Book Review
Title: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Adventure
Rating: *****
Review: I am ashamed to say that despite loving both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies I have never read any of the books, so I was excited and nervous to begin The Hobbit. I was surprised to find that the opening of the book which entailed Bilbo meeting Gandalf and the arrival of the company of 13 dwarves to his home was almost near identical to the movie. However, I was also surprised at the way the book it is written as it is almost written in the past tense with little interjections from the writer since this is meant to be Bilbo recounting his tale in the red book. Bilbo meeting the dwarves was just as entering in the movie although I was being to notice changes already, for example, Thorin isn’t as brooding in the book but he is still imposing and the famous grocer line was said by Gloin instead of Thorin but we see that the decision for Bilbo going on the adventure wasn’t even in question in the book as he was always going whereas it is a last minute decision for him in the movie.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, I can feel that the pace of the book is going to be a lot quicker than the movies since shortly after leaving the Shire, the dwarves encounter the trolls. Now, in the movie it is Fili and Kili who send Bilbo to spy on the trolls after the ponies are taken whereas in the books, the dwarves see a fire in the distance and send Bilbo to investigate since he is the burglar. He sees the trolls and decide to pick one’s pocket so he has some evidence of his skills but is caught by one of the trolls. As the dwarves one by one come to investigate, they are also captured with Thorin being caught last as he knew something was up. Bilbo is tossed aside as Thorin tries to fight the trolls and loses but as he lies recovering in the bushes, he can hear the trolls arguing until the sun comes up and turns them to stone. However, it turns out that Gandalf was imitating the trolls causing them to fight to buy the dwarves and Bilbo enough time for the sun to begin to rise. This is a significant difference to the movie as that makes Bilbo out to be a more active character during this early portion of the quest. Shortly after being freed from the trolls. Gandalf leads the dwarves through the mountain pass to Rivendell where they meet Elrond. Unlike the movies, the dwarves makes no protest about stopping in Rivendell in fact, they welcome it. From Elrond, Thorin is able to learn about the swords they found in the troll hoard as well as learning they are moon runes on his map which give him the position and size of the door they are looking for into the mountain. After two weeks or so they set out into the mountains once more where they witness the thunder battle before Fili and Kili are sent off to find dryer shelter. When they return with news of a cave, everyone quickly gets themselves into it before heading off to sleep. Bilbo seems to almost have the ability to see the future as his dreams seems to mirror upcoming events as he dreams of the floor giving way just before it does. The goblins take the dwarves down into the mountain in chains but Gandalf quickly comes to their rescue but the goblins know the mountain better and it isn’t long before they are caught up to and Bilbo ends up being dropped down into the dark. As we reach the end of this section, we have reached my favourite part from the movie which is Riddles in the Dark.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Bilbo is lost in the goblin tunnels and doesn’t know what to do when is seen by a strange creature known as Gollum. Gollum is curious about Bilbo as he hasn’t seen any of Bilbo’s kind before and decides to play a game with him because Bilbo is armed with his sword. Gollum asks Bilbo to play a game of riddles but they have stakes as if Gollum wins he wants to eat Bilbo and if Bilbo wins then Gollum will show him the way out. However, what Gollum doesn’t know is that Bilbo found a ring in the passage leading to Gollum’s underground lake. At first the pair seem evenly matched but Gollum does manage to get the upper hand eventually which leads to Bilbo asking Gollum what he has in his pocket which is of course the ring but there is no way for Gollum to know this which is rather unfair but Bilbo needs to know the way out. As Bilbo cheated, Gollum intends to kill him and Bilbo knows this so he tries to buy himself some time but it doesn’t work as he flees from Gollum he puts to ring on and learn of its effect in turning the wearer invisible. Gollum believes that Bilbo knew the way and heads for the exit with Bilbo following behind him. However, when they reach the passage, Gollum is blocking it so Bilbo jumps over him alerting Gollum to his presence but he has managed to slip away only to see goblins guarding the entrance. As the ring came off during the jump, he can be seen but quickly puts it back on to slip past them but they are after him but the sun holds them off for now. After escaping from the goblins, Bilbo manages to find the dwarves who have been arguing with Gandalf about leaving him behind only for him to give them a good surprise which earned him a fair bit of respect from them. However, they aren’t out of danger yet as they are found by Wargs, the wicked wolves living in the area who were supposed to raid a village of Men with the goblins and they hold the dwarves and Bilbo prisoner in the trees until the goblin arrives. Gandalf does try to fight them off which flaming pinecones but these don’t scare the goblins the same way they do to the Wargs and soon they are losing yet again. However, the great eagles notice what is happening and save the dwarves from the goblins taking them away. In the eagles nest they find food, shelter and sleep and the eagles have agreed to take them as far as they can possibly go into the southern lands to help them truly escape from the goblins.