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Summary: how to create a new world
Review: From the first to the last page, Tolkien creates the perfect picture of Middle Earth for the mind. The reader is lead on a journey with the group and visits enchanted and cursed lands that is described like no other. This book opened the door for modern fantasy and remains the standard by which others are measured.
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Summary: Great Book, Just not my average reading style.
Review: The Hobbit is a wonderful book, it was very well written and very descriptave. Fantasy novels have never been my style of reading, I have found them not to be my choice of reading. I figured I would start out with The Hobbit and try to read Lord Of The Rings. Bilbo Baggins the hobbit in the story had a lot to go through and had a great adventure with the dwarves. The storyline moved quickly and was enjoyable. My only downfall with this book was the fact that I have a hard time thinking of fantasy in my mind. So I would be lost at times with all the charactors. Overall I can't wait to start Lord Of The Rings sooner or later.
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Summary: The Hobbit
Review: Written By: J.R.R. Tolkien It is a Faiytale Adventure. It is a story of Bilbo baggins, who is a hobbit. One day he finds himself in an adventure with dwarf. After his adventure he realizes he barely excapes with his life and adventures are funner than he thought. In a way this is very much like, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, because Buck and Bilbo were both taken from there home and force to go were they did not want to go; but Bilbo made it back to his home and Buck didn't. If you don't like reading try reading this.
I very much like the style that Tolkien wrote this book in, because it keeps you wanting to see what is going to happen to Bilbo. On page 17, when Bilbo said, "Good morning". Gandalf asked him what he meant by the phrase "good morning". Tolkien makes you think about what the characters say and do. If you have never been on an adventure yourself, you should try going with a Hobbit named Bilbo. Even though Tolkien is a great writer, there are some drawbacks to his style. To you students read this over the weekend because you may not be able to put it down.
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Summary: Best of the "Middle Earth" books.
Review: This is by far the best of the Middle Earth books. The pages of mind-numbing verse are all-but absent in this book, replaced by actual narration and dialogue. The few(er) occasions during which we are subjected to Tolkien's less-then-stellar grasp of rhymed verse are at the very least more bearable. The story is as rich in detail and plot as the LOTR pseudo-trilogy, if not more so, with the added bonus of actual characterization for many of the characters. I found this to be the most fulfilling book of the Middle Earth series, despite (or because of?) it being the shortest.
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Summary: The Hobbit: A CLASSIC
Review: This is a tale of gold, dwarves, an evil dragon, hobbits and the wonder of it all. After reading the book for the third time, it is amazingly still enjoyable. The style that J.R.R. Tolkien uses to write this book is so lively that it makes the readers feel like they are part of the adventure walking along side Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and the dwarves . Tolkien crafts an interesting world inhabited by Dwarves, Hobbits, Men, Elves and others. The Hobbits like peace, quiet and good food. Adventure and traveling to far-off places is something they would really rather avoid if they could. Bilbo Baggins is one such Hobbit. He has lived 50 years in good comfort and does not wish to change that. Then, Gandalf (a wizard) arrives and invites him on an adventure with the company of a clan of dwarves. Bilbo is initially fearful and dismissive of the whole affair but he gradually becomes, in many ways, the leader of their troop. When a person starts this book, it will be very hard for them to put it down until they have finished it. This is because Tolkien presents his characters with such a charisma that it makes the readers want to delve deeper into the story to find out what happens next to the adventurers. He also presents such seemingly insurmountable obstacles that those that have been keeping up with the situations will have to read on to find out how the characters escape this one. The style is easy to follow and the story is straight forward with some twists. The book is good in the old-fashioned sense of story telling; there are no political agendas here but rather simply courage and the virtues of old. It is refreshing to read a book of battle, heroism, good and evil in our times of moral confusion and weakness. No matter how many times someone reads it, it will never be enough. There will always be things that were missed and caught the next time around, which is what makes THE HOBBIT such a great story.
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Summary: The Lord of the Rings is better, but this is a good prequel
Review: While the Hobbit is not necessary to read before reading the Lord of the Rings, it is definitely a helpful setup. The Lord of the Rings is much more in depth, descriptive, and more entertaining than the Hobbit, but it also includes several references that only one who has read the Hobbit will fully understand. The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins and his journey away from his comfortable home in Hobbiton and across Middle Earth in order to defeat the Dragon Smaug. Bilbo travels with 13 dwarves whose homeland has been taken by the evil dragon, and their journey is aided by the wizard Gandalf who has chosen Bilbo to join the dwarves in their quest. The Hobbit is a fairly simple story in which Bilbo and his new friends encounter many dangers and hardships along the way, but most importantly, it is the story in which Bilbo finds the Ring that will eventually be the centerpiece for Tolkien's subsequent classic. Read The Hobbit to enjoy a quick story that will give you the background and introduction to Hobbits and Middle Earth that will make reading The Lord of the Rings much more enjoyable.
