Turn of the Page: 'The Hobbit (There and Back Again)'

by Elizabeth Ostrem and Kayla Werner

A prequel to the famed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy written by J. R. R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit” tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit (which are described as “little people, smaller than dwarfs, who love peace and quiet and good tilled earth”) who is well-respected in The Shire for staying out of trouble and keeping well away from any adventures.  However, Bilbo’s plans to remain unremarkable change the day a gang of dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf show up on his doorstep, looking to hire him as a burglar in their company.

The dwarves wish to reclaim their home, Lonely Mountain, and vast wealth from the fearsome dragon Smaug, who captured the mountain. Following Gandalf’s advice, they recruit Bilbo into their service, although they are thoroughly unimpressed with the hobbit at the beginning of their meeting. Gandalf assures them that there’s more to Bilbo than meets the eye.

The group encounters many hardships along their journey, including brushes with goblins, trolls and enormous spiders as they head to overthrow Smaug. Often it’s up to Bilbo to deliver them from trouble, which progressively earns him respect from the entire company.

Tolkien’s novel is being adapted into a two-part movie and will be directed by Peter Jackson, who also directed the successful “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy. The movies will hit theaters Dec.  2012 and Dec. 2013.

Liz:

I really enjoyed “The Hobbit” when I read it for the first time some years ago. I was already familiar with “The Lord of the Rings” from the most recent movies and ready to start on the books, but I thought it would be prudent to start with the precursor.

I’m glad I did for a number of reasons. One reason is “The Hobbit” was originally geared towards children, although there are adults that enjoy the book equally. It’s faster paced than “The Lord of the Rings,” which is better suited for younger readers, and the story has a lighter, more humorous air as opposed to the gloomier mood of “The Lord of the Rings.”

Another reason would be starting in chronological order. While there are some series that are arguably better to be read out of chronological order (e.g. The Chronicles of Narnia), I don’t think this is one of those series. You could save “The Hobbit” for last, but personally I prefer having it as the starting point in Tolkien’s saga.

One of the only things I didn’t particularly care for in the book were the songs. The amount of them in the book seemed just a touch on the excessive side. I found some of them to be clever and amusing to read, however, especially “Fifteen Birds in Five Fir Trees.”

If “The Lord of the Rings” books or movies interest you, I wholly suggest picking this book up. It deserves its place as a fantasy classic for good reason.

Kayla:

It was hard for me to get into this book. Although it was a good read, it was slower paced than I personally would have liked. The feeling of this book is generally happy with some gloomy parts and the author makes jokes at his characters’ expense. I got a laugh or two out of it. 

I do suggest reading this book if you are into  fantasy. It might not jump right into it, but it definitely picks up in the middle.