View Full Version : The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Hobbit and...
NexusSheep
19-12-2001, 16:36
...The Lord of the Rings, and those who are going to read them.
-- some chap/chapess from The Sunday Times.
In the past few weeks, I've noticed several people reading LOTR on the tube.
I think I will read the books again before going to see the film. Although I have read them before (in my teens - many moons ago), I would like to refresh my memory. Don't ask why, I'm just weird like that.
For those of us who haven't read the books yet, do you plan on doing so? And is that before or after watching the film?
Michael Brooke
19-12-2001, 16:42
I read part of <I>Lord of the Rings</I> as a teenager, largely in a serious attempt to understand the mentality of my younger brother and his Dungeons & Dragons-obsessive friends, but I got so bored with the endless parade of people and places with increasingly silly names that I'm not sure I even finished the first volume. (Beckett, Joyce and Kafka were more my taste at the time).
I'll definitely see the film, but strictly as a Peter Jackson fan! :D
Arch Stanton
19-12-2001, 16:49
Tried reading the Lord of the Rings when i was in my teens.
Gave up on it. It was like reading a travel guide for a place with a lot of trees.
My reading prefrences at the time were more Batman, Judge Dredd and Razzle. :)
I'll definitely see the film, but strictly as a Peter Jackson fan!
wabznasm
19-12-2001, 17:23
It does plod a bit in certain places, but The Hobbit is much more 'reader-friendly'.
lycanthrope on the loose
19-12-2001, 17:26
read first book couple of years ago :nuts:
the 1970 editions that I have smell though :p
Cap'n Al
19-12-2001, 18:01
Originally posted by Michael Brooke
I got so bored with the endless parade of people and places with increasingly silly names that I'm not sure I even finished the first volume. (Beckett, Joyce and Kafka were more my taste at the time).
Well, I'd hardly call characters with names like Pozzo, Clov, Shem, 'The Flogger' and Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker normal...
Read the Hobbit many years ago but failed at my first attempt to read LotR. However, having also played dungeons & dragons it gives you a much greater insight into what is going on and the power and impact of the rings. Also the power of the characters relative to "mortals" e.g. the Black Riders and the Balrog. Read LotR twice since I started gaming :)
Creamstick
19-12-2001, 22:05
I read the LOTR books and The Hobbit in primary school (the books came with the C64 games!), liked them well enough, but don't consider them 'great works' or anything.
I prefered the Bakshi movie to the book, and I'm going to see the PJ version still having a working knowledge of the books. I think I'll prefer this one to the books - fantasy stuff like this seems really ***** in print ;)
Arch Stanton
19-12-2001, 22:19
Now the old Spectrum game of the Hobbit was a classic.
You are in a Hobbit's house. You see a door.
>Open Door
The Door opens
>Go North
You are in a field, you see a happy squirrel reading the daily Mail.
>Talk to Squirrel
He Says 'Hello, bring me the magic nuts of Omanobagaldon and i'll give you a magic treat.'
> Kill Squirrel with magic sword.
You can't do that.
> ****** you then.
Do not understand '******'
etc..
Wern't games great back in the 80's?
:)
Originally posted by Arch Stanton
Now the old Spectrum game of the Hobbit was a classic.
You are in a Hobbit's house. You see a door.
>Open Door
The Door opens
>Go North
You are in a field, you see a happy squirrel reading the daily Mail.
>Talk to Squirrel
He Says 'Hello, bring me the magic nuts of Omanobagaldon and i'll give you a magic treat.'
> Kill Squirrel with magic sword.
You can't do that.
> ****** you then.
Do not understand '******'
etc..
Wern't games great back in the 80's?
:)
Meanwhile Thorin sings about gold
Say to Gandalf 'Carry Me'
>Gandalf goes North.
Aaaarrrghhhhh... :mad:
How long did it take me to get out of that blasted dungeon...
I read The Hobbit and LOTR when I was in my early teens and loved them; I re-read LOTR twice in following years and am reading it again now (...erm, twenty years later). It really ********s me off when I hear literary intellectuals dismissing these books out of hand - there was a good example of this a couple of nights ago on Radio 3's Nightwaves. The commentator - wasn't sure which one - had a mini-fit of horror describing Tolkien and C S Lewis sitting in the pub drinking beer and smoking their pipes. (Don't ask me why he thought that was relevant to a lit crit of their works!!!) I love my Proust, Hoban, Pynchon et al. like the next man, but I often wonder why it is that the literary establishment continually sneers at Tolkien - too popular, perhaps?
As for trees, bring 'em on! I have never found the length of LOTR, or its discursiveness and large cast of characters, to be a problem - the size of its world and Tolkien's lovingly crafted history of Middle Earth is one of the major aspects of this work. Also, Tolkien's writing is a pure joy.
Back to the original question, I'm reading LOTR and hoping to finish the first part before I see the film. However, having read Harry Potter last year and seen the film last night I may regret my action - I think you're probably better off seeing the film then reading the book.
Originally posted by SimonI
Back to the original question, I'm reading LOTR and hoping to finish the first part before I see the film. However, having read Harry Potter last year and seen the film last night I may regret my action - I think you're probably better off seeing the film then reading the book.
I bought the LOTR/Hobbit boxset from Amazon, read the Hobbit in 4 days and loved it. Never got around to reading LOTR, but I must start soon. Maybe I will see the film first :confused:
Originally posted by JulesH
... read the Hobbit in 4 days and loved it.
I re-read the Hobbit recently after a 25 year gap and enjoyed it even more than I did the first time - I was surprised at how much humour there was in it.
