The Hobbit

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Summary: The gateway drug to Tolkien addiction
Review: This is the first book to delve into the world popularized in The Lord of the Rings, in which the reader's focus is on hobbits, a race comprised of homebodies with large furry feet and a decided lack of ambition.

Bilbo Baggins is one of the least adventurous of hobbits, and is less than pleased when Gandalf the Wizard appears and twists his arm into embarking on a quest with a gaggle of rambunctious dwarves. But embark he reluctantly does, and what follows is an adventure that is far more charming, if less epic, than the pomp-laden Rings trilogy.

Tolkien presents his own twist on existing mythologies and fairy tales, giving us a game of riddling and presenting, for the first time, in-depth cultures that defined orcs, elves, trolls, dwarves and humans under a unifying concept that has lasted for well over a half-century (and counting).

Okay, okay, so this book is important in the annals of fantasy. But is it a good read?

Yes.

Tolkien has taken all of this in-depth detail and hung it on a time-honored plot that will never get old. Bilbo is the unlikely, reluctant adventurer who finds within himself the capacity to be a hero, overcoming various obstacles to a climax involving a firebreathing dragon (the evil Smaug). Stories don't get any more exciting than this, and the details that are Tolkien's trademark add a layer of depth and texture that help to bring this world to life.

If you are considering reading the Lord of the Rings because the movies made such a big splash, or have already started that trilogy but been turned off by the weightiness, I urge you to start with the Hobbit. It is clean, easy reading that really inspired everything that came after it. The trilogy is everything that a Tolkien fan could want, but The Hobbit is what makes Tolkien fans happen.


Rating:
Summary: the hobbit
Review: The Hobbit is a book centered on Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit who is briefly seen in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' and 'The Return of the King'. Here is the main storyline:

Bilbo is living quietly in his hobbithole when Gandalf and thirteen dwarves whisk him away and engage him to travel with them on a journey to the Lonely Mountain to recover the lost treasure of Thorin Oakenshield, the son of Thrain, King Under the Mountain, which has been stolen by a dangerous dragon named Smaug. The fifteen of them hike all the way to the Misty Mountains when they are waylaid by the goblins. While trying to escape from them Bibo gets lost and manages to escape Gollum with a ring that makes whoever wears it invisible(the Ruling Ring in the Lord of the Rings). Then the dwarves and Bilbo journey into the forest of Mirkwood(Gandalf is away, saying that he has some other buisiness to attend to) and there they escape capture by some gigantic, talking spiders and the Elvenking, all by the help of Bilbo's brain and his Ring. Then they finally get to the Lonely Mountain, Mr. Baggins has a few talks with Smaug, then the dragon gets killed(I am not going to say why, for people who dont enjoy spoilers), a few arguments start, and the Battle of Five Armies(Elves, Men and Dwarves vs Goblins and Wargs) takes place. Then Bibo travells with Gandalf back to his hobbithole, and there he lives Happily Ever After(cough, cough).

There were more punch lines and funny bits in the Hobbit than in LOTR, which makes sense, because the Hobbit was written by Tolkien as a "children's book". Still, I really enjoyed the book, and I also liked the personality of Bilbo turning from comfort-loving, adventure-shunning Shire Hobbit to a brave, (some extremely smart)plan-brewing, and rich Hobbit. Also, the book sort of explains how Bilbo got the Ring in a fun way.

Which all explains how The Hobbit got five stars, in my opinion:)

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Summary: The Hobbit Review
Review: The Hobbit
I read the Hobbit bt J.R.R. Tolkien. It only took a couple of days for me because it was definately a oage turner. If you like stories of good versus evil and stories of adventure than this is a book for you. The Hobbit is probably my favorite book of all time. If you read the Lord of the Rings trilogy than you should the hobbit. The trilogy takes place after The Hobbit, and if you read The Hobbit it puts things together that you didn't realize in the trilogy. So i definately recomend this book to everyone because it's a fun read.
John

Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: I just got done reading this. I loved this book! It's got moments when it's adventurous (?), funny, sad, and moments when these elements are mixed. Some people complain about how 'bilbo gets out of stuff to easy'. They obviously zoned out some when they missed Tolkien reminding us that Bilbo's luck was very high. Very interesting. Pulls you in once they actually begin their adventure.

An interesting read. Five outta five! :)

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Summary: 2nd Lunch
Review: I have read both the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit twice. And, like a scant few other people, I have seen the movies (note the sarcasm). In addition to this, I have read numerous Terry Brooks novels which, in my opinion, greatly rival Tolkien in originality and depth.

With my esteemed credentials out of the way, here goes...

I feel that of all the aforementioned books, the Hobbit is the best. It is an easier read and isn't nearly as deep as LotR, but this does not take away from it in any way. Trust me, I am a HUGE fan of LotR (movies and books), but the Hobbit is a much better read. It has a much more carefree feel to it, as the hero is a bit of a pansy and clutz. While it is obviously fictional due to the Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, and Dragons involved, it has a ring of truth to it in that the hero, much like us, oftentimes will be afraid in situations that any normal person would be afraid in. He is no superman.

LotR, while I greatly enjoyed it, seemed at times to drag on at times. This is due to the fact that there several tales going on at once, and while it leaves cliffhangers, the transition is often slow. With the Hobbit, I felt that everything was very fresh. There was just one main story and this story was told with enough, but not too much, detail.

Many consider the Hobbit to be a great precurser/intro to the LotR. However, I feel that the Hobbit is great as simply a stand-alone novel. After I read the Hobbit, it was several years before I read LotR. I never felt like I was missing something, and as a matter of fact, I didn't even know a thing about LotR before I read it (this was years before the movie). In my mind, the ring was a trinket and Bilbo's tale was done.

If your looking for a fun read that is just a little different than that lastest New York Time's Bestseller, then check out the Hobbit. I would give it 6 out of 5 stars, but that is not an option.

Rating:
Summary: extremely boring
Review: Okay I know that alot of people liked this book but I doubt its for the reason that it was a good novel but rather because J.R.R Tolkien wrote it so it must be a good story right? WRONG! I found it to be extremely silly at the way that Bilbo got out of all the different situations he got himself into. Very very silly and why exactly did he have to be in this grand adventure that Gandalf insisted he be in. Nothing about Bilbo appealed to me and I absolutely found the style way to dry and dull to the point where I had to stop reading it for awhile just to get a refreshed feeling.

The only part that was slightly good was with Gollum but I found a lot of the ways that Bilbo solved the riddles so really pathetic that I wondered what the point was. I meen afterall Bilbo is soooooo smart that why even ask a riddle at all? I found Gandalf extremely annoying as well.

Sorry but I hardly think Tolkien is deserving of the title 'master of fantasy.'

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Summary: hobbits, creatures, wizards, dwarves, elves, and goblins?
Review: J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit is one of the best book of the lord of the rings saga. Bilbo, Gandalf, and 13 Dwarves go on an adventure of pure exitement, with goblins, trolls, and other kind of monsters and mythical creatures. They are trying to get the gold of the dwarves back from a giant dragon worm called Smaug from the mountains. They face many dangerouse fortunes on there way there, witch gets Bilbo braver every minute.