The Hobbit

In November we were able to review "The Hobbit" by J. R. R. Tolkien, one of my favorite books by possibly my favorite author of all time. This is a shorter tale, that anyone familiar with Lord of the Rings will know, introduces you to hobbits, wizards, goblins, elves, dwarves and of course, one particular ring that causes quite a bit of trouble for Middle Earth. Tolkien originally wrote this story with children in mind, not really knowing or having a full idea of the epic scale that Lord of the Rings would become.

In fact, changes were made to "The Hobbit" to smooth out problems that were eventually fleshed out in Lord of the Rings. "The Hobbit" is charming and fun, cute and different than most fantasy, adventure tales. It follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit in the Shire, who is swept off on a quest with thirteen dwarves to re-claim their kingdom. And by the way, there is a dragon that needs to be slain.  He is recruited by Gandalf, a wizard who acts as a guide and pushes Bilbo into realizing just how much of a difference one brave soul can be.

Many who have read "The Hobbit" prior to reading "The Lord of the Rings" will grow a strong attachment to the endearing character of Bilbo Baggins. When launching into reading "The Lord of the Rings" one may wonder why Bilbo is not the main character instead of Frodo and Sam.  It is a fantastic novel of budding, epic proportions, ringing true the fact that tales (and life) go on and on, just the characters and challenges change.

This book is a magical adventure involving goblins, spiders, elves and Bilbo must learn to find his strength and bravery to help his friends through the troubles. It is a landmark book that ushered in the birth of 'fantasy' novels and is read by millions, young and old, every year. We read and discussed the book in anticipation of the upcoming first installment of "The Hobbit" in theaters. Definitely a highly recommended book and a great pick for our book club. 

“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit