Tolkien, J. R. R., The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

http://the-hobbit-movie.com/   www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/

I’ve tried to read this book several times in my life and completed it one other time, but never really enjoyed or understood it until this time through. I’m not a natural to the fantasy genre, but I think my reading from this list (and Peter Jackson’s movies) has softened me up for it. And, if you’re going to read fantasy, Tolkien is excellent.

I found this book hard going. I dislike books where all of the characters have weird names, like Dwarg and Throen, and Oli and Tholi, or whatever (it’s always been a barrier between me and Russian literature!). And the action develops somewhat slowly. But, struggle as I did to read, I found that I was carrying the book and characters in my mind throughout the day. The quest and the dilemma of Bilbo were with me, and the fabulously decadent, decayed, overgrown, or sere landscapes, too. The dark Mirkwood, the hideous spiders, the lightless caves, and on and on, stayed with me, have become part of me.

I can close my eyes and see Gollum on his island deep within the caves, his eyes glowing. I can see the dragon sleeping among its treasure. One of my favorite scenes is when the dwarfs are sent down river in big barrels. The irony is precious for the drawfs, who so enjoy whatever is generally in a barrel, to be in them themselves.

The story is classic—a treasure quest during which the hero (Bilbo) finds new aspects to his character and learns to view his own and other cultures through each other’s eyes. He falls upon his own wits and passes through every test. One of favorite things is the book’s theme of either turning a disaster into a victory or finding that the decision you thought was bad was indeed the right one. And Bilbo ends up with the ultimate possession--the ring of power.

Gandalf is present infrequently in this book, but, like all good god characters (Aslan of Chronicles of Narnia, for example), you sense and are reminded of his presence from time to time, which gives you security that if the worst happens, someone will intervene. Then, the reader is surprised/delighted to find that Bilbo was for the most part sufficient. (Bilbo is surprised too!) Don’t wait for a god when you have your own wits about you. (I can imagine the arguments now between Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.) Anyway, a higher recommend than I expected for The Hobbit. I can’t wait to see Peter Jackson’s take on the story.