Considering I’m one of the co-hosts for MiddleEarthAThon in August I thought it might be a good idea for me to actually, ya know, read the Lord of the Rings books. Just maybe? And of course, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, being so short and being (I think?) a prequel. Well that was the best place for me to start.
I decided to go the audiobook route for The Hobbit, read by Nicol Williamson, because it’s actually available free on Spotify! It’s only 4 hours long so I got to enjoy it over a couple days whilst at work.
Straight away I thought Gandalf seemed like a massive pain in the arse… and I maintain this standpoint 🤣 poor Bilbo was put through so much despite just wanting a peaceful life! I did get a little confused at one point, when there was spider fighting, I had to rewind it a few times just to make sure I understood everything going on. I do think I’ll have to reread this physically at some point, because I absorb more that way.
On CAWPILE I rated this: Characters: 8, Atmosphere: 8, Writing: 7, Plot: 6, Intrigue: 7, Logic: 7, and Enjoyment: 8, giving a score of 7.29 and a 4* rating.
I’m not sure why but this was definitely not how I expected the story of The Hobbit to play out! It was so unexpected and I’m glad I didn’t know too much about it going in. I could also see all of the influence that so much of modern fantasy (and non-fantasy!) has taken from this classic. Reading this has gotten me super hyped to read the Lord of the Rings. I know it’s quite a different book but I’m excited to dive in!
Highlight here for trigger warnings: spiders, war, kidnapping, whipping.
Have you read The Hobbit or the LotR? Let me know what you thought in the comments, and let me know if you’ll be taking part in the MiddleEarthAThon in August!!
Abi of Pellinor 