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Matthew's Reviews > The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again
The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again
by
by
Matthew's review
bookshelves: fantasy, own, 2021, read-more-than-once, audio, library
Jan 08, 2013
bookshelves: fantasy, own, 2021, read-more-than-once, audio, library
Read 2 times. Last read February 26, 2021 to March 1, 2021.
Not much more needs to be said about The Hobbit than that it is excellent! Great storytelling, fun characters, humor, action – it has it all. Tolkien is rightfully one of the (if not THE) founding fathers of modern Fantasy. If you are already into the Fantasy genre and you haven’t read him, you need to. If you are looking to get into Fantasy, The Hobbit is a great place to start.
One of the great things about The Hobbit is that I think it is easily accessible to a wide audience. The Lord of the Rings is a much larger and more daunting commitment which might be too much for the casual Fantasy fan. Then, if you are really into lore and world building, I hear people talk about The Silmarillion as a great but very dense history of Middle Earth. So, Tolkien has it all: Fantasy-101 or master’s thesis level Fantasy – you can decide how you want to approach his works.
One thing that has been bugging me about other Fantasy novels I have been reading lately is that there is a lot of wandering around without much action or story progress. And, this wandering around can stretch for several books. With The Hobbit, there is adventure, and “wandering”, but it moves quickly and gets to the point. Large chunks of progress are made without pages and pages of rambling dialogue. I appreciate how well The Hobbit gets to the point but does not leave you feeling cheated by it going too fast.
Another thing that I love about this Fantasy book is that it does not bog down with complicated names, location terminology, odd magic systems, etc. This is another thing that has been turning me off to other Fantasy lately because I cannot just escape and enjoy the book. Instead, I have to keep a notebook and a flowchart to keep everything straight! With The Hobbit, it was very organic and easy to follow – perfect for a relaxing Fantasy getaway for the brain.
I did not yet see the recent movies they made from this book but was surprised at first that they made it into three movies. After rereading this, I think I can see how they could expand on certain parts to make a movie trilogy. I will have to go and check it out now.
The Hobbit – read it!
One of the great things about The Hobbit is that I think it is easily accessible to a wide audience. The Lord of the Rings is a much larger and more daunting commitment which might be too much for the casual Fantasy fan. Then, if you are really into lore and world building, I hear people talk about The Silmarillion as a great but very dense history of Middle Earth. So, Tolkien has it all: Fantasy-101 or master’s thesis level Fantasy – you can decide how you want to approach his works.
One thing that has been bugging me about other Fantasy novels I have been reading lately is that there is a lot of wandering around without much action or story progress. And, this wandering around can stretch for several books. With The Hobbit, there is adventure, and “wandering”, but it moves quickly and gets to the point. Large chunks of progress are made without pages and pages of rambling dialogue. I appreciate how well The Hobbit gets to the point but does not leave you feeling cheated by it going too fast.
Another thing that I love about this Fantasy book is that it does not bog down with complicated names, location terminology, odd magic systems, etc. This is another thing that has been turning me off to other Fantasy lately because I cannot just escape and enjoy the book. Instead, I have to keep a notebook and a flowchart to keep everything straight! With The Hobbit, it was very organic and easy to follow – perfect for a relaxing Fantasy getaway for the brain.
I did not yet see the recent movies they made from this book but was surprised at first that they made it into three movies. After rereading this, I think I can see how they could expand on certain parts to make a movie trilogy. I will have to go and check it out now.
The Hobbit – read it!
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
January 8, 2013
– Shelved
March 6, 2014
– Shelved as:
fantasy
March 6, 2014
– Shelved as:
own
February 26, 2021
–
Started Reading
February 26, 2021
– Shelved as:
2021
February 26, 2021
– Shelved as:
read-more-than-once
February 26, 2021
– Shelved as:
audio
February 26, 2021
– Shelved as:
library
March 1, 2021
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-31 of 31 (31 new)
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message 1:
by
Kon
(new)
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rated it 5 stars
Mar 01, 2021 08:47AM
My favorite LotR book. The movies based on the Hobbit have a low budget feel and take a lot of liberty with the storyline to stretch it out to 3 movies. Each movie also needs some epic conclusion so more is added to accomplish this.
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I could never read LotR. Guess that kept me away from trying The Hobbit as well. Also, I am not exactly confident that I would follow the narration style. Thinking too much?
The Hobbit is much more accessible than the LotR trilogy.
Kon wrote: "The Hobbit is much more accessible than the LotR trilogy."Now that you have repeated it for effect, I shall give it a try! Thanks!
I haven't seen the movies because I fear they wouldn't live up to the one in my mind.
Kandice wrote: "I haven't seen the movies because I fear they wouldn't live up to the one in my mind."Oh, we are poles apart. I have seen and loved all the movies!
Kon wrote: "My favorite LotR book. The movies based on the Hobbit have a low budget feel and take a lot of liberty with the storyline to stretch it out to 3 movies. Each movie also needs some epic conclusion s..."Good to know, Kon! Kind of what I expected . . . thanks for the info!
