The Hobbit began as a bedtime story told by J.R.R. Tolkien to his son Christopher, but ended as the prelude to one of the most well-known and best-loved fantasy sagas of all time. It introduced readers to the world of Middle-Earth, and the now-iconic characters of Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, Gollum, and Smaug the Dragon, among others. While it’s ultimately a simple adventure story, it has enough charm, humour, and warmth to have enchanted generations since its publication in 1937.
The story follows Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the region in Middle-Earth known as the Shire. Hobbits are small, with hairy feet, and aren’t known for adventures. After a visit from Gandalf and a large amount of dwarves, though, Bilbo sets off with them for the Lonely Mountain, to reclaim the dwarves’ treasure and defeat the terrible dragon, Smaug.
The narrative is episodic, recounting each step of the journey and the adventures the party have along the way. Though he would expand on the worldbuilding in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien establishes the basics of Middle-Earth throughout the story, introducing the various races, locations, and histories that are key to understanding the world. We meet trolls, giant spiders, elves, goblins, and Wargs, all of them providing opportunities for good-natured hijinks and getting into trouble.
Bilbo, as the unlikely hero of the piece, is a delight, going from bewilderment and discomfort at the general adventuring, to finding his place on the quest and learning he is capable of much more than he thought possible. What’s appealing about him is his homeliness, and how easy it is for the reader to relate to his confusion on being thrust into having adventures. Crucially, though, he always rises to the occasion, saving Gandalf and the dwarves more than once, and proving his worth to the company.
My favourite scene is the one where Bilbo meets Gollum and plays a game of riddles with him in his lair under the mountains. This is arguably the key scene in the book, because it sets up the whole of The Lord of the Rings. It’s also fantastic drama, since Gollum can clearly not be trusted to keep his word and let Bilbo go, so the reader is kept wondering as to how Bilbo will get himself out of it. Gollum is also a brilliant character, threatening, pitiful, and sympathetic at the same time, and this first meeting with Bilbo is only a taste of what’s to come.
This was the first time I’d read The Hobbit for myself. My dad read it to me when I was younger, and I’d seen the films and the stage play beforehand, so I knew the story very well. It was wonderful to experience it first-hand, as it were, from Tolkien himself, and discover exactly why it’s such an enduring children’s classic. I’m now reading The Lord of the Rings, also for the first time, and I love spotting the connections and references between the two. If you’ve never read any Tolkien, even if you’re not a fan of fantasy, do yourself a favour and give it a go.
Review by Charlie Alcock
The narrative is episodic, recounting each step of the journey and the adventures the party have along the way. Though he would expand on the worldbuilding in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien establishes the basics of Middle-Earth throughout the story, introducing the various races, locations, and histories that are key to understanding the world. We meet trolls, giant spiders, elves, goblins, and Wargs, all of them providing opportunities for good-natured hijinks and getting into trouble.
Bilbo, as the unlikely hero of the piece, is a delight, going from bewilderment and discomfort at the general adventuring, to finding his place on the quest and learning he is capable of much more than he thought possible. What’s appealing about him is his homeliness, and how easy it is for the reader to relate to his confusion on being thrust into having adventures. Crucially, though, he always rises to the occasion, saving Gandalf and the dwarves more than once, and proving his worth to the company.
My favourite scene is the one where Bilbo meets Gollum and plays a game of riddles with him in his lair under the mountains. This is arguably the key scene in the book, because it sets up the whole of The Lord of the Rings. It’s also fantastic drama, since Gollum can clearly not be trusted to keep his word and let Bilbo go, so the reader is kept wondering as to how Bilbo will get himself out of it. Gollum is also a brilliant character, threatening, pitiful, and sympathetic at the same time, and this first meeting with Bilbo is only a taste of what’s to come.
This was the first time I’d read The Hobbit for myself. My dad read it to me when I was younger, and I’d seen the films and the stage play beforehand, so I knew the story very well. It was wonderful to experience it first-hand, as it were, from Tolkien himself, and discover exactly why it’s such an enduring children’s classic. I’m now reading The Lord of the Rings, also for the first time, and I love spotting the connections and references between the two. If you’ve never read any Tolkien, even if you’re not a fan of fantasy, do yourself a favour and give it a go.
Review by Charlie Alcock
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