# The Hobbit



## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

Just finished the Hobbit. I read it a long time ago as a kid.  Even now as an adult, I think I enjoyed it more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

By the way, when is the movie coming out??


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

You are not alone in enjoying "The Hobbit" more than LOTR!

The movie starts filming in about a month.










That's Bilbo in the front and the rest of the cast behind him. (Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood were unable to attend the photoshoot.)


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## Julie Christensen (Oct 13, 2010)

One of my favorites parts is the way , throughout the book, he flashes to his warm hole in the ground, his pipe, and his tea whistle blowing.  And then the narrator says how that won't be the last time he thinks of those comforts!  Just the other day, I was snug as a bug in my house - it was cold and snowing outside.  I had a warm cup of coffee and a book, and I thought of those lines, and how I was living that moment in my own way.  I agree with you - I love the trilogy, but the hobbit is my favorite.


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## Julie Christensen (Oct 13, 2010)

DYB said:


> That's Bilbo in the front and the rest of the cast behind him. (Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood were unable to attend the photoshoot.)


DYB, that's Bilbo in front The guy who plays Watson in the new Sherlock Holmes is playing Bilbo? Fantastic! He's just terrific in Sherlock Holmes. (On PBS Mystery! if you haven't seen it yet). Wasn't he also Jim in the English The Office?


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Julie Christensen said:


> DYB, that's Bilbo in front The guy who plays Watson in the new Sherlock Holmes is playing Bilbo? Fantastic! He's just terrific in Sherlock Holmes. (On PBS Mystery! if you haven't seen it yet). Wasn't he also Jim in the English The Office?


Yep, Watson is Bilbo.


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## Mark Feggeler (Feb 7, 2011)

Am reading it now to my twin boys every night at bedtime.  Took a few nights for them to warm up to the language and style, but now they are enjoying it.  We're just about to meet Gollum -- my favorite part!


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I like it ok, but enjoy LOTR a lot more.


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## Mark Adair (Dec 4, 2010)

I loved The Hobbit the first time I read it in high school, and I've loved it every time I've read it since then. Changed my understanding of adventure and writing. Looking forward to the movie as well. 

Cheers,

Mark


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## NeroAZ (Aug 27, 2010)

The Hobbit is one of my all time favorite books!  I've read it many times, and I also like it better than the LOTR trilogy.  

I'm anxiously awaiting the movie.


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## tim290280 (Jan 11, 2011)

Julie Christensen said:


> DYB, that's Bilbo in front The guy who plays Watson in the new Sherlock Holmes is playing Bilbo? Fantastic! He's just terrific in Sherlock Holmes. (On PBS Mystery! if you haven't seen it yet). Wasn't he also Jim in the English The Office?


I would watch a movie just because Martin Freeman is in it. He is fantastic!


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

The Hobbit is such a beautifully written, engaging story I can read it again and again. Also, the version I bought includes all Tolkien's own illustrations, which come up very well on Kindle.


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## kindlegrl81 (Jan 19, 2010)

I have read _The Hobbit_ many times but have never been able to finish _The Fellowship of the Ring_, let alone the entire trilogy. _The Hobbit_ is a much better book IMO.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

The Hobbit RULES.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

kindlegrl81 said:


> I have read _The Hobbit_ many times but have never been able to finish _The Fellowship of the Ring_, let alone the entire trilogy. _The Hobbit_ is a much better book IMO.


While I slightly prefer the trilogy to the prequel, I can understand why many people prefer _The Hobbit_. I think that it, like many other books supposedly targeted at younger readers, is that such books tend to be more focused on the story and the important characters, while many larger "adult" books tend to have more things going on both plot-wise and character-wise as well as extra pages of description and explications, and as a result sometimes lose their focus -- and thus their readers.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

I loved The Hobbit, and now my daughters getting close to the age where I think she'll enjoy it, too. 

Hoo-boy, now I feel old...


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## spiritualtramp (Feb 3, 2011)

I agree that The Hobbit is a better told story. It's my favorite of them all.


