The Hobbit / Roverandom / Tales from the Perilous Realm: Boxed Set

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Three of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic tales available in a uniquely stylish boxed set to delight adults and children alike.

Bilbo Baggins has taken his place among the ranks of the immortals of children’s fiction. Written by Professor Tolkien for his own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when first published in 1937.

Now, for the first time, we are publishing the world’s best loved childrens’ tale alongside two other less well-known, but no less entertaining, Tolkien masterpieces. Each tale is written with the same skill, quality and hallmarks that made Tolkien’s Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their relatively short lengths, they are finally together in a slipcase which reaffirms Tolkien’s place as a master storyteller for readers young and old.

• ISBN13: 9780007156993
• Publish Date: 17 February 2003
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 May 2006
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 656
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Nessa Luna]

Just drown me in feelings why don't you. Slight unpopular opinion I think, but I honestly love the movies and I love what they gave us, especially when it came to battles. Because if the movies had stayed accurate to the book, there would have been NO Battle of Five Armies at all. Because Bilbo literally passes out at the beginning and doesn't wake up until after it's all done. *shrug*

I read far and wide across all genres but my first and truest love has always been fantasy. A good fantasy story takes you on an adventure. There's often a quest, magic, undiscovered abilities, friends, enemies and action - all of this makes a great fantasy story.

The Hobbit has all that and more. It is the epitome of the perfect fantasy tale. The kind you want to sit around a campfire and hear told with dramatic exaggeration. It has a dragon and dwarves, a wizard and one lone hobbit who turns out to be the bravest of them all.

Fantasy is not for everyone, but most importantly there's levels to it. This is a classic fantasy with elements of high fantasy. High fantasy has excessive world building - maps, extra tales, extensive histories of people and places - not all of it may be included but a lot of it is. The most obvious example is of course, The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit is a classic fantasy with elements of high fantasy - Tolkien has created the world building but much of it doesn't come into play in this book. The Hobbit is just a taste of the world retold as one would a folk or fairy tale.

That said, if you don't like The Hobbit, don't even bother with Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings is just a long drawn out, denser version. If you don't like the base elements of The Hobbit, you're going to hate Lord of the Rings. My mum definitely did.

I love Bilbo. His zest for life and adventure is hilarious - mainly because he has it but it's tinged with a lot of reluctance. To be fair, he also gets thrown into a deep end - he has no idea how or when or why this adventure came to be until he's being kicked out of his house without his pocket-handkerchief. He really comes into his own though throughout, finding his bravery and nerve and that he is capable of a lot more than he gives himself credit for. Although I do feel sorry for him, he takes a hell of a lot of hits to the head.

And of course we get the first look at Gollum and find how Bilbo comes to possess the ring. I like the dwarves but it would be nicer if they were truer friends - they have a bad tendency to hesitate or leave Bilbo to his own devices much too often. I loved Bard and I loved how Bilbo resolves the tensions at the end. The dragon seeks revenge on the Lake-Men for helping the dwarves and the hobbit with their supplies. Bard manages to kill the dragon with an arrow but many are dead and they want justice for the deaths they have suffered. Thorin (the King of the Mountains) refuses to share the treasure but he does prize the Arkenstone of Thrain above all. Bilbo finds it and hands it off to the Elves and the Lake-Men to bargain with when.

5 stars. It's a classic.