[griflotin]

This might be weird for you hearing of a person who has never read a Tolkien book, but here it goes.

I'm a great fan of Harry Potter but now I will have to wait a year (I believe) before the 5th HP comes out, and I thought if I liked a HP book would I like another fantasy book. My question to you is, Is it necessary for me to read The Hobbit before I read Lord of the Rings, or can I just start reading LotR right away? I want to start reading LotR now because I heard the movie is coming out and I don't know if I can read both of the books (I want to read LotR before I see the movie)before the movie comes out.

Griflotin

[Cadfael]

The 'Hobbit' is a children's story... in fact Tolkien first told this story verbally to his children, this is why some of the prose has thigs like "Now my dears, you and I know that...". The Lord of the Rings, started out as a continuation of this tale, but as Tolkien himself says... "it grew in the telling"

No... it is not absolutely neccasary to read 'The Hobbit' before LOTR. In fact they are very different in style after the 4th chapter of LOTR, most of what happened dealing with the ring in 'The Hobbit' is recounted in LOTR. If at some time after reading the trilogy, you get to read the Hobbit, it just fills one or two holes in the history of Middle-Earth.

There is another book called 'The Silmarilion', if after reading LOTR you find yourself hooked, I recommend this book as a must read... it tells the history of Middle-Earth, that is only hinted at in LOTR.

[Rupert Avery]

I would say yes read it.It is not a large book and it gives you a good entry into the world of Middle Earth.

[FitzChivalry]

Read The Hobbit and forget about The Lord of The Rings. The Hobbit is pretty cool while LoTR is boring as hell and has little annoying gay characters.

[Pluvious]

yep, what FitzChiv said...

[Lady_Linda]

Absolutely not!

If you start with reading the hobbit I think you'll get disappointed, it _is_ a childrens book, and quite simple in the telling too.

The lotr is a masterpiece http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif with some faults i admit, but still - a masterpiece.

You could begin with reading the hobbit, but only if you are promising yourself to give Lotr a try no matter what impression you get from that other book. :0)

~Linda~

[Cadfael]

Linda is right... if you read The Hobbit first, don't think for one minute that LOTR is the same, it is not! It does not really matter which you read first, I recommend them both. If you are going to be stricly PC about it... okay... read The Hobbit, do not let it put you off LOTR though.

[Lady Fox]

I don't think it is absolutely necessary to read The Hobbit first, but The Hobbit does give you the story of how The Ring came into the possession of the Hobbits. The Hobbit is more of a children's story that the rest of the books, but it is still worth your time to read it. It all depends on how interested you are in "what came before" type information.

[Bardos]

The Hobbit is not necesary at all, but its fun to read it fist (personaly, I read it second).
And...
FitzChivlary, "gay" characters in Tolkien???

[lior]

Simply put, griflotin, The Hobbit and LOTR are the greatest fantasy novels ever written and not only that, they started it all, without these books there would be no fantasy genre as we know it today, Tolkien's influence on most (but not all) contemporary writers is huge, and the best thing, in my opinion, is to read them in the order in which they were written.

[This message has been edited by lior (edited March 04, 2001).]