With all the hype that currently surrounds the big screen adaptation of Lord of the Rings, I would like to recommend the book that started the entire Middle Earth phenomenon, namely "The Hobbit." I believe this book can be overlooked in the grander scheme of things but it is a classic in its ... Read review
Poor Bilbo Baggins! An unassuming and rather plump hobbit (as most of these small, furry- ... more
footed people tend to be ), Baggins finds himself unwittingly drawn into adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and 13 dwarves bound for the Lonely Mountain, where ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Poor Bilbo Baggins! An unassuming and rather plump hobbit (as most of these small, furry- ... more
footed people tend to be ), Baggins finds himself unwittingly drawn into adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and 13 dwarves bound for the Lonely Mountain, where ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Poor Bilbo Baggins! An unassuming and rather plump hobbit (as most of these small, furry- ... more
footed people tend to be ), Baggins finds himself unwittingly drawn into adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and 13 dwarves bound for the Lonely Mountain, where ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Poor Bilbo Baggins! An unassuming and rather plump hobbit (as most of these small, furry- ... more
footed people tend to be ), Baggins finds himself unwittingly drawn into adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and 13 dwarves bound for the Lonely Mountain, where ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Poor Bilbo Baggins! An unassuming and rather plump hobbit (as most of these small, furry- ... more
footed people tend to be ), Baggins finds himself unwittingly drawn into adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and 13 dwarves bound for the Lonely Mountain, where ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Poor Bilbo Baggins! An unassuming and rather plump hobbit (as most of these small, furry- ... more
footed people tend to be ), Baggins finds himself unwittingly drawn into adventure by a wizard named Gandalf and 13 dwarves bound for the Lonely Mountain, where a dragon named Smaug hordes a stolen treasure. Before he knows what is happening, Baggins finds himself on the road to danger. Wizards, dwarves and dragons may seem the stuff of children's fairy tales, but The Hobbit is in a class of its own--light-hearted enough for younger readers, yet with a dark edge guaranteed to intrigue an older audience. In the best tradition of the archetypal hero's quest, Bilbo Baggins sets out on his fateful journey a callow, untested soul and returns--tempered by hardship, danger and loss--a better man--er, hobbit. This book is the predecessor to Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, and though that trilogy can be thoroughly enjoyed without first reading The Hobbit, much that happens in the later novels is foreshadowed here. A word of caution, however: as Bilbo discovers early on, travel and adventure are addictive things; embark on this journey to the Lonely Mountain with Tolkien's reluctant hero, and you might not be able to stop there. And the road taken to the distant mountains of Mordor in the ensuing trilogy is an even more perilous one.
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Advantages: Great in its own right and sets you up well for the follow up Disadvantages: the fact that you can't actually live in Middle Earth
With all the hype that currently surrounds the big screen adaptation of Lord of the Rings, I would like to recommend the book that started the entire Middle Earth phenomenon, namely "The Hobbit." I believe this book can be overlooked in the grander scheme of things but it is a classic in its own right. The Hobbit was read to me when I was in primary school and I have never forgotten the sense of wonder experienced by everyone in the class ... ...whatsoever for an adventure. That's the thing about Hobbits you see, they lead quiet lives and the most exciting thing likely to happen to them is the discovery of another type of pipe tobacco!
It comes as quite a shock to Bilbo therefore when one day his home is invaded by a band of dwarves who have been invited by the great wizard Gandalf. It is an even greater shock to poor Bilbo when he discovers that the dwarves believe he is ... more
With all the hype that currently surrounds the big screen adaptation of Lord of the Rings, I would like to recommend the book that started the entire Middle Earth phenomenon, namely "The Hobbit." I believe this book can be overlooked in the grander scheme of things but it is a classic in its own right. The Hobbit was read to me when I was in primary school and I have never forgotten the sense of wonder experienced by everyone in the class as the story unfolded chapter by chapter.
It is in this book that we first meet Bilbo Baggins, a quiet, unassuming Hobbit. Hobbits are, we discover, smaller than dwarves, with thick, leathery feet and furry toes and who like to eat rather well. Bilbo has no wish whatsoever for an adventure. That's the thing about Hobbits you see, they lead quiet lives and the most exciting thing likely to happen to them is the discovery of another type of pipe tobacco!
