By: J.R.R Tolkien
The Hobbit is the prequel to the much famed series The Lord of the Rings. The events in the book take place when Frodo's guardian and Uncle sets forth on his own personal adventure. Bilbo Baggins goes on an adventure with dwarfs and a wizard to free the once proud kingdom of the Misty Mountains. The kingdom many years prior had been invaded and taken over by a dragon who now rules in the mountains. Through the adventure Bilbo finds that he has bitten off more than he can chew, but finds that he is made out of more than he knows. The Hobbit is a short read for any fantasy novelist. Since most people have read The Lord of the Rings already it provides a much needed background and story line to the characters that are the center piece for the series. J.R.R Tolken presents a complete different writing style to the realm of fantasy. When this book was written a good portion of the fantasy novels of today had not been written yet. The basic characteristics of all the races are detailed in this book and the setting is well told. The one criticism of the book that I have is that unlike his later work he does not use a lot of description in the writing of this story. He more tells what is happening instead of showing it. His later works do not share this same characteristic. All writers of fantasy novels must over come the first hurdle, which is to transport their readers to a world that is unlike the one that they live in currently. I would recommend this read to fantasy novel readers and to people who will go on to read the rest of the series. I would not recommend this novel to children or teens who have difficulty separating fantasy and reality. I would also not recommend this book to children who do not understand that the magic that is in this novel does not exist.
The Hobbit is the prequel to the much famed series The Lord of the Rings. The events in the book take place when Frodo's guardian and Uncle sets forth on his own personal adventure. Bilbo Baggins goes on an adventure with dwarfs and a wizard to free the once proud kingdom of the Misty Mountains. The kingdom many years prior had been invaded and taken over by a dragon who now rules in the mountains. Through the adventure Bilbo finds that he has bitten off more than he can chew, but finds that he is made out of more than he knows. The Hobbit is a short read for any fantasy novelist. Since most people have read The Lord of the Rings already it provides a much needed background and story line to the characters that are the center piece for the series. J.R.R Tolken presents a complete different writing style to the realm of fantasy. When this book was written a good portion of the fantasy novels of today had not been written yet. The basic characteristics of all the races are detailed in this book and the setting is well told. The one criticism of the book that I have is that unlike his later work he does not use a lot of description in the writing of this story. He more tells what is happening instead of showing it. His later works do not share this same characteristic. All writers of fantasy novels must over come the first hurdle, which is to transport their readers to a world that is unlike the one that they live in currently. I would recommend this read to fantasy novel readers and to people who will go on to read the rest of the series. I would not recommend this novel to children or teens who have difficulty separating fantasy and reality. I would also not recommend this book to children who do not understand that the magic that is in this novel does not exist.
About the Author: J.R.R Tolkien was born in 1892 and died in 1973. He is a well established writer and linguist. He was a professor at Oxford University. He would use his language skills and his love for the mythology of Europe as the basis for his award winning books. He would remain a writer until 1959 when he would professionally retire. Today there are many international fan clubs, websites, and books dedicated to him and his work.
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