Tag: The Hobbit

DETAILS:
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Publication Date: November 16, 2021
Format: Hardcover 
Length: 104 pgs.
Read Date: September 21, 2024

Why this Book Today?

Last Spring, I read Lashaan Balasingam talk about this book at Roars and Echoes and put it on a wish list instantly. I was given a copy of it last year, but aside from glancing through it then, I hadn’t taken the time to really sit down with it. But with Hobbit Day yesterday, I made time Saturday to do just that—so I could post about it today (and maybe add this and some other things to a recurring thing like I do with Towel Day).

You should really see what Lashaan had to say about it, not only does he do a (typically) better job of it than I’m about to, but he liked it a lot more than I did.

What’s Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien About?

Well, it’s pictures drawn by Tolkein in his spare time—when he wasn’t teaching, creating new languages, writing epic fantasies, or smoking his pipe (well, he probably did both of those at the same time).

The Publisher describes it this way:

With Christopher Tolkien as your guide, take a tour through this colorful gallery of enchanting art by J.R.R. Tolkien, as published originally in the first groundbreaking Tolkien Calendars of the 1970s.

This collection of pictures, with a text by Christopher Tolkien, now reissued after almost thirty years, confirms J.R.R. Tolkien’s considerable talent as an artist. It provides fascinating insight into his visual conception of many of the places and events familiar to readers of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

Examples of his art range from delicate watercolors depicting Rivendell, the Forest of Lothlorien, Smaug, and Old Man Willow, to drawings and sketches of Moria Gate and Minas Tirith. Together they form a comprehensive collection of Tolkien’s own illustrations for his most popular books.

Also included are many of his beautiful designs showing patterns of flowers and trees, friezes, tapestries, and heraldic devices associated with the world of Middle-earth. In their variety and scope, they provide abundant visual evidence of the richness of his imagination.

This enchanting gallery was personally selected by Christopher Tolkien who, through detailed notes on the sources for each picture, provides unique insight into the artistic vision of his father, J.R.R. Tolkien.

How’s the Writing?

Well, it’s pretty bland. It’s just straightforward descriptions of the pictures, where it came from, where it was originally published—who added color (sometimes), and so on.

It’s not bad, it’s not good—it’s just there. And that’s good enough, this isn’t supposed to be about Christopher Tolkien’s wordsmithery—this is about the pictures.

How’s the Art?

Well, I think it’s clear why we think of Tolkien as a writer, scholar, and storyteller and not a visual artist. Don’t get me wrong—I can’t hold a candle to his drawing. But it’s nothing stellar.

But it does deliver the flavor of Middle Earth and its denizens in a way the books can’t quite manage (or does manage, in a different way). You get a real sense of the scope and scale of the world. It’s clear that Jackson and his team spent some time with Tolkien’s art and drew a lot from it—and you can see why they’d want to (beyond just trying for authenticity). I did like it—and could easily spend time studying the details.

Lashaan’s post has a couple of samples if you’re curious. But honestly, if you’re basing getting your hands on this book on the quality of the art, you might be missing the point. (still, check out the samples to get a feel for it)

If you want great fantasy art, may I suggest starting with Larry Elmore, Chris McGrath, or Isabeau Backhaus? But there’s something about seeing it from the hand of the creator, you know?

So, what did I think about Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien?

As a book, it’s…fine. As a collection of pictures, it’s…nice enough. As a way to get to know a different side of Tolkein and how his brain, his creativity, and his personality worked? It’s pretty cool. I’d love to see sketches, drawings, and even paintings by other authors to get inside their heads (okay, no one wants inside Thomas Harris’ mind, but you know what I’m saying. Keep the visuals for Hannibal and the rest locked away.)

Am I glad that I own this? Yes. Am I glad that I finally got around to taking it out of its slipcase and really worked through it? You bet. Am I just a little underwhelmed by the whole thing? Yup.