It comes as quite a shock to Bilbo therefore when one day his home is invaded by a band of dwarves who have been invited by the great wizard Gandalf. It is an even greater shock to poor Bilbo when he discovers that the dwarves believe he is a master thief and that they fully expect him to accompany them on their dangerous journey to the Lonely Mountain, home of Smaug the dragon. It was Smaug who, generations before, stole the treasure of the dwarves and who has guarded it ever since, emerging every so often to terrorise the local population. Not a very nice dragon that's for sure.
After some persuasion from Gandalf (who certainly gives the impression that he knows more than he is letting on) Bilbo agrees to join the party although he is certain that there has been a mistake somewhere as Hobbits just don't have adventures. What a mistake this proves to be. Soon Bilbo is using all his wiles to defeat trolls and evade elves, to reascue his friends from some rather nasty spiders and to escape from the Goblin King. Oh, and he finds a rather interesting ring.....................
To reveal much more would be to spoil things for the reader but suffice to say that not all of the companions survive the adventure. Those that do however, forge a friendship for life, very much as I have done with this book. I cannot shout loudly enough that "The Hobbit" is a joy to read. The storyline is believable though fantastical and each character is so well drawn that the reader feels that they too are on the journey to the Misty Mountains.
Having read the follow up book, "The Lord of the Rings" it is clear that Tolkein wrote The Hobbit as only the first chapter in a much longer tale. Many characters go on to appear in the later book and although it can be enjoyed on its own, I believe the reader would gain more by starting at the beginning as the author intended.
Although this has been regarded in some quarters as a children's book I would have to disagree. I actually think that children under the age of about 11 could well struggle to read this on their own. All children would enjoy this book being read to them although perhaps not as a bedtime story for very young children!
Treat yourself and your children and pick up a copy of The Hobbit. Forge a friend for life.
Advantages: Great Introduction To Middle Earth For Children And Adults Alike Disadvantages: Some Characters Are Not As Well Developed As They Could Be
...stretch my abilities. One of the first "adult" books that was given to me was The Hobbit*, which was one of my first forays into the realms of fantasy and a book that I still love and read regularly today. In fact I love this book so much there are three copies in the house, one an colour-illustrated hardback which was a special edition and bought for me along with The Lord of The Rings nearly fifteen years ago and is safely stored away until my ... ...getting damaged. The children also have their own copy (it used to be mine but was starting to get a little dog-eared), and I have an almost brand new paperback that currently resides on my bookshelf along with the matching Lord Of The Rings box set.
*At the age of 8 it really did seem a grown up book, especially as my Dad also enjoyed reading it
So perhaps I should tell you a little about the book that changed the way I read :
---The World of ...
sandemp 19.05.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Advantages: Wonderful story for all the family. Disadvantages: May not be suitable for very young children
Millions of people around the world have read and enjoyed Tolkiens ‘The Hobbit’. In school, when I was just 11, we read a chapter of ‘The Hobbit’ weekly. I can honestly say that I actually could not wait to go to school on the day of the reading.
The story is a fairytale in a foreign land revolving around a hobbit, twelve dwarves and a wizard. A hobbit is a small human like creature with furry feet that lives in a hole in ... ...for sustenance. Bilbo Baggins is the main character in this story and is a typical hobbit.
One day, much to the surprise of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf (the wizard) arranges for a party, inviting twelve dwarves. It transpires that there is an ulterior motive as the dwarves have a quest to reclaim their ancestral wealth and home from the mean and dangerous dragon Smaug. The Dwarves are in need of a thief, and Gandalf advised them to pick Bilbo. They reluctantly ...
Simoncook1 02.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Advantages: Wonderful book for all the family to enjoy. Disadvantages: Has some depictions of war.
...with large furry feet and the appetite of four humans). Well Bilbo, the unsuspecting Hobbit, is very surprised when a dozen dwarves and his old friend Gandalf start appearing at his humble home in the Shire.
It transpires that the Dwarves have lost their ancestral home to a vicious dragon called Smaug and they require the services of a ‘thief’ to help them regain their rightful home. Gandalf, perhaps the mastermind behind the whole quest ... ...the dwarves have about such an insignificant character, they agree to allow Bilbo join the party.
