BookTalk.org

THE HOBBIT
J.R.R. Tolkien

Final Thoughts and a look ahead to "The Lord of the Rings"

For me "The Hobbit" is an OK book. It is good book for making a base for LOTR, but when compared to LOTR it fails to produce excitement, as produce by LOTR. Bilbo Baggins, of course, is the protagonist who, in words of Gandalf the Grey, is more than what he seems. I have read LOTR first, then The Hobbits, so my expectations were high from later one. But it seem to me "The Hobbit" is just meant to introduce Bilbo Baggins, and thus is not able to make a vivid scene of mountains, war and such other things. So for me it was 3/5 rate book.

While I respect Punter's right to his opinion, I must disagree. Remember, "The Hobbit" was written almost twenty years before "Lord of the Rings." I am not sure Tolkien knew at that time (1937) that he was going to write LOTR. My advice to readers - don't even think about LOTR when you are reading The Hobbit. Just read it as a pleasant fantasy, and enjoy it.

A sincere thanks to Cattleman, as he included the point which I forgot to mention. I agree with Cattleman at one point and would like to add it here, that to enjoy The Hobbit you have to forget LOTR.

The Hobbit was always my favorite. LOTR is brilliant but so very didactic. It's a journey and an exhausting one at that, even if it is exhilarating. Bilbo's first adventure is much more amusing and fun!

I've always enjoyed the Hobbit a lot more than LOTR. I love the story in LOTR but for me there was too much description on landscape and the surroundings which took away from the pace of the action. I like the emotion in both books but I really like the humour in the Hobbit. I also like that you can share it with children and it keeps them engaged.

Ah, I think there are some valid points here, about not comparing The Hobbit to LOTR when reading it.

I haven't read the LOTR books so when I went into The Hobbit I didn't really have any sort of expectations. Other than expecting a good story, which was what I got. I have to admit I loved this one. It made me feel like a kid again, when you find those books that pull you in completely. I mean, books still do that to me, but this one was fun and warm and adventurous so it seemed kind of nostalgic to me, I guess.

I think the Hobbit is a book in which at any age people can find enjoyment in. While I agree that the LOTR books offer the complexity of a great story, the Hobbit brings imagination and whimsical adventure. Both books are too different to compare for they were written at different times with different purposes.

Well!! Hobbit was fine in the sense that it was worth a read if you wanted to understand Lord Of The Rings better. But personally I liked Lord of the Rings better as compared to hobbit because it had more action as compared to Hobbit. Even more LOTR was filmed very properly and it gave a feel of grandeur. Hobbit which I recently watched on TV was OK. Hobbit could have been filmed better. But folks I love LOTR. There were some scenes in film which I didn't understand but the book is well written in a lucid style and cleared on my confusion.