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## James Everington (Dec 25, 2010)

Julie Christensen said:


> Wasn't he also Jim in the English The Office?


Tim...

And yes, The Hobbit is really good.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

We're all going to be on the lookout for filming over the next year or so here in New Zealand . Filming was meant to start this month after multiple delays, but Peter Jackson's recent illness delayed it till March. Fingers crossed that it all goes smoothly.

I started an online campaign (in a small way!) for Martin Freeman as Bilbo some years ago, and I was delighted when he was cast - although whether or not I had any effect on that is another matter . I'm sure he'll do a fine job.

_The Hobbit_ will always have a place in my heart as my first experience of Tolkien. I still find it charming.


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## mesmered (Feb 2, 2011)

To Patrick, i believe the film is to be released in 2012, if all goes well. I am looking forward to it as have just finished re-reading after a thirty year break. Agree with everyone over the book's essential simplicity and character-driven narrative. Hope the movie retains that same simple nature.
Have immense faith in Peter Jackson's skill.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

Okay-okay, I will once again attempt to read 'The Hobbit'.  I must have started and stopped so many times!  I read the entire LOTR trilogy and loved it...I should be able to finish 'The Hobbit', right?

I have vague recollections of seeing the cartoon version when I was very young in school, and know somewhat of the story from reading LOTR.  I always seem to stop at the same point when Bilbo meets all of the dwarfs and Gandalf arrives.

I'm excited for the movie and think Martin Freeman would make the perfect Bilbo...something about the face, the concerned puzzled look?  I liked him in 'Love, Actually' and 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' (yet another book I haven't read but being severely pressured to), but loved him in 'Sherlock'.

Isn't it funny, I have the nice and fancy anniversary version (DTB) of 'The Hobbit'...and had purchased it on my K1 years ago...oh, AND it's consistently on my homepage...I really should try it again.  Well, at least finish it before the movie comes out.

Tris


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## Oneironaut (May 18, 2010)

I just started rereading it a few days ago, planning on going through the LOTR trilogy after I finish it.  Last time I read them was the first time; I read them to prepare for the movies as they were coming out.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Tris said:


> Okay-okay, I will once again attempt to read 'The Hobbit'. I must have started and stopped so many times! I read the entire LOTR trilogy and loved it...I should be able to finish 'The Hobbit', right?


You should read it. I like LOTR a whole lot more than The Hobbit. But The Hobbit is still an enjoyable read. I do wish it had been written later and in the style of LOTR personally--rather than being a more light hearted kid's book that doesn't mesh very well with the LOTR books IMO. But it's still a good read and adds to the experience of reading LOTR a bit IMO.


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## Zefiris (Feb 16, 2011)

I preferred The Hobbit.

It was a lot more fun than LotR. LotR was a really good book but I found it dragged on a bit in a few places. Could have been much shorter I think and still worked.

Besides, The Hobbit featured Smaug the Dragon who was awesome!


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## mesmered (Feb 2, 2011)

Hoping Smaug is handled with great Special FX skill by Jackson's crew. I read an article last week (haven't link but on web) that Del Toro had the strangest ideas for Smaug and for other features of The Hobbit. To be frank, I hope Jackson overrides the concepts and remains faithful to the book's ideas.

Love the selections of actors for the dwarves, especially Richard Armitage (BBC's Guy of Gisborne and Spooks' Lucas North) as Thorin. But wonder where the justification comes from for introducing Saruman and Frodo to The Hobbit. I guess, as in anything creative, poetic licence is just exactly that. That said, I have a feeling Jackson will pull it off with empathy.


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## Mark Adair (Dec 4, 2010)

mesmered said:


> Hoping Smaug is handled with great Special FX skill by Jackson's crew. I read an article last week (haven't link but on web) that Del Toro had the strangest ideas for Smaug and for other features of The Hobbit. To be frank, I hope Jackson overrides the concepts and remains faithful to the book's ideas.
> 
> Love the selections of actors for the dwarves, especially Richard Armitage (BBC's Guy of Gisborne and Spooks' Lucas North) as Thorin. But wonder where the justification comes from for introducing Saruman and Frodo to The Hobbit. I guess, as in anything creative, poetic licence is just exactly that. That said, I have a feeling Jackson will pull it off with empathy.


