Which Do you Think Should be Read First The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings

showsaf · 04-07-2011 09:08AM #1

Just Wondering If you Read The Hobbit First or after you read the Lord of the Rings books.

Also which would you have liked to have read first and which do you recommend reading first.

Frank Black · 04-07-2011 09:18AM

Read LOTR first (which quickly became one of my favorite books) then 20 year gap before reading The Hobbit.
Was put off by the fact that it was a ‘Children’s Story’ – when I did get around to reading it I thought it was much better than I had expected it to be. It was quite a bit darker than I had imagined and it was interesting to see the earlier appearances of some of the characters who became so prominent in the later LOTR’s.
I have kids now and when they’re a bit older I think I’ll start them on The Hobbit.

Emiko · 04-07-2011 10:52AM

The Hobbit is first, chronologically, so it seems the logical place to start.

cml387 · 04-07-2011 10:59AM

Emiko wrote: »

The Hobbit is first, chronologically, so it seems the logical place to start.

Chronologically both in the plotting and in real life,since Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit" first.

Linguo · 05-07-2011 03:44PM

Defo The Hobbit first, very excited for you if it's your first time reading them! It's a big read but it's amazing, hope you love it!:)

Monkeybonkers · 05-07-2011 05:31PM

The Hobbit

quickbeam · 05-07-2011 07:52PM

I'll be going a bit against the grain here.

I tried to read The Hobbit as a child but didn't get beyond the first few pages and gave up on all Tolkein until the films came out. After seeing the first film, I read LotR and absolutely loved it. I then went back to The Hobbit and though I managed to finish it this time, I thought it was very childish - much more so than, say, the Narnia books, or Harry Potter, and I really didn't like it much at all.

So my adivice is read LotR, if you get hooked, read The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales or anything else related. Read The Hobbit eventually but have low expectations.

I'll probably get slated for this though.

cml387 · 05-07-2011 08:39PM

quickbeam wrote: »

I'll be going a bit against the grain here.

I tried to read The Hobbit as a child but didn't get beyond the first few pages and gave up on all Tolkein until the films came out. After seeing the first film, I read LotR and absolutely loved it. I then went back to The Hobbit and though I managed to finish it this time, I thought it was very childish - much more so than, say, the Narnia books, or Harry Potter, and I really didn't like it much at all.

So my adivice is read LotR, if you get hooked, read The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales or anything else related. Read The Hobbit eventually but have low expectations.

I'll probably get slated for this though.

You prefer the Selamillion (knock off cash-in) to The Hobbit?

Monkeybonkers · 06-07-2011 02:32PM

Unless you really, really, really love the whole Middle Earth lark do not read the Silmarillion

The Mad Hatter · 06-07-2011 03:25PM

Monkeybonkers wrote: »

Unless you really, really, really love the whole Middle Earth lark do not read the Silmarillion

The Ainulindalë and the stories of Beren and Lúthien and Túrin Turambar are wonderful, though.

quickbeam · 06-07-2011 06:05PM

cml387 wrote: »

You prefer the Selamillion (knock off cash-in) to The Hobbit?

Yes. Yes, I do.

Just because it was published posthumously doesn't mean it's a cash-in. This was the story JRRT really wanted to write, except his publisher wanted more hobbits after the success of The Hobbit. Fair enough if you disagree, but of all the JRRT I've read I've liked The Hobbit least.

Lady von Purple · 06-07-2011 08:41PM

cml387 wrote: »

You prefer the Selamillion (knock off cash-in) to The Hobbit?

Funnily enough, Adam Roberts wrote a piss-take novel of The Silmarillion called The Sellamillion.
I wouldn't go near that, as I found the Lord of the Rings trilogy a bit tedious to get through to begin with. That was a good few years ago though, they might be easier now... I really enjoyed the plot too, it just seemed to drag on in places and be a bit overly descriptive.
I love The Hobbit. Definitely read The Hobbit and then Lord of the Rings.
Chronologically makes sense, y'know! :cool:

Monkeybonkers · 12-07-2011 06:27PM

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

The Ainulindalë and the stories of Beren and Lúthien and Túrin Turambar are wonderful, though.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed The Silmarillion too. Something almost musical to the whole language of it. You would have to like LOTR though (I think) to enjoy it. Just my opinion though, maybe others would like it as a stand alone book.

Kylo Ren · 17-07-2011 07:05PM

I bought the LOTR books a while back. After seeing a lot of people saying to read 'The Hobbit' first I ordered it there

littlemis · 18-07-2011 11:16PM

I would recommend you read The Hobbit first. very good read too.:)

Which Do you Think Should be Read First The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings

Welcome!

Comments

Welcome!