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Summary: The Hobbit by: J.R.R. Tolkien
Review: Call me crazy, but I didn't think that this book was that great. I had to read this book over the summer for an English class, and I have to say, I had my doubts before I even bought it. I'm not too big into the fantasy genre--I still haven't read the Harry Potter books, and I stopped with Tolkien's works after I read The Hobbit. As I began to read the book, I felt myself drifting off and not thinking about the book. I just could not get into it. By the middle, I was forcing myself to pay attention, but still, I was unsuccessful. I finally managed to finish the book, and all I could think of, was that I was glad it was over with. I don't enjoy reading books that I have to force myself to finish, so if you are a not a fan of the fantasy books, do NOT waste your time with this book.
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Summary: A Tale of heroism, good, evil and a small person
Review: This is a tale of gold, dragon, Elves and the wonder of it all. After reading the book for the third time, I must say it is still enjoyable. The book serves as a stand-alone novel or as a prelude to, "The Lord of the Rings." (LOTR) Tolkien crafts an interesting world peopled with Dwarves, Hobbits, Men, Elves and others. The Hobbits are a race of comfort-loving people about 2-4 feet in height. If there is one thing they like it is peace, quiet and good food. Adventure and travel to far-off places is something they would really rather avoid if they can. Bilbo Baggins is one such Hobbit and he had lived 50 years in good comfort and does not wish to change that. Then, Gandalf (a wizard) arrives and invites him on an adventure with a company of Dwarves. Bilbo is initially fearful and dismissive of the whole affair and then gradually become a leader of sorts of the company. The style is easy to follow and the story is straightforward with some twists. Of the two books, I must state my preference for LOTR. The complexity of the world in which the novels are placed (Middle-Earth) that is merely hinted at in, "The Hobbit," is much more developed in LOTR. The book is good in the old-fashioned sense of good story telling; there are no political agendas here but rather simply courage and the virtues of old. It is refreshing to read a book of battle, heroism, good and evil in our times of moral confusion and weakness. "The Hobbit," is good for children and adults; adults will probably appreciate LOTR more though.
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Summary: Unabridged Audio CD Narrated by Rob Inglis - Fantastic!
Review: I listen to a lot of audio books. Prior to The Hobbit, I heard Tim Curry read Dune: House Corrino (the last in the Dune Prequel Trilogy)...Edward Hardwicke read Sherlock Holmes...and Jim Dale read the Harry Potter books. All of the above voices are British, so I'm used to that. In fact, I prefer it. A Brit could read a telephone book and it would sound interesting to me. However, despite my penchant for the British dialect, it took a while for me to get used to narrator Rob Inglis' deep, mellifluous voice. I'm not sure why. Maybe because he seemed to read more slowly than the other narrators. Maybe it's because some of his vocalizations sounded similar. Or maybe it's because I've read the story before and I kept waiting for the next exciting thing to happen. Or maybe it was the songs J.R.R. Tolkien's characters burst into from time to time throughout the book. Inglis actually sings the songs! His singing voice is very good, but the songs seemed to last forever. (I fast forwarded through a few of them.) All of this is starting to sound as though I didn't like Inglis' reading of The Hobbit. Pish-posh. As it said, it took a while to get used to, but I quickly did so -- and hated to see the story end. A classically-trained Shakespearean actor, Inglis is a natural to read Tolkien. He has an incredibly expressive voice. Because of its baritone nature, his renderings of dwarves, dragons and goblins was dead-on. As I mentioned, I've read The Hobbit many times. I bought my first copy of it in the early '70s, in fact. But this is the first time I've ever heard it read to me. It was positively delightful! Perhaps Tolkien intended for his story to be read aloud. I don't know. But I loved listening to the adventures of Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin & Company and all the creatures they encounter in their journey to Smaug's lair. Especially by a reader with such a marvelous voice. The quality of this 10-CD set is impeccable. The voice is clear and crisp. The sound level in all CDs is perfect. I have nothing but praise for this unabridged audio book. Which is why I bought Inglis' reading of Tolkien's other (perhaps more famous) works: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King. Collectively known as The Lord of the Rings. I have my listening cut out for me!
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Summary: enter the world of tolkien
Review: A big world of magic, fayries, dragons, dwarves, elves and other creatures has been described in this book of travels.
The way in wich Tolkien describes these characters is of an unbelievable and honoust way of writing, so pure ,so precise in detail and character,as if true, as if alive,as if these travels of Bilbo could have once be described in your primary school historybooks. Looking at the maps,seeing all the sequals of this book, all the information available, it as a truly magical book that will keep you intrigued all the way through,it certainly has got me hooked on Tolkien for life!!
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