The Hobbit

From the book cover

Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug's left eye. He was only pretending to sleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance!

Whisked from his comfortable  hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon...
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Bilbo Baggins is living a quiet and respectable life in his cozy hobbit-hole when one day an old acquaintance appears and tricks him into hosting a party for 13 dwarves. At the party, Bilbo is persuaded to join the dwarves on a quest to reclaim treasure stolen from the dwarves' forefathers by a fierce dragon named Smaug.

On the journey, which takes six months, Bilbo, the dwarves and Bilbo's acquaintance, Gandalf the Wizard maneuver through many perilous situations. In the midst of one of their adventures, Bilbo gets separated from his traveling party and finds himself in a tunnel. In the tunnel he finds a magic ring that allows him to disappear when he wears it. Armed with the magic ring, Bilbo finds his friends and they continue to make their way to the mountain to reclaim the dwarves' stolen treasure.

Despite the never-ending adventures I had a hard time getting through The Hobbit. This wasn't my first attempt at reading this book, I read the first chapter as a kid. Now that I've finally read the book in its entirety, I'll admit it's pretty good. It's fantasy and adventures with lots of morals wound in.

The biggest moral comes towards the end of the novel, in the chapter titled "The Return Journey."

"This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils - that has been more than any Baggins deserves." "No!" said Thorin. "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

My only criticism surrounds Bilbo's magic ring that allows him to disappear. It feels like a cop-out and a cliche. It seems like every other fantasy character has some kind of tool that makes them invisible. The Hobbit was first published in 1937, so I imagine a lot of authors probably got the idea from J.R.R. Tolkien.

At the end of the day, The Hobbit is a legend in the fantasy genre, and with good reason. I recommend this book to those looking for a fantastic escape.

4/5
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Hugh Jackman is producing The Hobbit the movie. It's due for release in 2012, until then here's the link to the official blog - http://www.thehobbitblog.com/