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, shortly after being ferried on by the eagles Gandalf tells them of a person who lives nearby that might be able to help them with providing ponies and replenishing their supplies but this might be difficult as he prefers to company of animals than people. We know this is Beorn, the skin-changer and as they draw close to his home, Gandalf and Bilbo decide to go ahead first followed by the dwarves in pairs so their would-be host doesn’t throw them all out. Beorn seems nice enough even if he isn’t trusting of these strangers until Gandalf starts to recount their tale so far which interests Beorn greatly. During this retelling Gandalf manages to get all the dwarves into Beorn’s home without him bothering with them much as he is too interested in Gandalf’s story. After the story is done, he provides the company with supper and beds but he warns them not to venture outside until the sun is up. Late in the night Bilbo is awoken by the sound of some great animal, presumably Beorn in his bear form pawing at the door. The next day the company don’t see Beorn or Gandalf until very late when only Gandalf returns to tell them he follows Beorn’s track until he was close to the forest where they encountered the Wargs. The following morning Beorn returns now he has verified their story and agrees to give them ponies and supplies and tells them the best way to get to the Lonely Mountain is through Mirkwood but the path will be hard as the wood is dangerous at the best of time. The company set out for Mirkwood and when they arrive at the edge of the woodland path, Gandalf is also leaving them for business in the south and reminds them of Beorn’s warning not to venture off the path and now they are alone once more.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the company enters Mirkwood and travels for days until they reached the river that Beorn had warned them about and with Bilbo’s keen eyes they manage to pull a boat from the opposite bank to ferry them across. They have all made it across when a deer jumps clean over the river and after being shot down the dwarves are happy as they have food. However, the deer knocked Bombur the last dwarf across into the river and pushed the boat back out beyond their reach. Now, Bombur has fallen under the spell of the river and is fast asleep and can’t be woken and their dinner is also forgotten on the other bank. The dwarves take turn in carrying their sleeping companion as they walk on with their supplies getting lower and lower by the day. A few days later Bombur awakens after the last of their food is gone and they continue on stopping only to send Bilbo up a tree to see where the edge of the forest is but there seems to be no end in sight. With their food gone it is only a matter of time before they died of starvation when lights can be seen off the path. Together they make the decision to leave the path despite the warning given to them by both Beorn and Gandalf and they come across elvish feasts but every time they draw close the elves vanish only to pop up somewhere else. After the second attempt a spell puts Bilbo to sleep although he is woken easily and on the third attempt Thorin is rendered asleep although the others fail to notice this in the dark. The rest of company move on unknowingly leaving Thorin behind and when they stop to rest, they are set upon by giant spiders. Bilbo having been woken realises this and manages to free himself and manages to get away. After putting his ring on he seeks the rest of the company only to find them surrounded by spiders ready to eat them. Bilbo using his wit manages to draw them off and return silently to free the dwarves but he only gets some of the company out before the spiders return and he has to fight them off. Once the company are free and manage to escape the spiders, we switch to Thorin who was captured by the elves and as he refused to tell the Elven King what he was doing passing through his forest he is thrown into a cell. The rest of the company minus Bilbo is soon captured by the elves and imprisoned too, however, Bilbo is free to use his wit and magic ring to think of a way from them all to escape. It take a few weeks but Bilbo manages to learn a lot about how the elf kingdom is run including that the empty wine barrels are floated down the river to the Long Lake. As a feast is getting underway, the butler and head guard get drunk allowing Bilbo to steal the keys and free the dwarves before he explains his plan while the dwarves aren’t happy with being floated down the river there is no other choice. After they all end in the river, the barrels are tied up reading to be delivered back to Lake Town and while Bilbo remains hidden that night, the dwarves are still trapped in their barrels even when elves come the next day to raft them over the Long Lake.