The Hobbit

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. 2001. 330p. ISBN 0-618-16221-6. Available at FIC TOL on the library shelves or as an eBook on Overdrive.

Bilbo Baggins leads a life of contentment in his very comfortable dwelling under the hill in Hobbiton. A hobbit of means, Bilbo enjoys good food and time with friends. On a beautiful morning, he greets Gandalf the wizard, a human, who just happened to be passing through, with a good morning. Gandalf questions whether it is a good morning, or whether Bilbo meant it as a question, confusing the hobbit who promptly retreats back to his hobbit hole. Gandalf realizes he has found his hobbit, and marks Bilbo’s door. Thus commences Bilbo’s adventure to the Lonely Mountain and back.

That night, thirteen dwarves present themselves at Bilbo’s house and eat all of his food. They reveal that Gandalf told them to meet here, and that Bilbo is to accompany them as a burglar for the purpose of infiltrating the Lonely Mountain, the dwarves’ ancestral home, and fight the dragon Smaug, who conquered it over a century ago. Bilbo is not the adventuring type, but he soon finds himself on the road. Along the way they encounter trolls, elves, goblins, shapeshifters, spiders, more elves, and the men of Laketown. Bilbo manages to acquire a weapon that glows when goblins and orcs are present, as well as a strange ring that allows him to become invisible. He acquired this ring from a creature named Gollum who dwelled in the depths of the Misty Mountains.

Freeing the mountain from the dragon takes some work, but the death of Smaug leads to several competing claims on the Lonely Mountain, all backed by armies. Five armies meet on the plains by the mountain, and though not a fighter, Bilbo is nonetheless involved in the conflict. Peace is finally achieved, but at the cost of the deaths of many a dwarves, who are now tight friends of Bilbo.

Returning home a rich hobbit due to his share of the treasure but a changed one due to the hardships of the adventure, Bilbo discovers with astonishment that his cousins thought him dead and have proceeded to auction off his possessions and his home.

The Hobbit introduces the world of Middle Earth and provides several details that become important in the Lord of the Rings. Fans of fantasy will love the worldbuilding Tolkien performed and will cheer Bilbo on as he manages time and again to overcome the odds placed before him.