The Hobbit (1937)

It’s been ages since I read any of Tolkien’s books, and to be honest, when I read them the first time, I wasn’t quite ready to be doing it.  I fared best with The Hobbit, since that skews younger, but I definitely caught more this time around.

Bilbo Baggins, a well-to-do hobbit, is quite beside himself with the wizard Gandalf turns up at his home with thirteen dwarves looking to recruit him for a quest.  They’re off to reclaim their kingdom (and the treasure that goes with it) from a dragon, and they could use a burglar – which Gandalf insists Bilbo is, although that’s news to Bilbo.  Despite being a homebody suspicious of adventures and things of that nature, Bilbo finds himself agreeing, and he’s swept off on the dwarves’ mission.  Along the way, he faces dangers and calamities and, by turns, learns just what he’s capable of.

When I was younger, I thought it seemed crazy that The Hobbit was intended as a kids’ book, but reading it again, I can really see it.  While the language of that place and period is more sophisticated than what a child would read now, the sentence construction itself is fairly simple, as is the story itself.  Tolkien also mostly resists the urge to play his usual role as Middle-earth historian, only briefly referring to events from the past that he admits don’t really factor into the story he’s telling.  Meanwhile, there’s lots of action, tons of dwarvs with funny rhyming names, and overall, a fairly exciting series of mini-adventures along the way to keep kids interested.  Stuff like the trolls, the spiders, and the barrel-riding definitely make for good vignettes.

Not to sell the book short, because it’s still lovely and well-made.  Gandalf is an immediately-engaging mentor/trickster popping in and out of the proceedings, and Bilbo himself makes a good everyman who’s out of his depth but slowly figuring out what he’s made of; I really enjoy Bilbo’s more personal journey as his contributions to the quest become more and more vital (true, it’s a little unbelievable that so many more-experienced dwarves would start actively looking to him for leadership, but Bilbo’s skillset is different enough from theirs that I can see why he’d be valuable to them.)  The book also contains some really iconic scenes that set it apart from any other fantasy yarn.  Namely, the “riddles in the dark” chapter and Bilbo’s meeting with Smaug are both wonderfully well-done.  With riddles in the dark in particular, you can really feel the blackness and claustrophobia in the writing.

But what makes the book stand out most of all is the very concept of hobbits themselves.  As I said in my assorted posts of the films, I absolutely love hobbits, and I get why everyone else does, too.  Right from the start of the first chapter, I’m utterly charmed by the description of Bilbo, his hobbit hole, and the Shire.  Not only does it set up an interesting dynamic where you have a would-be hero who’s wary of all things heroic, but it’s also a creation that’s unique to these books.  Dwarves, wizards, elves, dragons – you can find those in plenty of fantasy books.  No one else has hobbits.  They’re only in Tolkien, and that makes them special.

Warnings

Fantasy violence, scary moments, smoking, and drinking.