The Hobbit: Illustrated

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo-alone and unaided-who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside . . . This stirring adventure fantasy begins the tale of the hobbits that was continued by J.R.R. Tolkien in his bestselling epic The Lord of the Rings.

This edition of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic is illustrated with 48 paintings by noted artist Michael Hague. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum. Written for J.R.R. Tolkien's own children, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies worldwide and established itself as a modern classic.

I struggled with rating this because I don't think this is a graphic novel. It's an art book with Tolkien's words placed over them. It's beautiful, and a good story because The Hobbit is fantastic. But I couldn't help thinking that I would have enjoyed an actual adaptation of the novel rather than what this was. I would have really enjoyed seeing the artist showing us the story, and not just illustrating scenes and telling us what's happening.It almost seemed like a waste of time, to be honest, to read these huge paragraphs placed over illustrations. Near the end I just skipped them altogether, since I already know the story very well, and just flipped through looking at the art. I enjoyed it better that way.