And so the adventure begins, as the group begins to travel towards the ancestral home and regain their riches and home. Unfortunately, life is never simple and they encounter many dangers along the way including fearsome Trolls, conniving Goblins and many other fascinating and dangerous creatures.
Throughout the course of the book, Bilbo gains a magical ...
LeighCook 14.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Advantages: Superbly written it whisks you away to world of magic, adventure and strange beings. Keeps both young and old readers enthralled. Disadvantages: May, and I do mean may, suffer in comparison to Lord of the Rings, but then what doesn't?
...rate, opinions on ‘Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers’ being published a day here on Ciao at the moment I felt it was time to take a few steps back. Back to a time before the first film, ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, was released, before the books of LotR’s (yes they were books!!) were even in existence. Back to the time of The Hobbit and I'll give you a second rate opinion on that instead.
Bilbo Baggins (the ‘hero’ of our tale) is happily living ... ...fact this is the place where all of Hobbit-kind do also live out their lives in much the same way, little aware of the dangers and strange creatures that inhabit in the wider lands of Middle-Earth. Now I suspect 90+ percent of you have seen at least one of the LotR’s films or have read one of Tolkien’s (the author of this story ‘The Hobbit’) epic novels or, perhaps most likely, done both and so will be familiar with the lands of Middle Earth. For ...
piffles 28.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Advantages: Still above average Disadvantages: Suffers by comperison with LOTR
...clearly an art to enjoying The Hobbit, with the obvious thing being not to have read the Lord of the Rings first, because when you do so you will soon find that the Hobbit is little more than a fanciful fairytale of little people, little adventures, great danger and little point. The Hobbit is always cited as being a classic novel, one of the very best of the sword and sorcery genre, but having just read it for the first time in almost 30 years, ... ...works was reawakened by seeing the wonderful feature film version of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring just before last Christmas. I'd always been a mad keen fan of the book, and had looked forward for ages to seeing what promised to be a wonderful film. You'll know, if you have read my review elsewhere, that the film fully lived up to expectations. I'd always looked forward to reading The Hobbit as an adult, because my only real ...
dave27 06.06.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
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Advantages: Makes a classic accessible to youngsters, exciting artwork Disadvantages: None
The hobbit is J.R.R. Tolkien's prequel to The Lord of The Rings, the classic tale of Frodo Baggins' adventure to destroy the ring of power.
In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, Uncle of Frodo, is designated a thief by Gandalf the Wizard and is convinced to join a band of dwarves in an adventure to retake a dwarven mountain stronghold from the dragon Smaug. A thief is needed to sneak in and slay the dragon.
On the way to the dragon's lair, Bilbo and company encounter many mini-adventures, with elves, giant spiders and great bear-men. After an unfortunate encounter with the goblins of the Misty Mountains, Bilbo is separated from the dwarves and stumbles upon a golden ring within the dark passages. He encounters a slimy creature, bemoaning the loss of his 'precioussss' who challenges him to a riddle competition (with the chance that he can ...
Advantages: Pictures, appeals to kids Disadvantages: it is underated
The Hobbit is a timeless classic that been fantastically been brought to life in this comic like version of the hobbit. Tolkiens vivid image and ideas about middle earth have been adapted into amazing pictures accompanied by the text. This is a great story with dwarves, wizards, hobbits, dragons, elves and many more fantastic creatures.
This has got to be one of the top ten books to read and it appeals to children as well becasue insted of all writing there is pictures as well. For the price it is at you can't go wrong.
it is a family classic and will be loved for years to come, this has to be one of Tolkiens greatest books ever.
If you are looking for a book with a good plot and story go for this. ...
Advantages: Endless classic one for all the family! Disadvantages: Not enough people have read this timeless classic
his dismay.
From this point on you will not be able to put the book down, you will actually want to be a fat bearded fellow consumed with treasure. Anyway you will feel that you are there when the group bump into the trolls and likewise when they are nearly all captured by the huge spiders and then the elves of mirkwood!
I won?t spoil the rest of the book for you, but the battle at the end is worth waiting for!
I have been reading this book once every year since I was 6 that?s twenty years, and it is still as compelling as the first time I read it all those years ago, and I must say that I have daughters of 4 & 6 and I will let you guess what their favourite bedtime story is.
Tolkien originally created The Hobbit for his children, and consequently the narrative has a simple, easy to read style. There is hardly any violence in ...
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