Excellent points. I also hope he stays the course and maintains the book's style and substance. Saruman and Frodo are part of the bigger story and movie watchers have already been introduced to them so I'm good with that. But overindulging the artistic license hides the wonder and personality of the original work.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

mesmered said:


> But wonder where the justification comes from for introducing Saruman and Frodo to The Hobbit. I guess, as in anything creative, poetic licence is just exactly that. That said, I have a feeling Jackson will pull it off with empathy.


Just away to make these movies work as a prequel to the LOTR movies. Saruman makes sense as the book alludes to Gandalf going off with the white council (the rest of the wizards including Saruman) to go expel the Necromancer (Sauron's spirit) from Mirkwood.

While that took place off page in the book, they are including that in the movies--and makes sense as it brings Sauron into the fold and ties this to the LOTR trilogy better.

Frodo I imagine will just have a bit part. He was alive during the time line of the Hobbit so not a big deal to have a cameo etc. Same with Legalos--not in the book, but was alive and could thus be part of the wood elves section.

But I'm also not sensitive to movie adaptations deviating from the books. If a movie version is a spot on adaptation, there's not much point in both reading the book and watching the movie IMO. But I should preface that by saying I'm a huge movie buff, and a very casual reader compared to most on here, so that also no doubt shapes my thinking on adaptations.


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## mesmered (Feb 2, 2011)

Totally agree, Mark. But I do have faith because I found nothing disturbing in LOTR. But then again whilst I'm a Tolkein fan, I'm not  hard-core Tolkein tragic.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

I wouldn't say that I enjoyed The Hobbit more than LOTR, but it's a great read, and I've read it twice, both times just before reading the LOTR trilogy.

And I'll be in line for the first showing of the movie!


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## Christine Kersey (Feb 13, 2011)

I love The Hobbit and I'm planning on re-reading it again soon. I'm excited for the movie too!


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

Peter Jackson is directing the Hobbit, correct?


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## mesmered (Feb 2, 2011)

Absolutely PJ is directing The Hobbit. Who else could do it so well?


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## Patrick Skelton (Jan 7, 2011)

Can't wait!!!


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

All production on The Hobbit stopped a few days ago when Peter Jackson was hospitalized for a perforated ulcer. Let's all wish him a speedy recovery. The world will be a darker place without the bright sparks of goodness like PJ.


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## mesmered (Feb 2, 2011)

The latest news has him in the saddle again and press conferences with the cast the world at large and a pre-shooting schedule that has involved all the actors.


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## Kevis Hendrickson (Feb 28, 2009)

mesmered said:


> The latest news has him in the saddle again and press conferences with the cast the world at large and a pre-shooting schedule that has involved all the actors.


Great to hear, Prue. PJ is a hero of mine. I'm happy to hear that he is back on his feet again. Your post has made my day!


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

mesmered said:


> Absolutely PJ is directing The Hobbit. Who else could do it so well?


Well it was going to be Guillermo del Toro with PJ producing, but he backed out with all the delays to go work on other things.

But I'm with you and very happy that PJ is directing them!


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## M.S. Verish (Feb 26, 2010)

If the movie is half as good as the book, we'll be pleased. _The Hobbit _ is great!


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## Sarah Woodbury (Jan 30, 2011)

I bought the Alan Lee illustrated editions of all four books to read out loud to my son.  Tolkien, from what I understand, meant these to be a mythology of Britain and had in his mind that they should be read out loud.  This is particularly true of the Hobbit, which has a lot of that breaking space where Tolkien talks directly to the reader.  My seven year old son loves the story.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

And they're off to the races.

http://tinyurl.com/5rthcvj


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

Love The Hobbit since I read it as a kid, and then read it aloud to my campers when I was a counselor.  Here's my take on it:

This is a tale of vacations gone awry. Bilbo Baggins is a wealthy hobbit who hires Gandalf Travel to take him on a grand tour of Middle Earth.

