Thoughts on “The Hobbit” (book)

Monsters and elemental magic roam the dark caverns of Middle Earth, say what more. Get in on this hyper-realistic, mystical ride that defined the legend of The Lord of the Rings. It’s a slow ramp up to an ominous adventure and yet the reward is really not at the end but the journey of a thousand fold. Halt and catch fire is Tolkien’s theme with this classic predecessor. It’s a quest with a simplistic origin towards a more sinister territory, led by the home-buddy, Bilbo Baggins.

This book provides a literary compass to all future fantasy novels of contemporary times. This paved the way for the epic fantasy genre in popular culture as it transcended through times.

The story starts when the young Bilbo Baggins who is the ultimate cliche for laissez faire living is catapulted to an encompassing adventure by the legendary wizard Gandalf and a group of rag tag dwarves to reclaim their stolen treasure being guarded by the evil dragon Smaug. Dragons throughout history are known to be obsessed with gold.

The Hobbit puts you at the forefront of an ancient, mystical adventure akin to a first-person roller coaster ride. The perspective is mostly focused on the main character and therefore a deeper emotional connection to his tribulations towards the lonely mountain as his skills in thievery and spying were put to the ultimate test. The plot of this book contains three distinct phases: going away, initiation, and return to home, the creation of the characters have their genesis from monologues and dialogues. The culmination of the story stems from a sense of fulfillment after an arduous quest.

At the end, this book has stood the test of time, particularly contemporary counterparts from the same fantasy genre. It’s a phenomenal jump start to one of the best epic adventure of all time, The Lord of the Rings and a classic tale of an underdog.