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, the dwarves stay for a short time in Lake Town although the Master of the Lake doesn’t believe Thorin is who he says he is except for when they set off towards the Mountain which has been looming over them. It takes them a little while to locate the door but it is Bilbo’s sharp mind that allows them to find the entrance and the key hole so they can enter the Mountain properly. The first time he ventures down into the dragon’s lair he returns with a cup to prove he has been to the hoard; however, this alerts Smaug to a thief and he begins hunting although the company is sheltered inside at this point so they haven’t been seen. The second time Bilbo ventures down the dragon is waiting for him and they talk in riddles for a time. However, this doesn’t go to plan as Smaug knows Bilbo is with the dwarves and that they have come from Lake Town, Bilbo also gets a little burnt at the end of this conversation. As he recounts this to the dwarves, they now know there is a bare spot in Smaug’s armour that he has created for himself and Bilbo’s bad feeling about the door being open is proven right as no sooner than it is closed is Smaug upon it. When the dragon realises there is no one there he turns his attention to the men of the Lake and is going to take his anger out upon the people that helping the dwarves return to the mountain. At this point we have worked through An Unexpected Journey as well as the Desolation of Smaug so the final 100 pages of this novel encompass The Battle of Five Armies. I have noticed several major differences between the book and the movies which I will do a more in-depth post on in the future but I am looking forward to the conclusion of this story and I will hopefully be jumping into The Lord of the Rings trilogy very soon as it is a goal of mine to read Tolkien’s entire works this year if I can. As the dwarves search through the treasure Smaug has left behind, Bilbo has already found and hidden the Arkenstone which Thorin seeks although he has spoken to no one of it yet. In Lake Town, Bard sees the coming of the dragon and gets the Master to call for arms where they face down the dragon. It doesn’t last long as more and more people begin to abandon the town on the Lake but the thrush comes to Bard as he loads his final arrow and tells him of the weak spot on Smaug’s breast which he aims for. Bard’s aim is true as the arrow plunges into Smaug’s heart killing him as he drops dead onto the remains of Lake Town. In the aftermath, the Master of the Lake calls for aid from the Elven King and it is given but with news of Smaug’s death spreading quickly many are turning their eyes to what they believe is unguarded treasure unaware that the dwarves and Bilbo are still alive.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we are coming to what was the real meat of the final movie and I am eager to see how the book ends compared to the ending of the movie. With the dwarves in the mountain, they learn from the Ravens that the dragon is dead, killed by Bard and that legions of men and elves are heading the claim the treasure. Thorin by this point is being controlled by the dragon sickness and his lust for the Arkenstone and barricades them in even though they all know they wouldn’t outlast a siege with their limited supplies. Bard is the one who initially talks to the dwarves a makes a fair case for getting a fair portion of the treasure but Thorin refuses to even speak with him while the elves are present. In light of this Bilbo sneaks out in the night and hands over the Arkenstone to the Elven King and Bard to use it to get a fair share of the hoard. He also tells them that Dain, Thorin’s cousin is marching on the mountain with 500 dwarves and to prepare themselves for a battle if necessary. When Dain does arrive the men and elves refuse to let him enter the mountain before they get what is owed to them by Thorin who cast Bilbo out after learning he was the one that handed over the Arkenstone. Battle seems very likely when Gandalf informs them of an orc and goblin army heading their way and they band together to face it. The battle doesn’t seem to be going their way even when they get the upper hand as they are outnumbered but Bilbo spots the Eagles arrived before he is knocked out by a falling stone. During the time he is unconscious Beorn arrives and helps turn the tide of the battle but when Bilbo awakes, he learns the true price of victory. It turns out that during the battle Thorin was gravely injured and he manages to speak with Bilbo before his death allowing them to part as friend. Fili and Kili also died in the battle protecting their uncle with their lives thus ending the direct line of Durin. Dain together with Bard, Bilbo, and the Elven King they bury Thorin with the Arkenstone and his Elvish sword before Bilbo decides to head home. On route, he gives a gift to the Elven King who names him an elf-friend in return before they depart from each other. The closer they get to the Shire the more Bilbo feels like himself again but Gandalf informs him he is not the same hobbit he was when he left. There was a lot of work to do when Bilbo returned home as he found he was declared dead and his belonging were being sold. While it took him years to get it all back, he found he wasn’t as worried about what people thought of him now and this shows when Balin and Gandalf pay a visit to the Shire. Overall, the Hobbit was definitely a five star read for me and I read the majority of it in a single sitting so I’d highly recommend it. I will be doing a book to movie comparison in the future but it will be a hard task since this one book encompasses 3 quite long movies.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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