Contrary to what you may read on other posts---say, for instance, Ms. Guiney's---this is arguably the best fantasy novel of the 20th century. Period. Tolkien writes with such conscious control of the language, such vivid description and understanding of character development, mythology, and good old-fashioned story-telling that he has few peers when it comes to fantasy writing. Don't forgo the pleasure of reading this novel because you saw The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy (which I, too, loved---but this book and the LOR triology novels are well worth the time and are even better than the movies---trust me). A+. Maybe even an A++.Passage from the novel:
"It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait. At any rate after a short halt go on he did; and you can picture him coming to the end of the tunnel, an opening of much the same size and shape as the door above. Though it peeps the hobbit's head. Before him lies the great bottom-most cellar or dungeon-hall of the ancient dwarves right at the Mountain's root. It is almost dark so that its vastness can only be dimly guessed, but rising from the near side of the rocky floor there is a great glow. The glow of Smaug!"
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