The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien

While it takes you out-of-kilter, reading The Hobbit after The Lord of the Rings is no doubt a very, very good idea. Whereas the trilogy is grand, sweeping, majestic, The Hobbit feels almost claustrophobic. Tolkien had a grand idea, but it wasn't realized yet, and this leaves The Hobbit with an unfinished feel, first and foremost; but the main, and rightful, criticism levelled at the book so often is its style. It's written in the style of a nineteenth-century children's book, and stylistically it's... well, bloody awful. Tolkien has a tendency to interject too many sentences of the "well, we'll see about that, won't we?" variety throughout the book, and they detract from the writing and annoy. As well, Tolkien oversimplifies many of the tough questions which he explored in greater detail in TLOTR, the moral and ethical questions, and the relationships between the various races; and as such, one is left with a feeling of unsatisfied frustration after turning the final page of the book. Still, it is the genesis of what's become one of the most widespread literary cults in all of creation, and it's worth reading because of that; still, for diehard Tolkien fans only. ** 1/2