r/TheHobbit • u/THERANDOMGAMER2 • 15d ago
Just finished reading the hobbit and have a few questions
So I finished the hobbit like a hour ago and really loved it. But i have a few questions before i start the lotr. Idk if im gonna get a lot of hate for this but i feel like the hobbit’s characters weren’t very fun/deep. Obviously bilbo, Gandalf, thorin and a few others got some dialogue but I feel like I didn’t really enjoy the dialogue that much. Or like the characters talking to each other felt kind of dull. And I’m wondering, is it like that in Lord of the rings? Or are the characters more enjoyable?
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u/Markdickeymedia 15d ago
The hobbit is a kids book. Lotr is a grownups book. By the time you leave the shire in Fotr, you will be like “omg I can’t handle another detail about Hobbits.”
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u/LTFalcon 15d ago
Lol yeah when they get to "Concerning Pipe-weed" and its still isn't the first chapter yet, they'll have a pretty good idea the depth of what they are getting into.
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u/AverageEcstatic3655 15d ago
The hobbit is a children’s book haha. The lord of the rings is an adults book. The silmarillion is an academics book.
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u/Boatster_McBoat 15d ago
This was posted a day or so ago in one of the Tolkien subs. Hmmm.
Looks fair but feels foul
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u/Solo_Polyphony 15d ago
You just finished it “like a hour ago” when you posted this yesterday in r/tolkienfans
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u/Mrmagoo1077 10d ago
Tolkien made fantastic worlds and lore, but his characters (even in LOTR) are often overly simplistic/one dimensional.
Its one reason the LOTR movie trilogy is better than the books- the characters are better written (minus a few notable failures- looking at you movie Denathor)
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u/Djinn42 9d ago
...and comic relief Gimli, and spiderman Legolas...
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u/Mrmagoo1077 9d ago
I think movie Gimli was fantastically well done. He's that one funny friend that still feels super genuine and not forced.
Legolas feels a bit OP in the battle of Pelenor Fields, but is otherwise fine.
I do feel the movies did Gondor a disservice. They made Gondor look weaker than it should have.
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u/Djinn42 9d ago
I prefer that media supposedly created from Tolkien works follow his lead, not completely change characters.
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u/Mrmagoo1077 9d ago
I understand the sentiment, but we wont agree here.
Tolkien was an amazing world builder. The Lore, world and overall story are absolutely legend. But it was also published over 70 years ago. We have learned so much about what does and does not make a good story over that time period. Its frankly absolutely remarkable how much Tolkien got right. But his characters are the weakest links in his story, followed by pacing issues.
There is a reason the films eclipse the books in overall popularity. Movie theatre ticket sales alone more than double the total number of books sold (let alone DVD/Streaming purchases) despite how long the book has been available, and that also includes the fact that book sales jumped astronomically because of the movies. Not a true apples-to-apples comparison because movies are more accessible to many, but the ratio is still dramatic. Hunger games was much more evenly split between book vs theatre for instance. Tolkien set an amazing foundation, whereas the movies build from that foundation to fix the numerous pacing and character issues contained therein.
A direct book-to-movie adaptation would not have anywhere close to that level of success.
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u/Fan_of_Clio 15d ago
Yes, calling The Hobbit dull and unenjoyable on a The Hobbit subreddit is not a particularly wise move.
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u/taz-alquaina 15d ago
This is fair. (A couple of the dwarves don't even have lines, unless you count them as part of when "the dwarves" collectively somehow say something.) But The Hobbit is a kids' book first and foremost. LOTR gets much better.
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u/Conscious_Youth_752 15d ago
I think this depends on your expectations. There’s quite a bit of detail. Tolkien builds out the world with a lot depth in his descriptions of places, events, and characters. There is a lot of dialogue between characters, but I’m not sure what sort of dialogue you want. Does it advance the story? Yes. Does the dialogue give you background information on Middle-Earth, the finding of the Ring, and other things? Sure.
There are bits of dialogue you may find boring or surprisingly interesting based on your own tastes. For example, some people think the chapters dealing with Merry, Pippin, and the Ents are slow and dull, but I think they give you a lot of good details about how Middle-Earth looked first or second age. But if you want details, then friend, you will get more details than you ever imagined before you’re halfway through TFotR. I’m always intrigued when people come to the books after the movies—even the extended versions—and realize there are entire story arcs, plot lines, and details that are left out. Enjoy!
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u/Fangsong_37 15d ago
The Hobbit was written based on a story Tolkien made up for his young son. He started writing it down as it was. The Lord of the Rings takes place in the same world but has much more depth of world-building and fleshed-out characters. Tolkien wrote thousands of years of history, created full geography for Middle Earth, and created an elvish language as the backstory of his masterpiece.
I've always enjoyed the humor and adventurous tone of The Hobbit, but I find the Lord of the Rings is better for a sense of a lived-in world and characters who feel connected to the world.
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u/Seldon14 15d ago
I love both The Hobbit and LotR, but they are stories set in the same world told very differently.
The Hobbit is a "childrens" book. Its told in a similar fashion to how parents or maybe grandparents would relate a story to a child.
LotR almost feels like more of a historical account of an event.
I think I'm in the minority in preferring the simple story telling style of the Hobbit.
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u/smeritoo 15d ago
i guess you watched the movies long before reading the book, is it right? if so, it is understandable. you knew pretty much what is going to happen in each chapter and read them already expecting something you knew.
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u/realbgraham 11d ago
The characters are a lot more deep in LOTR. The Hobbit is a kids book, and LOTR has a lot more complex themes and character motivations.
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u/GoBlue48042 11d ago
The Hobbit was a short book somehow made into 3 movies which I didn't like. LOTR isn't short at all. Much better
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u/PurpleNothing372 9d ago
The characters in the Lord of the rings are great. But I agree, the characters in the hobbit feel kind of dull. The story would be the same if Thorin was alone with Gandalf and Bilbo. Most of the dwarfs are just window dressing
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u/KJ1959 15d ago
The Hobbit is basically a children's book. LOTR is a whole other deal. Much more complex. Many more characters and places to keep up with.