Books are definitely more interesting than the movies based on them (except I guess for HP3). For one, a book lets you imagine your story and fill your own colours to the scene. My friends - esp. Varun and S are great fans of Tolkien. I had seen the LOTR movies, and could honestly not see what was the big deal about. I chanced upon LOTR 2 and 3 at the Friends of the Library book sale. Another friend, Teja, got the Hobbit, and I too found one at the MLB library.
The choice of the protagonist is really the key to the success of the book. The protagonist is not a wise wizard, but someone as prone to err as anyone else. Not an over-zealous kid always getting into trouble, but a "respectable" middle-aged guy with a bulging belly. The word-ly imagery is simply marvelous, you can literally see the bearded dwarves, their tired ponies, and the endless journey.
The book follows Bilbo Baggins' journey as he leaves his comfortable hobbit-home to follow his Took genes. The journey is full of adventures, right from being sacked by the trolls, packed in a barrel, webbed by giant spiders and ebbed by a magical stream to an eagle-top flight. Bilbo soon learns to defend himself, than be dependent on Gandalf and the dwarves. He lets words slip, as in the case of the talk with dragon, but also has the presence of mind to pose an un-guessable riddle which leads him to safety from Gollum. Bilbo is fiercely loyal to his dwarf company, yet when the time comes, he tries to avert the war by apparently ditching the dwarves.
I can only guess about the period of the books, but I do see allusions to pre-World war Europe. Throughout the book, Bilbo keeps reminding the readers that he yearns for his idyllic (read unindustrialized) life and lowly home than the massive gold that he might earn. For though power gives a lot, it corrodes much more!
The choice of the protagonist is really the key to the success of the book. The protagonist is not a wise wizard, but someone as prone to err as anyone else. Not an over-zealous kid always getting into trouble, but a "respectable" middle-aged guy with a bulging belly. The word-ly imagery is simply marvelous, you can literally see the bearded dwarves, their tired ponies, and the endless journey.
The book follows Bilbo Baggins' journey as he leaves his comfortable hobbit-home to follow his Took genes. The journey is full of adventures, right from being sacked by the trolls, packed in a barrel, webbed by giant spiders and ebbed by a magical stream to an eagle-top flight. Bilbo soon learns to defend himself, than be dependent on Gandalf and the dwarves. He lets words slip, as in the case of the talk with dragon, but also has the presence of mind to pose an un-guessable riddle which leads him to safety from Gollum. Bilbo is fiercely loyal to his dwarf company, yet when the time comes, he tries to avert the war by apparently ditching the dwarves.
I can only guess about the period of the books, but I do see allusions to pre-World war Europe. Throughout the book, Bilbo keeps reminding the readers that he yearns for his idyllic (read unindustrialized) life and lowly home than the massive gold that he might earn. For though power gives a lot, it corrodes much more!
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