Advantages: Adds to The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit, beautifully written
Disadvantages: Not all tales are completely finished, fairly weighty read.

...**Summary Review of Unfinished Tales** Unfinished Tales at a Glance (A.K.A. Why Should You Read U.T.): 1. U.T. fills in details and background for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. 2. U.T. Is a fantasic example of classical fantasy literature and mythology. 3. It is very moving and well written. The language is brilliant! 4. U.T. stories are very compelling and intense. 5. It’s Tolkien. Unfinished Tales on the Shelf (A.K.A. Why You Should Not Read U.T.): 1. You’re looking for a light read. 2. You don’t want anything very emotional, or very involved. 3. You’re not willing to read something that is character driven, and would prefer action action action. 4. You don’t like highly descriptive writing. 5. You have read The Silmarillion and you didn’t like... Read review

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Advantages: Magical Story
Disadvantages: None

...This is a review of the book only. This book is published by HarperCollins and is 144 pages long. "Its imaginative atmosphere and magic are best captured when it is read aloud, when it will live with all the force of 'a tale that holdeth children from play and old men from the chimney corner". ~About The Author~ I don't always do an "about the author" in my reviews but I have admired and been fascinated by J.R.R.TOLKEIN's work since first reading the hobbit at ten years old. This fascination has stayed with me into adulthood and as far as I know I have all or almost all of his work. Although Tolkien is best known for The Hobbit, The Lord Of The Rings trilogy and the Silmarillion, he has also written lots of other fantastic children's books: Leaf by Niggle:Which recount's the strange adventures of the painter, Niggle... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to read. Good narrative
Disadvantages: Only the readers own preconceptions

...If you've never read Tolkien before you've been missing something amazing. Tolkien is the father of the genre and his book 'The Hobbit' Is both a classic and a great read. The story tells of a Hobbit who lives very comfortably in a most luxuruious hole in the ground. One morning the wizard Gandalf pays a visit and this begins an adventure that will take the Hobbit over mountains, through dark forests and bring him into contact with many strange and wonderful creatures in the quest for the Dragon's gold. This book is often passed over as a mere introduction to Tolkien's most famous work 'The Lord Of The Rings' but has a right to sit itself as one of the great novels. Tolkien weaves an adventure in a strange world, unlike any other author of his kind creating an adventure with such unreal and amazing characters and scenarios... Read review

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Advantages: A Classic for all ages
Disadvantages: dont expect a mini Lord of the Rings

...In these days when Lord of the Rings has become a household name, many people will be turning to Tolkiens previous book to continue the adventure. Because of this Ill begin the review with a warning. Do not expect a prequel to Lord of the Rings. Yes, its about Hobbits and a ring and yes, its set in the same world but thats about where the similarity ends. The Hobbit is a work in its own right with its own flavour and charm. Its a smaller story, the opposite of the world shaking events that Tolkien was to tackle next. The story is the tale of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit of the Shire, who is pursuaded by the wizard Gandalf to join an expedition of thirteen Dwarves to reclaim their treasure by slaying a dragon. There are many adventures including a riddle game with the creature Gollum during which Bilbo gains the Ring that is central... Read review

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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 a hillside. They normally do not travel far from home and have a love for food that goes far beyond their need 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... Read review

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Advantages: Best book of all time
Disadvantages: Will eat up your life

...from the outer world and its events. However, this not only helps develop the feeling of impending doom, but also by starting off in a small and withdrawn area of Middle Earth it also helps add to the scale of the huge rich world and great events that are unfolding. In my opinion The Lord of the Rings should not be read as just a story, but as an experience of life. There are so many interweaving and underlining epic stories flowing through the main thread that on the first reading it is impossible to comprehend them all. I have also heard many say that Tolkien spends too much time on description and atmosphere rather than moving the story along, but when the experience is this good why rush it? Are you really in that much of a hurry? Tolkien's descriptions very much add to the flush world that he created and where in some novels... Read review

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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... Read review

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Advantages: much easier to read than some of his books.
Disadvantages: Simply reworks a story already in print.

...As a massive fan of all of the works of Tolkien, I was very excited when I heard that there was a new book coming out, despite him having died 35 years ago. When I bought the book I was deeply dissappointed to discover that this was not a 'new book' as such, it was simply a reworked and edited story that has already been printed in two seperate sections in The Sillmarillion and his book of unfinished tales. None of the advertising or reviews that I had seen for this book had bothered to mention this fact. I am not saying that this isn't a good book. It is as fantastically epic as all of Tolkiens other stories about middle earth. It is also much easier to read than many of these stories, as it is written as a story, much like the hobbit instead of the historical layout in the Sillmarillion. If you havn't read... Read review

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Advantages: Lighter reading in comparison to the lord of the rings epic
Disadvantages: It ends toooooo soon!!!

...Having read the first instalment of Lord of the Rings - the fellowship of the ring, I decided to read the Hobbit. An odd way to read Tolkien's epic tales, I know but I was unaware that the Hobbit was the introduction to the Lord of the Rings. That's very basically what this book is, however there is a lot more to it than that! It begins by introducing the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and his home town of Hobbiton, which lies within a place called the Shire. I love the way Tolkien describes the scenery and characters' habbits, likes and dislikes. He has a brilliant way of setting the scene, however I feel that because I have seen the film, this is somewhat flawed. A group of 12 dwarves barge their way in upon Bilbo one day along with the trusty wizard Gandalf. They then enter upon a journey of many dangers... Read review

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Advantages: Engrossing plot, believable characters, wonderful imagery
Disadvantages: The Silmarillion reveals the ending

...Thucydides. I have purposely refrained from giving spoilers because this book is a real treat. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Tolkien, and to anyone who is a fan of incredibly detailed and imaginative books. You should also bare in mind that this is the last book that can be 'officially' authored by J.R.R. Tolkien because he has now been dead for so many years.... Read review

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