The Hobbit is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves, in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving, unambitious hobbit. Encounters with trolls, goblins, dwarves, elves and giant spiders, conversations with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent and a rather unwilling presence at the Battle of the Five Armies are some of the adventures that befall Bilbo. But there are lighter moments as …showed first 75 words of 267 total…

…showed last 75 words of 267 total…to the next, the spark that is there so brightly in the first quarter somehow dimming. Also it comes to a very abrupt end, making it obvious that inspiration had probably run out for this particular book at least. Ideally, Tolkien would have shortened the journey to the treasure by omitting sequences that could instead be used for a more detailed journey home, perhaps on a slightly different route. Even so, very worth a read.