The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien. Allen and Unwin, pp. 423–21.
This is the first volume of a trilogy in which Mr. Tolkien tells the story of the “War of the Ring.” This magical ring, originally forged by Sauron, Lord of Darkness, was later lost and, by a seemingly strange coincidence, was found by Bilbo, one of the inhabitants of Middle Earth called hobbits, about whom Mr. Tolkien wrote in an earlier book. He entrusted it to his nephew Frodo. But the Dark Lord now knew where it was, and his creatures, the Black Riders, are sent to retrieve it. Frodo is warned by the wizard Gandalf to leave his home in the Shire and take the devilish Ring of Power with him. He does so with some trusted friends, and this volume tells of the terrible dangers of his journey with the hellhounds on his heels and other hostile beings, such as the orcs, threatening him, but even now, in his greatest need, those who served the light came to his aid with their own white magic.
It is a most remarkable achievement to have created such an absorbing epic romance, with its own mythology, with such a variety of scenes and characters, such imaginative invention and description, and such supernatural significance underlying the wealth of events. Mr. Tolkien is one of those born storytellers who leave his readers as eager as wide-eyed children for more. His style in prose and verse is fresh and fluid, and equally apt to express unearthly beauty, homely humor, or stark horror.
The Hobbit
Kenneth Richmond
The Observer, November 28, 1937
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (Allen and Unwin. 7s, 6d, net.)
Drawn against his will into Professor Tolkien’s finely written saga of dwarves and elves, fearsome goblins and trolls in a sprawling land of the distant past, detailed in the author’s drawings, the peace- and comfort-loving little hobbit experiences all sorts of adventures and trials, and comes out much the same in the end, but proved a little hero in a pinch. This is a detailed story of traditional magical beings (except the hobbit himself, through whom the modern child can enter their world) and their animal allies, with a life-sized and meaningful fiery dragon. The search for the dragon’s treasure – rightly the dwarves’ treasure – makes for a thrilling epic of travel, magical adventure and, building to a devastating climax, war. Not a story for pacifist children. Or is it?
