Second foray into the world of Tolkien. After the Silmarillion, that is The Hobbit, which can be classified as the second installment in the great epic of the One Ring, that I tackled. Bilbo Baggins (also known as Bilbo Baggins according to the translation) flowing peaceful days in his little hobbit hole. His tranquility will be disturbed by the coming of the wizard Gandalf, accompanied by thirteen dwarves headed by Thorin Oakenshield himself, powerful descendant of dwarf kings. Bilbo finds himself led against his will in a mad expedition through Middle-earth with the aim of going to wrest the grip of the dragon Smaug's treasure of the ancestors of Thorin, treasured by his horrible Cerberus in the Lonely Mountain . Nothing much ... ~ The story and the characters ~ This is a far cry from the historical narratives of the Silmarillion. We are dealing in a tale of Bilbo hardcore fantastic adventures. The fifteen companions will face many dangers, meet trolls, goblins and other evil creatures, but also friendly characters like the Elves of the House of Elrond, Beorn, eagles, etc. which will support them in this perilous quest, many will cross inhospitable regions before finally coming to an end. The narrative is so full of surprises; we do not get bored for a second. The humor is also very present in history. To Bilbo, these adventures are figure initiatory journey. He who was so fearful, so domestic, so attached to his comfort will be profoundly changed by these incidents. They allow him to acquire wisdom, boldness and open up new horizons. Gandalf (who will play an important role in the Lord of the Rings) is an enigmatic character, ageless, that appears and disappears in less time than it takes to tell. It will support the company formed by Bilbo and the dwarves at various times during the story and often unexpectedly. Dwarves are rather erased individually. They are not immune to the characteristics of their race with their taste for wealth (that lead also to undertake this expedition), but also their courage when it comes to battle enemies. The story also includes many colorful characters, endearing or repulsive, but that certainly does not leave indifferent. ~ Who is Bilbo? ~ By its nature adventure stories that ultimately offers little food for thought, Bilbo is for my opinion mainly to a young readership. It is not very hard to read and is so captivating that it reads very quickly. He is one of those privileged novels that can give a taste for literature to a child. Older however, are not left out: Bilbo offers a pleasant moment of relaxation without the fuss, nothing but pleasure. It is also an opportunity to learn how the One Ring ended up in the hands of Bilbo, Ring which will serve many times in his adventures and he will give later to his nephew Frodo (or as Frodo translation) to be destroyed in Mount Doom in Mordor, the stronghold of the infamous Sauron. But this is another story ...
