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JRR Tolkien - The Hobbit appreciation thread
Posted on 5/16/20 at 12:12 pm
Posted on 5/16/20 at 12:12 pm
A true classic masterpiece of writing.
Tolkien can make you imagine things as if you’re watching instead of reading like none other.
I just started a reread and I forgot how quickly the unexpected story grabs you.
Within less than 10 pages you’re no longer reading but you’re a fly on the wall in Bilbo’s home on The Hill. Watching Gandalf and Thorin, a very important dwarf, blow smoke rings and drink red wine and eat seed cakes as Bilbo politely but tiredly fetches more cakes and ales and eggs from his many well stocked pantries for the throng of dwarves now seated at his table. After all they’re staying for supper and Bilbo wondered if they’d stay for breakfast as well. He wondered if a nasty adventure hadnt found its way into his quiet home.
This book is basically perfect and easy to read and re-read ad infinitum.
Tolkien can make you imagine things as if you’re watching instead of reading like none other.
I just started a reread and I forgot how quickly the unexpected story grabs you.
Within less than 10 pages you’re no longer reading but you’re a fly on the wall in Bilbo’s home on The Hill. Watching Gandalf and Thorin, a very important dwarf, blow smoke rings and drink red wine and eat seed cakes as Bilbo politely but tiredly fetches more cakes and ales and eggs from his many well stocked pantries for the throng of dwarves now seated at his table. After all they’re staying for supper and Bilbo wondered if they’d stay for breakfast as well. He wondered if a nasty adventure hadnt found its way into his quiet home.
This book is basically perfect and easy to read and re-read ad infinitum.
7
Posted on 5/17/20 at 4:32 pm to Breesus
Superb read. I just randomly reread the “Inside Information” chapter where Smaug and Bilbo match wits. Absolutely brilliant dialogue. Smaug comes off more as villain than monster, like a James Bond supervillain.
Posted on 5/17/20 at 8:55 pm to Thurber
of all the great number of sins in the Hobbit movies, rewriting that exchange was most heinous.
Posted on 5/18/20 at 6:20 am to Thurber
quote:
Absolutely brilliant dialogue. Smaug comes off more as villain than monster, like a James Bond supervillain.
They butchered the hell out of this in the movie and it still pisses me off
Posted on 5/18/20 at 11:28 am to Breesus
I don’t disagree with you, but they had more considerations than just the Hobbit story to tell. I’ve made peace with it I guess. 
Posted on 5/18/20 at 11:30 am to Thurber
I enjoyed the movies for what they were.
Haven't read these books since before the first LOTR movie. Need to rectify that soon.
Tolkein was just an incredible storyteller and its crazy he didn't even love the writing as much as he just loved worldbuilding. The Silmarillion is just fantastic and anyone who loves Hobbit / LOTR is doing a disservice if they don't read that as well.
Haven't read these books since before the first LOTR movie. Need to rectify that soon.
Tolkein was just an incredible storyteller and its crazy he didn't even love the writing as much as he just loved worldbuilding. The Silmarillion is just fantastic and anyone who loves Hobbit / LOTR is doing a disservice if they don't read that as well.
This post was edited on 5/18/20 at 11:33 am
Posted on 5/18/20 at 2:12 pm to Sneaky__Sally
The Silmarillion is a different beast, but filled with his best stories too. Turin Turambar’s story is perhaps the most fascinating to me. Beren and Luthien’s story is fantastic too. I am super excited for the second age tv series coming to amazon
Posted on 5/18/20 at 2:14 pm to Thurber
Ya, haven't heard much about that production yet though?
With Wheel of Time and LOTR, Amazon has a ton of great source material coming up.
With Wheel of Time and LOTR, Amazon has a ton of great source material coming up.
Posted on 5/18/20 at 2:45 pm to Sneaky__Sally
They took a break for the Covid 19, but New Zealand has handled it pretty well, so I think they’re starting back up already
Posted on 5/19/20 at 7:46 am to Breesus
I love the Hobbit and LOTR. I get the itch to reread LOTR every year around October.
ROTK is simply fantastic.
ROTK is simply fantastic.
Posted on 5/19/20 at 8:36 am to Thurber
quote:
They took a break for the Covid 19, but New Zealand has handled it pretty well, so I think they’re starting back up already
Did they have a planned release date before COVID? I think WoT release will probably be spring/summer of 2021 now.
