "glimpse" realizing that behind of each race there is an extensive and rich history that you won't be able to know in its entirely way, adding more mystery to the whole universe created here.
View all 37 comments. Aug 03, Evgeny rated it really liked it Shelves: fantasy. I find it hard to believe there are people who have no clue what the book is about. Still the possibility exists so I will give the high points of the plot.
See there once was a hobbit a race entirely created by Tolkien and endlessly recycled since under name halflings - for copyright reasons named Bilbo Baggins. Think a humanoid creature of about half of a grown-up adult human height with furry legs who goes barefoot - it is a hobbit. These guys live underground in holes similar to rabbit's, b I find it hard to believe there are people who have no clue what the book is about.
These guys live underground in holes similar to rabbit's, but much more comfortable. Speaking about comfort, they love it and for this reason never ever go adventuring. One fine day Bilbo was sitting outside minding his own business when Gandalf showed up. Gandalf was a wizard who gave birth to practically all mighty wizards appearing in any art form.
Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter is probably the most famous example and yes, he would not exist without Gandalf. Anyhow, for reasons entirely unclear through the whole book Gandalf decided to involve poor hobbit into a grand adventure - the kind where heroes go from a mortal danger to being miserable from hunger and weather having just escaped said danger and to yet another mortal danger again, still remaining miserable.
Who would not want it? By the way, this never-explain-your-reasons-and-motivations thingy is a trademark of all mighty wizards that come after Gandalf. And so off to a grand adventure Bilbo went, accompanied by 12 dwarves and Gandalf himself who kept them company only part way. Adventure they wanted, and adventure they got, full of misery and dangers. I said it before and I will say it again at the risk of making some people very angry: this is a children tale; nothing more, nothing less.
If you are trying to find some deep philosophical meaning in it, you are wrong: it is not supposed to have any. You might as well find some hidden messages in Itsy Bitsy Spider. Just look at Gandalf: the guy who dueled Balrog in the Lord of the Rings this is an adult tale at times looks like a total fraud in Hobbit: at one time he was sitting in a tree throwing flaming pine cones at wargs and set the forest on fire - his own tree included.
As I said, a simple tale. It does not make the book bad by any means. It is a children classic for children and adults alike for a reason. I had a blast reading it in my childhood; I reread it later and liked it and I still like it after my latest reread. The rating is 4 very solid stars. View all 22 comments.
Feb 21, Cecily rated it really liked it Shelves: ya , classics , childrens , fantasy-faeries-magic. This is a book I cast aside, unfinished, as a child, and learned to love through the enraptured passion of my own child, nestled in my lap.
The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.
In some ways it's a simple quest for treasure, with hobbits, dwar ve s , elves, and a wizard as heroes. You get a taste of the full breadth and darker depth of Tolkien's Middle Earth, but the dragon, Smaug, is not especially fearsome - certainly less so than Gollum, goblins, and wargs - and anyway, fear is counterbalanced by a scattering of rhymes and riddles. However, neither were Tolkien fans, and I picked this up around age 9, at the urging of an uncle. My child is also fortunate to have parents who are readers.
I agreed with eagerness that veiled my heavy heart. But what joy! It became a deep bond, and it was one of the first "proper" books my child pushed themself to read alone - waking up early to go beyond where I'd finished the night before.
At 25, my child has read various Middle Earth books many times, and next year, will marry a fellow member of the uni Tolkien society. Fingers crossed! Image : Two rings, in the light will bind them. Excellent podcast discussion The Teaching My Cat to Read podcast team have just done a really good episode on The Hobbit, and I commend it to you, and indeed their others.
Dragons may not have much real use for all their wealth, but they know it to an ounce as a rule, especially after long possession; and Smaug was no exception. However, a child who enjoys The Hobbit is not necessarily ready to tackle LotR on their own - not just because this is shorter and simpler, but also because it is describing a gentler world.
It is not true, as has sometimes been suggested, that the book was obscure until it was released in US paperback. The Silmarillion won the Locus Award for Litt by the University of Dublin in Ireland that same year. In both cases this was for his contribution to his field of philology and medieval literature in general, and his services to the universities in particular as a contributing examiner and researcher.
This was not of course for his fiction. In , the year before his death, J. Tolkien was honoured as a C. Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to literature, and also probably even more important to him awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by Oxford University for his contribution to philology. To the end of his days, Tolkien never applied for a PhD, although he had done work at that level many times over, and held three Professorial chairs in his life.
Reaney and Wilson in A Dictionary of English Surnames Oxford lists the form Revel, which is from a French name Revel l and variants one of which is Reuel , from the Old French for a sportsman, reveller or rebel, ultimately from the Latin for a rebel. Therefore the Biblical Reuel if Hebrew and the French Revel are two different and unrelated names, and either is a possibility.
The Tolkien family at that time were ordinarily devout Christian Protestants, but the naming of a child for a relative or friend is often intended as a tribute or spiritual tie, so the namesake was probably someone of importance to John Benjamin Tolkien. Beyond this, the reason for this unusual name is a mystery. Or at least, not any time soon. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have, of course, been adapted a number of times on screen.
Film rights to The Silmarillion have never been sold, and it remains unlikely that they ever will be. It has been speculated that copyright protection on The Silmarillion will expire in and will then be free for anyone to adapt.
Under UK law, copyright protection lasts for 70 years after the author dies Tolkien died in While the legality is therefore somewhat ambiguous, it is clear that The Silmarillion will not enter the public domain for a very long time. You can. What you need to start a Tolkien society, mainly, is a way of letting other Tolkien readers in your area know that you want to start a society or club, or group, or moot, or association etc.
Then make sure you keep in touch by having meetings and if you wish to publishing a bulletin now and then. This is how The Tolkien Society started in Our founder Vera Chapman put a small advertisement in a widely-read literature and current affairs magazine asking people to contact her, and then arranged a meeting at an inn in London.
Then someone volunteered to host a meeting in their house, and so it went on. Sometimes these things start from very small beginnings. We were one of the first, although there was at least one long-lasting Tolkien society in America before us. Many have come after, sometimes out of the blue, sometimes starting as a smial of the Tolkien Society, sometimes as a sub-group of another local group.
Our membership fees basically pays for our publications, and the essential administration to run the Society. If you want to start as a Smial of the Tolkien Society, one of you in the Smial must be a member, but the others do not have to be.
It is a personal thing. Our members will then get our publications and perhaps they will show them to their friends! On a very simple level, if you can find three Tolkien readers who are happy to have a meal together and visit the occasional castle, you probably have the core of a Tolkien group.
Red wine, beer and of course a pipe if you are a pipe smoker. English weather. Apples not the rubbery sort. A friend if you like reading aloud. Bored of the Rings if you have a warped mind. A paint-box and an obsessive desire to draw maps. Firelight and a comfy armchair. Any mountain the one-volume paperback makes a good camp stool if you are really stuck. A Map of Middle-earth by Pauline Baynes was produced in consultation with Tolkien and was first published in Although reprinted a number of times it may be difficult to get hold of.
Weta Workshop has also produced replicas of the original maps found in the books. There are no separate maps that show Middle-earth east of Mordor or south of the Mouths of the Anduin. The Tolkien Society does not give valuations or recommendations with regard to selling or buying books or memorabilia, as we do not have professional expertise in this area.
We have been asked if ebay is a good marketplace, or if more specialist outlets should be sought. We have heard that collectors do monitor ebay sites, and other popular auction sites, as well as more specialised outlets.
The value of a second-hand item is axiomatically what someone will pay for it, and this can vary great deal.
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