Yes, that was such a topic of controversy when the movies came out! I'm a die hard Tolkien fan. I've read The Silmarillion, I could write in elvish in my teens, and I've adored everything he's written. But I still REALLY enjoyed The Hobbit movies. There were pieces that drifted from the book, but Jackson really understands the world Tolkien was creating and I think he stayed true to its soul. And some of the changes actually were nods towards things that happened in The Silmarillion, which was surprising. While I like LotR better as a movie adaptation, The Hobbit is still excellent, in my opinion. My biggest disappointment was how much they got away from makeup and used CGI for goblins and orcs. And if that's my biggest conplaint, they did pretty well since I'm the first person to defend anything not completely true to Tolkien's world.
Not far behind you. I recently finished the chapter Riddles in the Dark. However, I am also reading A Princess of Mars and have been riding my thoat across the dead sea beds of Barsoom in the company of John Carter, Tars Tarkas, and the incomparable Deja Thoris. After getting to the end of Barroom book1, I will be back with Bilbo, Gandalf and Thorin and company.
Curiosa wrote: "I could never read LotR. Guess that kept me away from trying The Hobbit as well. Also, I am not exactly confident that I would follow the narration style. Thinking too much?"For me, The Hobbit has a totally different feel than Lord of the Rings. I would certainly recommend The Hobbit to a wider audience than Lord of the Rings. Also, I think that The Hobbit is a good gateway to The Lord if the Rings that makes reading that series much easier and more enjoyable.
Oddly, when I first read LOTR, back in high school, I read the trilogy first, then went back to the Hobbit.
Kandice wrote: "I haven't seen the movies because I fear they wouldn't live up to the one in my mind."Indeed - I worry about that quite a lot myself!
My family are always grateful for the Hobbit. My brother had reading problems but he devoured this one. It's an easier read, shorter, and less dark the Lord of the Rings. If you have never read J.RR Tolkien I recommend the Hobbit for your first read.Sidenote: I do wish Jackson had shortened it to 2 movies instead of 3. Still I liked it.
Good review!
Cori wrote: "Yes, that was such a topic of controversy when the movies came out! I'm a die hard Tolkien fan. I've read The Silmarillion, I could write in elvish in my teens, and I've adored everything he's writ..."That is awesome how hardcore of a fan you are!!! The stories I have heard about The Silmarillion increase my awe of you. Writing in elvish - very impressive!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the movies despite minor disappointments.
I still don't know if I should read LOTR or TH first???
Gary wrote: "Not far behind you. I recently finished the chapter Riddles in the Dark. However, I am also reading A Princess of Mars and have been riding my thoat across the dead sea beds of Barsoom in the compa..."Awesome! I hope you enjoy the end. I really liked the John Carter books, too!
Love your review! 🙂 This book made a HUGE impression on me as a kid.
Matthew wrote: "Gary wrote: "Not far behind you. I recently finished the chapter Riddles in the Dark. However, I am also reading A Princess of Mars and have been riding my thoat across the dead sea beds of Barsoom..."I have read the Barsoom series probably at least twice, this reading of book 1 is the 3rd time. I read them in paperback in junior high and high school. Then I read them again when I picked up the Frank Frazetta illustrated Sci-fi Book Club editions. The series is addictive.
Laurem wrote: "My family are always grateful for the Hobbit. My brother had reading problems but he devoured this one. It's an easier read, shorter, and less dark the Lord of the Rings. If you have never read J.R..."That is awesome that this book helped your brother with his reading!
Sounds like the movies are a bit drawn out. As much as I liked Lord of the Rings, those felt way too drawn out to me as well.
Colleen wrote: "I still don't know if I should read LOTR or TH first???"Kon wrote: "Definitely TH"
Yes - definitely The Hobbit!
Chris wrote: "A favorite!"Glad you like it to, Chris!
I am reading it now (on the first 100 pages) and I love it! I didn't think I would like it, which is part of what took me so long to even start it. However, I am enjoying it so much!! 😁
Louiza wrote: "I am reading it now (on the first 100 pages) and I love it! I didn't think I would like it, which is part of what took me so long to even start it. However, I am enjoying it so much!! 😁"So glad to hear this one is working out so well for you, Louiza! It's nice when a book you are not sure about ends up being so great!
Colleen wrote: "I still don't know if I should read LOTR or TH first???"No doubt, TH first Colleen . TH is an adventure, LOTR is a saga.
Saul wrote: "Colleen wrote: "I still don't know if I should read LOTR or TH first???"No doubt, TH first Colleen . TH is an adventure, LOTR is a saga."
Yes, truly! My original boxset from middle school had The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit really is book one of a four book cycle. I guess hardcore fans might disagree, but that is always how I have felt about it.
Epic story no doubt about it.
Ken Hammond wrote: "Epic story no doubt about it."Indeed! 😃🧙♂️🧝♂️🐉
I like a book with lore but if there's too much rules and stuff to remember it can kinda feel like homework so I agree with you.
Talia wrote: "I like a book with lore but if there's too much rules and stuff to remember it can kinda feel like homework so I agree with you."Indeed! It’s definitely why my fantasy consumption has reduced lately.