Posted on 5/19/20 at 1:32 pm to Breesus
Checked it out from our school library to impress a smart chick in 7th grade, ended up actually reading it and still one of my favorites.
Posted on 5/19/20 at 8:59 pm to S
I just finished Riddles in the Dark.
What an absolutely brilliantly written chapter. And from what I remember they nailed it in the movie as well.
I really did forget how much I loved this book. Probably haven’t read it in a decade. Last time I reread it was before the movie came out. 2012. I’m lost in it again.
What an absolutely brilliantly written chapter. And from what I remember they nailed it in the movie as well.
I really did forget how much I loved this book. Probably haven’t read it in a decade. Last time I reread it was before the movie came out. 2012. I’m lost in it again.
This post was edited on 5/19/20 at 9:01 pm
Posted on 5/19/20 at 9:02 pm to Sneaky__Sally
quote:
Tolkein was just an incredible storyteller and its crazy he didn't even love the writing as much as he just loved worldbuilding. The Silmarillion is just fantastic
This is why the story is so amazing. True dedication always shines through and Tolkien was truly dedicated to Middle Earth.
Posted on 5/19/20 at 9:47 pm to Breesus
quote:
The Hobbit a
Legitimately one of my favorite books. I know it's focused more towards a younger audience but one of the messages of the book has always stuck with me.
Bilbo was really, really uncomfortable leaving the Shire at the beginning.
Throughout the book he always kept thinking about how he missed his home and his chair etc.
That happened over and over again.
But he finally gets home back to the Shire and what does he want to do? Go out on another adventure.
The whole "You just have to take that first step out of your door," "The world is not in your maps or books, it's there," is a great theme.
Not to hijack your thread into the movies too much but hte first 40 minutes of the 1st film I felt like always encapsulated the books the best with the arrival of the dwarves up to the Misty Mountains song.
Needless to say I was so disappointed in how the Battle of the 5 Armies was portrayed on film compared to the book.
Posted on 5/20/20 at 1:28 am to Sneaky__Sally
I think the planned release date was 2021 as well
Posted on 5/20/20 at 1:28 am to Breesus
The movie did riddles in the dark to perfection
Posted on 5/21/20 at 5:06 pm to Breesus
Reading it with my 7 year old son right now. On the warg chapter.
Posted on 5/22/20 at 10:37 am to Thurber
I love this book so much. It’s just the perfect introduction to the fantasy world for a kid.
I honestly loved the entire first movie. The unexpected party was fantastic, Riddles in the Dark was indeed everything I’d hoped it would be, and just everything in general: A+.
It was the next two movies where I truly think the ball was dropped. The elf/dwarf romance made me want to gag, in particular.
But I won’t sit here and say they were without merit. Lee Pace killed it as Thranduil. I really enjoyed them fleshing his character out and his interactions with Legolas/Bloom. Cumberbatch as Smaug was also great.
quote:
The movie did riddles in the dark to perfection
I honestly loved the entire first movie. The unexpected party was fantastic, Riddles in the Dark was indeed everything I’d hoped it would be, and just everything in general: A+.
It was the next two movies where I truly think the ball was dropped. The elf/dwarf romance made me want to gag, in particular.
But I won’t sit here and say they were without merit. Lee Pace killed it as Thranduil. I really enjoyed them fleshing his character out and his interactions with Legolas/Bloom. Cumberbatch as Smaug was also great.
Posted on 5/23/20 at 4:47 pm to Breesus
The comparisons to Martin are obvious (as Martin was obviously influenced by Tolkien) and Martin does have some skill in this area as well.
The main difference is Martin gets wordy with everything and then diverts to some reference (essentially literary name-dropping) to some character and event, which is effective because many characters then refer to these same events from different perspectives and biases. The net result is that Martin uses 40 words to say what Tolkien would have said in 12 (or Fitzgerald, for example, would have said in 6).
Although not in the same genre, Fitzgerald was a master of descriptive imagery, particularly when you consider how efficient he was.
The main difference is Martin gets wordy with everything and then diverts to some reference (essentially literary name-dropping) to some character and event, which is effective because many characters then refer to these same events from different perspectives and biases. The net result is that Martin uses 40 words to say what Tolkien would have said in 12 (or Fitzgerald, for example, would have said in 6).
Although not in the same genre, Fitzgerald was a master of descriptive imagery, particularly when you consider how efficient he was.
This post was edited on 5/23/20 at 4:48 pm
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