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Bilbo Baggins is a
hobbit,
who lives in a hole in the ground, under a
hill. Hobbits are creatures smaller than
dwarves who like the
comfort of their cozy holes:
they
hate adventures... However, when Gandalf the wizard stops one day at
Bilbo's doorstep and offers him the possibility of a big
and dangerous adventure, his life is about to take an unexpected
turn... Soon the unadventurous Hobbit finds himself dragged along with Gandalf
and thirteen dwarves lead by
Thorin Oakenshield, on a very
perilous quest to find the treasure that Smaug, a terrible
dragon,
has stolen from Thorin's ancestors.
The quest leads the party from the safe
Western Lands to the Lonely Mountain in the Desolation of Smaug.
They have to
pass underneath dangerous mountains,
walk through dark forests,
avoid enchanted
streams and
cross large lakes and rivers before reaching the dragon's lair. On their
way, they encounter dreadful creatures such as
trolls,
goblins,
Wargs or giant spiders...
Bilbo, aided by a magic ring that he
accidentally finds along the way, learns
heroic qualities such as cunning and bravery and also the value of
friendship. The little hobbit proves full of resources and reveals
himself a true heroic thief
respected by his friends and feared by his enemies.
The Hobbit, a masterpiece of heroic
fantasy and
prologue to the universally famous Lord of the Rings epic,
introduces the magic world of Middle-earth and
is inspired by many
classic sources. From
Celtic mythology, Arthurian legends and old English epics (Beowulf), Tolkien
has drawn the material to create his own mythology, on which most
future heroic fantasy novels will be based. I also noticed that Tolkien drew his inspiration
from later sources, and for instance
a model for Beorn can be
found in a Prosper Mérimée's short story called Lokis (although Mérimée
himself might have been using older sources).
As a first of its genre, The Hobbit is a remarkable
achievement. However, at the risk of shocking numerous Tolkien's
fans I have a negative comment: Tolkien tells his story through a
narrator, who is playful with his readership (the intended
readership is primarily children, let's not forget), and
his humor can seem heavy-handed to adult readers at times...
While
I enjoyed the story I didn't care so much for the storytelling. I am looking forward
though to
reading and reviewing The Lord of the Rings...
Rating: 
An incomplete glossary of The Hobbit's
People and Creatures
Bard: Captain archer from Esgaroth, descendant
of Girion, ancient Lord of Dale.
Beorn: Skin-changer, part-bear, part-man,
according to the time of the day. Very ill-tempered but good. He can
be humored by good storytelling. He keeps a farm and hives. Animals
wait on him. Back to the review
Dain: Son of Nain, cousin of Thorin
Oakenshield from the Iron Hills.
Dragons: Very dangerous
animals who blow fire and steam. They fly, kill people and steal
gold. They sleep guarding their treasures. Back
to the review
Dwarves: Good but greedy
creatures who love gold. They don't get on very well with elves. Back to the review
Elves: Good creatures who like to make fun of
people, especially dwarves. The High Elves of the West are wiser and
more learned than the Wood-Elves, who live in more perilous
conditions in the forest of Mirkwood.
Gandalf: Good wizard,
who has lots of friends and seems to have a many people indebted
to him. Attacks by making sparks and bolts of fire with his magic
staff but he also uses his magic playfully to make colored smoke
rings. Back to the review
Goblins: Evil, cruel,
swift and clever creatures. They build torture devices and capture
other creatures to enslave them. Back to the
review
Gollum: horrible creature, small, hissing and
slimy, that lives on an island in a lake, deep inside the Misty
Mountains. It eats fish, meat and Goblins and likes riddles.
Hobbits: Good and homely
creatures who live in holes under the hills in a Western land called
The Shire. They love peace, wear bright color and have hairy feet
(they don't wear shoes). They can walk silently and have both good
sight and hearing. They like food and drinks.
Back to the review
Lord of Eagles: Future king of all birds,
chief of the ancient race of eagles of the Northern Mountains, that
are brave, strong and like to defeat Goblins.
The Necromancer: Evil sorcerer dressed in black,
living in a dark tower, South of Mirkwood.
Roäc: Son of Carc, raven who speaks the
language of men.
Thorin
Oakenshield: Dwarf whose family comes from the ancient town of
Dale, now Smaug's territory. Descends from Durin, father of the
Longbeards, eldest race of Dwarves. Son of Thrain and grandson of
Thror. Has numerous cousins who go by the names of Dwalin, Balin,
Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur.
Back to the review
Thrushes: Friendly and magical race of birds that
can be used as messengers.
Trolls: Bad but stupid
creatures that turn to stone in the sunlight. Back
to the review
Wargs: Evil wolves found
over the edge of the Wild. They often associate with Goblins to
commit evil deeds. Goblins ride them when they search for food and
slaves. Back to the review
© Discussing Books,10/22/2002
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Critiques
