Title: The Hobbit
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
# of Pages: 275
Genre: Fantasy
So I’m keeping up pretty well on my bet with Matt, as you can see (and he has actually started to keep his end of the deal too, so it looks like Fellowship, here I come!). And I will admit that it is rather convenient that this was the year I finally read The Hobbit, seeing as how the movie comes out later this year (and looks awesome, by the way).
For anyone who remembers old Bilbo Baggins from the rest of the Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit tells the story of all of his adventures back in his youthful days–of how he set out on a quest with Gandalf the wizard and a dozen dwarves to go steal back the legendary treasure of Dale, which was guarded by a fiercesome dragon. Along the way, Bilbo and crew meet with trolls, goblins, elves, and many other such creatures, which both help and hinder their path. But at the end of it all, Bilbo discovers that there truly is no place like home sweet home.
How’s that for a quick summary? But honestly–that’s really all the book is in a nutshell. And while I wish I could say it topped the list of my favorites forever and ever (as it is near the top of Matt’s list), it just wasn’t quite as magical for me. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard/read about one too many Tolkien-plot-knockoffs, but the storyline didn’t seem to be anything special. Taking a step back, I realize I need to account for the fact that the books are brilliant because he was basically the first to try any of the fantasy-type stuff and have such success with it, and I will admit that the book was fun to read and had an exciting plot–there was a lot of action, lots of gold, and lots of fighting. But I didn’t feel a great connection with any of the characters–in fact, I felt like I barely got to know them at all.
But maybe I’m being a little harsh. Overall, the book was a quick, entertaining read, and Tolkien has kind of a fun style (albeit it is a little jarring at times to hear the narrator coming in and out randomly). And I will definitely say that I’m glad I read the book before the movie came out–at least now I’ll for sure know what’s going on.
Have you read The Hobbit? Do you agree or disagree with me?
My Rating: 4 Stars