But Gandalf plays a little bait-and-switch on Bilbo, and our hero soon discovers that it will not be Gandalf leading the tour, but a cadre of fat, venal and mentally challenged Dwarves. Even worse, he is expected to do most of the work himself. Though he finds the experience trying, Bilbo discovers hidden reserves of talent, bravery and pluck.

Everything goes well until Bilbo inadvertently starts a race war.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

I'm with NogDog. The Hobbit is a linear story, which is pleasing to read and available to a wider age range. The Lord of the Rings is infinitely more complex, making it a more difficult read. I won't say one is better than the other, but the LotR is perhaps more notable.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I love The Hobbit. It's not that I love it more than LotR, but it is a very different kind of book and was written for a somewhat different audience. It is a warm cozy book. LotR isn't and wasn't supposed to be.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

Have you all seen the new photos?

*link*


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## Plotspider (Mar 15, 2011)

Patrick Skelton said:


> Just finished the Hobbit. I read it a long time ago as a kid. Even now as an adult, I think I enjoyed it more than the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
> 
> By the way, when is the movie coming out??


Totally agree with you. It has something I have loved in fantasy when I've found it: a sense of wonder and innocence in the characters that makes the plot endearing. It's a beautiful book, and far more engaging and fun than LoTR to me.


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## Moissanitejewel (Mar 17, 2011)

I never minded LOTR but I was never crazy about it. I don't know, it was too much of a downer. I love comedy and tragedy, some drama with action. I'm weird maybe? (Well no maybe there.) I am afraid to watch The Hobbit movie though, I mean I loved that book to death. I can remember carrying that huge hardback tome even between community college classes back in the day. Huge colorful pictures inside. Oh, I missed that.

No one in my family could really discuss anything with me, although they claimed the book was great. Isn't that weird? Does that happen to anyone else? 

"Hey, I remember that, it was great. I read it when I was younger."
"What's your favorite part?"
"Ummm...I don't know, I don't remember it. I think there was a dragon in it."

My mom even had about six puzzles of LOTR I remember putting together when I was young. Now the popularity circles back around...


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## Plotspider (Mar 15, 2011)

Melanie_Ray said:


> I never minded LOTR but I was never crazy about it. I don't know, it was too much of a downer. I love comedy and tragedy, some drama with action. I'm weird maybe? (Well no maybe there.) I am afraid to watch The Hobbit movie though, I mean I loved that book to death. I can remember carrying that huge hardback tome even between community college classes back in the day. Huge colorful pictures inside. Oh, I missed that.
> 
> No one in my family could really discuss anything with me, although they claimed the book was great. Isn't that weird? Does that happen to anyone else?
> 
> ...


Favorite part = Murkwood. Bilbo becomes a fully realized hero. The elves are jerks there. The giant spiders. The butterflies over the treetops. Etc. The movie was also good, but not as good as the book (as per standard).

There, now I've discussed.

J.


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## brianrowe (Mar 10, 2011)

I've never been much of an LOTR fan but I am excited to see what Peter Jackson will do with The Hobbit. No matter what he does, it'll surely be the highest grossing movie of whichever year it comes out! When is the release date? 2013?


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## Plotspider (Mar 15, 2011)

brianrowe said:


> I've never been much of an LOTR fan but I am excited to see what Peter Jackson will do with The Hobbit. No matter what he does, it'll surely be the highest grossing movie of whichever year it comes out! When is the release date? 2013?


Yeah, but I'm worried about it. He's going to put friggin' Legolas in there and maybe Galadriel and even Saruman or Sauron or whatever. That bugs me. I know he's trying to make it consistent with his previous stuff, but I feel he should stick with the book.


