Before there was Frodo and his adventures in destroying the ring of power, Bilbo Baggins received a visit from Gandalf the Grey that started his own series of adventures. While Bilbo didn’t think much of adventure, Gandalf thought otherwise and secretly left a magical mark on the hobbit’s front door. Several days later a troop of dwarves showed up and, try as he might, Bilbo could not get out of the adventure at hand.

Falling in with the dwarves, Bilbo experiences run-ins with trolls, goblins, eagles, and elves before reaching their journey’s destination: the Lonely Mountain to defeat Smaug the dragon and reclaim the dwarf’s treasure. However, Bilbo’s greatest wish is that he was back in his hobbit hole, which he is unsure he will ever see again.

The Hobbit is the story that takes place before The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It tells how the ring of power came to the shire and about Bilbo’s first adventures. I first read The Hobbit in high school and enjoyed it more than the trilogy. After re-reading it, I realized exactly why I love The Hobbit. I feel like the book is a bit easier to follow than the trilogy. Although they both are great stories of adventure, The Hobbit was a bit more appealing to me and goes at a faster pace. There are definitely people who will disagree with me (my fiancé for one), but there is something about The Hobbit that didn’t exist in The Lord of the Rings trilogy for me. Needless to say I am excited to see the film in December and hope that it reflects my love for the book (which I don’t doubt that it will).

Grade: A+