The Hobbit by
J. R. R. Tolkien is a classic fantasy novel which precedes ‘The Lord of the
Rings’ and sets scene for its series. It was written before ‘The Lord of the
Rings’ series.
In the 75th
edition there is an introduction given with reference to ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The
Lord of the Rings’ – you will get to know the backstory behind this and ‘The
Lord of the Rings’ series. The author talks about the characters that he had
developed for the story, and inside the book Tolkien himself drew maps with illustrations
in order to help readers to connect with the story and the setting.
This novel
introduces us to the world of Hobbits. Bilbo is one good Hobbit, he lives in a
hole. We also see dwarves, wizards, spiders, goblins, wargs, a dragon, and some
Lake-town people – the book is full of interesting but strange characters.
Bilbo and
Gandalf, a wizard, are two important character of the story – though
intermittent but their presence adds momentum in the narration. Gandalf slyly
tricks Bilbo to arrange a party for Thorins and his gang of dwarves. At this
party dwarves create noise for the Lonely Mountain and the treasure hidden
beneath it. They encourage Bilbo to come with them. Bilbo follows them. Here
onwards Bilbo’s journey to mysterious places commences, and the rest of the
narration is how they tackle the obstacles that come in their way.
The
characterization of Gandalf may intrigue you. He, being cleaver, disappears
often and resurfaces only to help them in the crises. Soon, Bilbo is lost in
the tunnel, where he stumbles upon a strange creature who engages him into a
deadly riddle game; meanwhile he finds a mysterious ring that helps him to
escape from that tunnel.
Involvement of
humans is very less and they appear almost in the end. Well, Bard from Lake-town
kills the Smaug dragon.
This book will
make you aware with the lifestyle of Hobbits and what typical things they
expect from their lives and fellow mates. The world building part in the book
is phenomenal and Tolkien was a master at that skill, so well thought out and
so meticulously executed in the book that it sounds real, even though it is a
fantastical world. It is a very well written book and worth reading. It
captures your attention and draws you into the story. And the movie version of
the book is also interesting as both stick fairly close together. Highly
recommended for fantasy lovers.
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