The Hobbit

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Down in the valley in the land of Shire
Lived a brave little Hobbit whom we all admire…

I’m certainly familiar with the quest…Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit. I saw at least 2 thirds of the Lord of The Rings trilogy, the Two Towers and the third one. I am aware that it captures the imagination at a young age…people love this book. They Love Tolkien, love it. love it. Love it… I still consider myself an outsider in this fandom. But there is still much to enjoy.
In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit…not a nasty, dirty wet hole…it was a hobbit hole and that means comfort…”

Bilbo Baggins. 3 feet tall, about half your size (as we are told) lives in a Hobbit Hole in the land of Shire and values his home, his safety, his comfort; the boring consistency of life in the only space he has ever known.

Then because this is a Hero’s Journey, he must hear the call to adventure—the Wizard, Gandalf enlists him on a quest to recover gold from the dragon Smaug. His house is soon filled with unexpected guests: dwarves (or dwarfs, I forget) Oh dear….hobbits love guests…but they also value their space…

He must refuse the call…and then get dragged along in spite of himself. He must overcome obstacles…He must endure and discover inner strengths that he was not previously aware of.
He is one of a Middle Earth Style Ocean’s 11 gang of dwarves…with his as yet unrealized skills as a burglar. But Gandalf soon leaves the crew to their quest, telling them not to alter from the path they take through the forest…Where they encounter trolls, goblins, flying beasts and ultimately a dragon…with whom Bilbo has a little battle of riddles…he finds a magic ring that makes him invisible…the crew escapes certain death in clever ways…and ultimately it culminates in a battle for the treasure between the 5 armies.

And all that.

This is a year in an otherwise quiet life…and Bilbo shall return from his quest having overcome many obstacles.

Look…I’m not one to argue with the masses. And sometimes the best things come out of hobbit holes.





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