The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings - the books, not the movies

December 09, 2018, 10:57 AM

Dtech

I have "The Hobbit" and the "LOTR" books that I bought a while back because aside from some bits and pieces of the animated version of The Hobbit I recall that I saw as a kid, I have never read them. I also thought the movies, especially the extended versions I have on disc are fantastic so thanks for reminding me to read them and that they will provide so much more detail and immersion.

I plan to start later today with The Hobbit but I also have The Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales books both bought on recommendation of a friend of mine. It is my understanding that The Silmarillion is about the early ages of Middle Earth so was wondering if maybe I should start with that one first?

December 09, 2018, 11:06 AM

AH.74

I would read The Hobbit first, then LOTR (including all the appendices), then UT and then The Silmarillion.

The Silmarillion can be tedious even for dedicated fans but it's worth it IMO.

There is some great stuff in UT. Artie- I highly recommend "The tale of Cirion and Eorl" if you want some history of Gondor. The description of the ceremony in which Cirion gifts the land of Rohan to Eorl is some of my favorite of all of Tolkien's work.

December 09, 2018, 11:27 AM

Dtech

Thanks AH.74...will do!

December 09, 2018, 11:46 AM

Herkdriver

Dtech

Adding to what AH.74 said keep in mind the intended audience for each work. The Hobbit was written as a children's book, the LOTR for adults, and the others for the really obsessed fans

December 09, 2018, 12:20 PM

Dtech

Thanks Herk. Duly noted.

December 09, 2018, 12:31 PM

ArtieS

quote:
There is some great stuff in UT. Artie- I highly recommend "The tale of Cirion and Eorl" if you want some history of Gondor. The description of the ceremony in which Cirion gifts the land of Rohan to Eorl is some of my favorite of all of Tolkien's work.

Thanks for that. I will take a look. Reading The Silmarillion is on my list, but as I know it can be heavy going, even for the committed, I haven't managed it yet.

"I vowed to myself to fight against evil more completely and more wholeheartedly than I ever did before. . . . That’s the only way to pay back part of that vast debt, to live up to and try to fulfill that tremendous obligation."

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December 09, 2018, 04:16 PM

Blackmore

The Harvard Lampoon's Bored of the Rings is a quick read and cleverly pokes fun at many of the trilogy's conventions and characters. Never mean-spirited, you can tell the authors actually loved their subject.

quote:
Originally posted by Hound Dog:
The movie really disappointed me at this point. Of course, there are significant differences between book and film media. . .

I think Miranda Otto was well cast, though, even if her lines were not the book's.

December 09, 2018, 05:12 PM

sigcrazy7

quote:
Originally posted by RNshooter:
The books are wonderful.
The most disappointing thing about the movies was they omission of the Battle of the Shire from Return of the King.
They quite literally missed the point of the Hobbits' adventures, experience, and growth. It greatly saddened me, to see that blown off.

Bruce

I thought I was the only one who felt this way! While I loved the movies (LOTR, not Hobbit), I was disappointed with how the movies changed the death of Saruman the White. I loved the part of the books where the four Hobbits show up in armor, all big from drinking Ent-water, and kick some ass. It would have been a great part of the movie, with the four world-wise Hobbits sitting around the Prancing Poney, discussing the last year on the quest, and finding out that the evil had invaded the Shire. I don’t know why Jackson cut that storyline from the movies.

Since Fellowship kinda kicked off the action at the Prancing Poney, having them back there again would have book-ended their journey.

December 09, 2018, 06:52 PM

RNshooter

Exactly.
Return of the King should have been split into two movies with part 2 being The Battle of the Shire.

Bruce

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December 10, 2018, 04:27 PM

rebut10

quote:
Originally posted by Dtech:
It is my understanding that The Silmarillion is about the early ages of Middle Earth so was wondering if maybe I should start with that one first?

I think this is the best option if you want to understand the back story of the beginnings of the "Evil" and the conflicts between the "races" (if you will"). However The Silmarilliium is not a very smooth edit. JRR put it together over many years as a pre history so in his mind as he wrote the next 4 books there was a believable depth of history and character. His son attempted to re-edit it into a cohesive story. Not all that well. But well worth the read.

The "The Beginning Of Days" (1st chapter) always makes me think of THE BEGINNING.

December 10, 2018, 05:13 PM

RogueJSK

quote:
Originally posted by Dtech:
I have "The Hobbit" and the "LOTR" books that I bought a while back because aside from some bits and pieces of the animated version of The Hobbit I recall that I saw as a kid, I have never read them. I also thought the movies, especially the extended versions I have on disc are fantastic so thanks for reminding me to read them and that they will provide so much more detail and immersion.

I plan to start later today with The Hobbit but I also have The Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales books both bought on recommendation of a friend of mine. It is my understanding that The Silmarillion is about the early ages of Middle Earth so was wondering if maybe I should start with that one first?

If you've never read LotR, don't bother with The Silmarillion. It will be nearly incomprehensible. It's not the place to start the series.

As Herkdriver posted earlier in the thread, The Silmarillion is for the truly obsessive fans. It can be a tough read, even for some Tolkein fans.

Read The Hobbit and LotR. Then once you've read them at least once, and maybe a couple times, you might consider giving The Silmarillion a crack then.

Or not.

Honestly, I'm a Tolkein fan, and I don't consider reading The Silmarillion to be worth it.

I realize it's the "cheap way out" and the true Tolkein fans will look down their noses, but if you want to know some more backstory after reading Hobbit/LotR, browse through one of the Tolkein wikis to read articles on the topics you're interested in. They're able to parse the backstory info from stuff like The Silmarillion into more easily digestible material.