THE HOBBIT THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG & MY NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL QUEST IN TOLKIEN'S FANTASY WORLD

Warning: I know I will shock or, at least, disappoint any Tolkien fan who may  stumble  onto this post. They are kindly advised not to read!

I've been striving on my personal quest in search for a spark between Tolkien's world  and me in the last two years.   It's been a long,  troubled journey, a real fight against my complete ignorance and  a rather visceral dislike. You know, Tolkien's work is not my cup of tea at all. I've tried to approach it anyway, overcoming my prejudices and preconceptions. This is just an account of my latest attempt and of some prior events. 

I started watching The Lord of the Rings movies with my son, who is fond of them, before the Hobbit trilogy came out, but it was rather frustrating because, as much as I wanted to like those films, I simply couldn't or, better,  I could but only mildly.

I read The Hobbit in search for Thorin (here, here, here and here) and wrote a series of posts waiting for Peter Jackson's new trilogy to come out.  Did I like reading it? Pass. Next question, please.

TOLKIEN'S INFLUENCE ON FANTASY SAGAS

(by guest blogger Elizabeth Eckhart) 

The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and J.R.R. Tolkien are all phrases considered synonymous with high fantasy. Since The Hobbit’s publication seventy-five years ago, the consensus among fans and critics is that J.R.R. Tolkien was one of the most, if not the most, ingenious fantasy writers to have ever existed. Even the less-than-habitual reader recognizes Tolkien’s legacy, and rightfully credits him with the onslaught of fantasy novels we enjoy today. Tolkien did more than bring back the the fantastical elements children and adults had been missing since the era of the Brothers Grimm -- he also thoroughly altered them. Because of Tolkien, we began to see tall, beautiful elves instead of tiny, mischievous creatures; the beginning of an elves vs. dwarves racism that carries into hundreds of subsequent fantasy novels; and even larger tropes such as the necessity for a world other than ours, war on an epic scale, an almost undefeatable enemy and, of course, a small band of heroes. Tolkien is credited with the popularity of the reluctant, anti-hero (think Bilbo and Frodo in comparison to Beowulf) who defeats the enemy in some way other than hand-to-hand combat. The list, of course, goes on.

TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE BLOG TOUR: WRITING IN THE SHADOW OF TOLKIEN - AUTHOR GUEST POST BY S. G. ROGERS

My guest today is S.G. Rogers. Originally from Southern California, she  has lived in Asheville, North Carolina and Laurel, Mississippi. She earned her first black belt in taekwondo from martial arts champion Billy Blanks.  Later on, she earned black belts in taekwondo and hapkido from Master Myung Kim. Currently residing in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, S.G. Rogers writes fantasy and romantic fantasy stories.  She’s owned by two hairless cats, Houdini and Nikita, and lives on an island populated by exotic birds, deer and the occasional gator. Although she’s most often drawn to speculative fiction, she’s been known to break away to write other genres.  Tab is her beverage of choice, but when she imbibes, a cranberry vodka martini doesn’t go amiss.

This post is part of S. G. Roger's  blog tour to launch her latest YA fiction book, A TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE. She's a Tolkien fan and she  decided to share her fondness with us today. Ready to read her post and win a $25 gift card? (see at the end of the post)

AT THE CINEMA - THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED PLEASURE

As usual what you find here is just a very personal approach to the movie and nothing like a professional review. So, get ready to my very subjective vision of a film I just wanted to see for Thorin Oakenshield, or better  Richard Armitage. or go to the end of the post for a link to a proper review. I wouldn't mind you reading my post at all, if you have a few minutes, though. 

After waiting for a couple of years and after booking a ticket to see it with my friends in Rome as soon as it came out,  I was really disappointed when I felt sick overnight and had to give up going.

I was, however , very happy to go and see it later on with the Tolkien expert in my family, my elder son , who wanted to see it again with me in the English version after watching it in Italian with his friends.

READING THE HOBBIT IN SEARCH FOR THORIN - PART IV

Richard Armitage as Thorin  smiling at his Lego alter ego

The hammering press campaign of these days, the several premieres all over the world, the many interviews and the huge amount of new pictures must have involved fans in an incredible  whirlpool of frenzy,  leading to the long-waited-for moment: the release of The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey,  film I in the new trilogy by Peter Jackson. It's time to close the book and get ready to watch the adaptation, the result of  almost two years  of detailed, talented, thoughtful,  creative work.

My reading of the book in search for Thorin must be completed, then,  in a couple of days, I too will see the film. 
I want to be clear again with any Tolkien fan  who might find themselves to drop by and read this: I undertook this journey through the book as a complete Tolkien newbie and only in order to follow the career of my favourite actor, Richard Armitage,  who is now  for many Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit, but will always remain Mr Thornton for me. 

This is my final post about the book, written leafing through chapters XI - XIX in  search for Thorin Oakenshield.  My previous posts are HERE, HERE and HERE. 
Time to get ready to compare the book with the movie. It's just a matter of hours for the majority of us now. 
For Thorin and his warrior dwarves it is instead time to meet the terrifying dragon Smaug. Is Bilbo ready to face him and steal the treasure Thorin claims back?

Warning!!! Huge spoilers ahead

READING THE HOBBIT IN SEARCH FOR THORIN - PART I

It's time to wrap up for cast and crew led by Peter Jackson in New Zealand, for a few of them to present The Hobbit first movie at San Diego Comic-con  2012 , and it's rather time for me to start my personal journey into The Hobbit  by J.R.R. Tolkien. December 2012 is not that distant anymore. 
This reading is something I planned as soon as I heard Richard Armitage was going to play Thorin Oakenshield.  As it has already happened in the latest years, I'm going to approach  a genre I've never been interested in , as a total newbie, to follow Mr Armitage's career with due background information and knowledge  to be able to enjoy and appreciate every little aspect of his detailed acting. 

If it is not totally clear yet, I've just confessed I've never read Tolkien's books nor been interested in them so far. You can't imagine how many times my teenage students have asked me to read and teach Tolkien to them, but I've always had to answer  : how can I teach something I don't know anything about? They could have taught me much about Tolkien and the world he created on the reverse.

However, it's never too late to start.