The English Student

Continuing my Tolkien re-read.

The Hobbit sees the titular hobbit Bilbo Baggins scooped up by a pack of dwarves and the wizard Gandalf to go on a Quest to rescue the dwarves' gold from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Along the way they meet goblins, giant spiders, hungry trolls and more.

Most of it I found absolutely charming: there's a lovely fairytale vibe to the quest parts, a sense that there are all kinds of magics lurking just around the corner, and actually I wish we had more of this Middle-earth as well as the very different Middle-earth of The Lord of the Rings, which is wonderful in its own way but much less mysterious and much heavier.

I got bogged down in all the politics when the party actually get to the Lonely Mountain where the treasure is hidden, but then I think I always do. The ending chapters are specially lovely, though:

"So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending."