"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's great fantasy epic, The Hobbit, opens with these words. They set the stage for a 300-paged story for children.
SUMMARY
First published in 1937, The Hobbit was Tolkien's first specific delving into the mystical land of Middle-earth. It comes before Tolkien's later (and famous) The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
We meet the fifty-year-old hobbit Bilbo Baggins, living comfortably in the Shire at his home Bag-End. The story begins with the wizard Gandalf approaching him with the prospect of an adventure. Bilbo declines, but invites him to tea the next day. Bilbo then forgets the entire event. But the next day, dwarves begin knocking at his door. As if expected, they enter the house...one-by-one. Gandalf shows up with the last group of dwarves, who are led by their prince Thorin Oakenshield.
Without giving away too much, the dwarves wish to reclaim their treasure from the fierce dragon Smaug. Between leaving the Shire and the arrival at the Lonely Mountain (where the treasure is kept), Bilbo goes through many adventures: from capture by goblins to a game of riddles with the creature Gollum, and much more! The story is exciting, interesting, and just good literature throughout.
CONTENT
This book, although it includes violence to some degree, is meant to be a story for children. Young children will possibly become frightened or lose interest. This book was designed for children around 10+ (though it thrills adults just as much). The violence includes encounters with goblins, giant spiders, etc. There is a battle at the end, and one of the characters dies. There is, however, no description of gore, blood, etc.
As a Christian, Tolkien used no foul language in his books, so I am pleased to say this novel is clean. There is the issue of magic in this book. The wise Gandalf is a magic-using wizard. There is a difference between black magic and what Gandalf uses. There is the brief mention of the Necromancer (a sorcerer), but he is displayed as evil. The magic used by Gandalf (and the other heroes, occasionally) is meant to be something entirely different from witchcraft and black magic.
In conclusion, I recommend this book to any fans of fantasy novels, Tolkien fans, or anyone looking for a good adventure story to read. The Hobbit is regarded as one of the great fantasy epics of our time. It is a wonderful read-aloud for parents to children. From Chapter One (An Unexpected Party) to Chapter Nineteen (The Last Stage), this story will keep you interested and excited throughout!
GENERAL INFORMATION
Number of pages: 305
Author of book: J.R.R. Tolkien
Published in: 1937
Prelude to a trilogy
Readers: Children, Teens, Adults
Nice. Looking forward to more :)
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