"...Trolls do not like dwarfs (uncooked)." :D
Nathan-Wind
20-12-2001, 10:13
As per the film the books hold no interest for me. I can't stand swords and fantasy type stuff. The only person I know thats read it is my wife, who was forced to at school and hated it. But shes not interested in wizards etc either. The excitement the film has generated is way over my head.
DeadKenny
20-12-2001, 10:43
Originally posted by dochall
Meanwhile Thorin sings about gold
'Kill Thorin' was my favourite, even though I came to a sticky end as a result, it was just fun to do :D
I actually completed that game (when it didn't crash).
P.S. If you can't be bothered with the (LOTR) books try the radio series. Just about covers everything in the books anyway and is like reading it without the hassle of reading through the flowery waffle :D. Plus it's got Ian Holm as Frodo (who plays Bilbo in the film) and quite a good cast. You need a spare 13 hours though to go through them all (though less if you just want to cover the first book).
Getting hold of it may be a problem as I'm not sure it's still available. I still need to transfer all my tapes to MP3 (it was also available on CD, but that was too expensive at the time).
I wonder if Radio 4 will repeat it given the current interest (or maybe they are already - never normally listen to Radio 4, only ever have done for this)?
Neil_Marsh
20-12-2001, 11:38
Originally posted by DeadKenny
Getting hold of it may be a problem as I'm not sure it's still available. I still need to transfer all my tapes to MP3 (it was also available on CD, but that was too expensive at the time).
It is still available - look on the BBC Shop website.
Generally, a few years after something is published, you start finding it in the bargain bins. The LOTR price is still going up.
When I first found the tapes in the shops (in the 80s) they were about £30. Now they are about £50 and the CDs about £80.
Finally bought them a couple of years ago. Who's betting the price jumps again in the near future?
Andrew Isherwood
20-12-2001, 11:46
Originally posted by Arch Stanton
Now the old Spectrum game of the Hobbit was a classic.
You are in a Hobbit's house. You see a door.
>Open Door
The Door opens
...snip...
etc..
Wern't games great back in the 80's?
:)
You'll probably appreciate this (http://www.spectrum.lovely.net/Hobbit.html) then :D
Tyler Durden
20-12-2001, 11:55
Originally posted by SimonI
think you're probably better off seeing the film then reading the book.
Totally agree, I finished reading the first book just before seeing the film and I'm sure it clouded my enjoyment of the film :(
SOUNDSTYLE
20-12-2001, 12:07
I read LOTR about fifteen years ago and have completely forgot what happens in it now.
I would love to read it again but I just don't have the time.:(
Arch Stanton
20-12-2001, 15:24
Radio 4 is repeating it's version of Lord of the Rings next month.
Check Radio Times for details....
Originally Posted by Andrew Isherwood
You'll probably appreciate this then
I am too young to have ever played this, thanx!
:clap: :clap: :clap:
Originally posted by Andrew Isherwood
You'll probably appreciate this (http://www.spectrum.lovely.net/Hobbit.html) then :D
I do too but it seems to run incredibly fast even on this crappy old PC!
EDIT: just realised that you can click at the bottom of the screen to run it at 'slow'speed. Splendid!
Cornelius
20-12-2001, 19:51
I read the Hobbit when I was 11 and really enjoyed. I read the LOTR a few years later when I was 14 but was a bit disappointed because it was quite different from the Hobbit which was a childrens book and a light-hearted read. The LOTR started out in the same vein but then got a bit more darker but I found it really confusing with the multitude of characters that just kept coming out of the woodwork. The narrative got a little lost amongst this onslaught of characters. That's probably why Tolkien included maps in the books otherwise I'd have had no clue as to what was happening, a glossery of characters would also have been useful.
That was nearly twenty years ago and I never read LOTR again, I 've got a working knowledge of hobbits, dwarves, elves, orcs, ring wraiths etc and that's all I need to enjoy the films. I'm sure I'll enjoy letting Peter Jackson run me thru the narrative rather than attempt to wade thru Tolkien's books again.
silverpenguin7
20-12-2001, 20:55
As I said the other day I have almost finished the book (50 pages to go) and am seeing the film on saturday night so I have 48 hours to get throught those last few pages.
IMO the book is excellent. It can get a bit confusing with names at times but in general its been a good read. The only part that bored me was 'The Council of Elrond' (or something like that) but it picked up quickly after that.
If you haven't read it, its worth a look (IMO). :)
NexusSheep
20-12-2001, 21:02
Originally posted by silverpenguin7
...The only part that bored me was 'The Council of Elrond' (or something like that) but it picked up quickly after that...
Yeah, I remember that chapter. Bloody hell, it seemed to go on forever. Fair enough, it's only fifty-odd pages or so, but I just seemed to be reading and reading, blood coming out my eyes, and it just went on and on and on and on and on.... :nuts:
I thought LOTR was a fantastic book, even though it took me about 6 months to read it!! I liked it far more than The Hobbit.
I read The Hobbit in school about 20 years ago, and re-read it 6 months ago, following it up with LOTR for the first time. I enjoyed LOTR far more than The Hobbit (although a little hard going at times).
Originally posted by Tyler Durden
Totally agree, I finished reading the first book just before seeing the film and I'm sure it clouded my enjoyment of the film :(
I don't agree with this because of the amount of people and places in the film. If you hadn't read the book(s) before, or at least a generalisation of them, I think you would leave the cinema overwhelmed and pretty confused, and only after repeated viewings would you understand the full story - but that could also be the idea :) .
I felt like this after the first time I watched The Godfather 1 & 2.
I read the Hobbit as a kid and tried to read Lord of The Rings in my early teens but gave up on it, I was most upset to find Bilbo only played a small part in LOTR.
I have since read LOTR a couple of times and think it's a great read even though The Two Towers drags on a bit. I think it helps if you like 'fantasy' books to start with.
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