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## DanDillard (Mar 10, 2011)

One of my all time favorite stories... not sure why- got to be Gollum--great character, the personification of greed . It just works so well... and felt like an accomplishment when I was 12 or so and finished it for the first time. That is until I picked up Fellowship of the Ring...


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

Plotspider said:


> Yeah, but I'm worried about it. He's going to put friggin' Legolas in there and maybe Galadriel and even Saruman or Sauron or whatever. That bugs me. I know he's trying to make it consistent with his previous stuff, but I feel he should stick with the book.


I'm not worried. Jackson more than proved with the LOTR films that he understands and respects the material. Any changes that he makes will be made in that same spirit, I'm sure.


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## Plotspider (Mar 15, 2011)

Joseph Robert Lewis said:


> I'm not worried. Jackson more than proved with the LOTR films that he understands and respects the material. Any changes that he makes will be made in that same spirit, I'm sure.


Yeah, but other Peter Jackson stuff has had a sort of 'tone' to it that is a bit frantic and intense, and the Hobbit is less intense and more whimsical (no, not exactly whimsical. there are dark moments) but I don't want it to become a Lord of the Rings prequel. I'd like to see it be a completely different movie, really. I want it to be what Batman Begins was to the Batman series, maybe. Everyone will expect him to preserve the Lord of the Rings motif, and I'm not sure that's appropriate for the Hobbit. I certainly don't want another Star Wars prequel fiasco, and a bunch of blaring trumpets and things whenever the ring shows up, etc. The Hobbit is "low" fantasy, so I'm not looking forward to making the ring such a big deal in The Hobbit. I don't know if I'm making any sense.


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## A. S. Warwick (Jan 14, 2011)

The Hobbit was one of my very first forays into fantasy - and very much a part of the reason I wanted to be a fantasy author myself.

Only just reread it a couple of weeks back as well, re-familiarising myself with it preparation for the movie.

My big fear is that once more they will reduce the dwarves to jokes ala Gimli in the LotR movies.  Be a travesty if they do.

Now if only they'd turn The Silmarillion into a movie, or maybe a miniseries type thing.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

Plotspider said:


> The Hobbit is "low" fantasy, so I'm not looking forward to making the ring such a big deal in The Hobbit.


I don't see how The Hobbit can be classed differently from LOTR. They take place in the same world, with magic and creatures and improbable plot devices, and both end in epic battles. The Hobbit may have been written with a younger audience in mind with a slightly different tone, but the elements are the same.


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## markarayner (Mar 14, 2011)

Did anyone ever see the 1977 cartoon version of The Hobbit? [IMDB listing]

There's some great voice work in it, and I can still totally freak out my (now adult) brother by doing Brother Theodore's version of Gollum. "Is it tasty? Gooey? Icky?" Great stuff, and it terrifies 8-year-olds.


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## Plotspider (Mar 15, 2011)

Joseph Robert Lewis said:


> I don't see how The Hobbit can be classed differently from LOTR. They take place in the same world, with magic and creatures and improbable plot devices, and both end in epic battles. The Hobbit may have been written with a younger audience in mind with a slightly different tone, but the elements are the same.


The difference is the reach of the story. The Hobbit is not Epic Fantasy (Epic Fantasy sometimes is called High Fantasy). The Hobbit involves just a few people in a particular spot of the fantasy world, and therefore doesn't risk everything over their single gambit to the dragon cave. If they failed, nothing major would have really happened (and that's straight from Tolkien's mouth) to the rest of the world. He didn't think of making the one ring what it was to eventually become until after writing the Hobbit, and after that he went back and retrograded some stuff.

But, LoTR is high fantasy because if they main characters fail to destroy the one ring, evil conquers the world and pretty much the world sucks for everyone. High Fantasy risks more. The Hobbit didn't risk the whole world, just some specific parts of it.

J. Gullage


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## Capri142 (Sep 25, 2009)

Yess the Hobbit was a fine read. One of those books, that when you get to the end you know that you just read something VERY special. Not a lot of those kind of books around.


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