content: While Tolkien was nowhere near as excellent of a writer at this point as he would become years later with the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit is still an enjoyable introduction to Middle Earth. The story is more simple and the flow is more like reading a fable or children's story to me compared with the more serious and high fantasy style of the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit is more fast paced. There is more action happening all the time but it's not as atmospheric. This is the story of Bilbo joining a band of dwarves to go get treasure from a dragon named Smaug. Along the way he braves many dangers such as orcs, trolls, giant spiders and meets Gollum and finds a ring. It's a good prelude but nothing amazing. However, the book does hold a special place for me because I found a copy in my parents book collection in the basement when I was a kid and it became the first book I ever read. I owe Tolkien a thank you for hooking me on books.