But I will return to flip through it and pour over the contents repeatedly.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
Irresponsible Reader Pilcrow Icon

My Favorite Audiobooks of 2022

By HCNewton

On January 3, 2023

In Audiobook, Fiction, News/Misc., Non-Fiction

My Favorite Audiobooks of 2022
Last year I kicked off my Year-End Retrospective with a look at my favorite audiobooks, I might as well repeat that this year. How do I keep this from being just a rehash of my other year-end lists? By focusing on the audiobook experience over the content. What was it like to listen to it? How engaging was it, how did the narrator do? Was it a good match in terms of tone, content, and performance? All of these books are/were good—but the audiobooks are a bit better because of the narrator and the rest of the people involved in the production.

(in alphabetical order by author)

The Law

by Jim Butcher

My original post
Sure, I love Harry Dresden—so it’s almost a given that this novella is going to show up somewhere on my end-of-year lists. The fact that Jim Butcher did the narration himself makes this something special (thankfully, he’s still fully intending on having James Marsters do the series). Butcher’s good at this, he’s not great, but he’s good. Hearing his idea about what the characters that we know and love sound like was a lot of fun. Also, after all the epic and emotional moments that Butcher’s put his fans through lately, having something non-epic or world-changing like this is such a nice breather.

4 Stars

Black Nerd Problems:
Essays

by William Evans & Omar Holmon

My original post
Funny, insightful, thoughtful, thought-provoking, passionate (about things both important and trivial). This collection of essays about pop culture, race, and the intersection of those two things was a surprise to me—I thought I’d have a good time with it, I didn’t know I’d have a great time and be moved, too. The authors narrated this themselves—both have backgrounds in poetry jams, and the panache from that shines through. I have quoted this and referred more people to various essays in this than probably anything else this year.

4 Stars

On Eden Street

by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson (Narrator)

My original post
This one makes the list due to the nature of the book and how well Jackson handled it. The previous book served as a transition point from the DC Smith Mysteries to the Kings Lake series—but this is the one that’s truly different. We have a bunch of new characters to deal with in addition to serving those we’ve grown accustomed to. The nature of the central character and his new boss underlines how different this is from the previous incarnation, but it’s the same books at their core. And Jackson gets both through to the listener. It’s all there in Grainger’s text, no doubt—but it’s the narration that solidifies it for the listener.

4 1/2 Stars

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking

by T. Kingfisher, Patricia Santomasso (Narrator)

My original post
I don’t know if I can put my finger on why this made the list, but as I was looking over the list of audiobooks I read in ’22, as soon as I saw this one, I knew it had to make the list.

Between Kingfisher’s text and Santomasso’s narration, this was just a great experience. The story is fun, the characters (particularly as embodied, or emvoiced?, by Santomasso) were endearing—as a whole, it was an immersive and pleasant time—just what you want in an audiobook.

3.5 Stars

The World Record Book
of Racist Stories

by Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar

My original post
My wife assures me that the paper version of this is well-worth reading, but I can’t imagine having the opportunity to listen to Ruffin and Lamar reading this and passing it up—the goofy voices they employ and little tunes they sing in addition to the reading adds a nice little layer to the book that you’re not going to get with the print edition.

This is a more serious, more somber, book than its predecessor was—by design. But because of that, it feels like they dialed the silliness up to help alleviate things. It can’t be an easy balancing act—discussing the horrors of everyday racism in a way that is entertaining enough that it can educate those that need it the most. Ruffin and Lamar hit that balance in both print and in audio.

4 Stars

How to Be Perfect:
The Correct Answer to
Every Moral Question

by Michael Schur (Writer, Narrator)
with: Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, D’Arcy Carden, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper, Manny Jacinto, Marc Evan Jackson, Jameela Jamil, and Todd May

My original post
Yeah, that’s a huge cast—but 95+% of the work is done by Schur. The contributions of the rest shouldn’t be overlooked, but when you think about the narration, you’re going to be thinking about the author, Mike Schur. My appreciation for Schur’s writing goes back before I knew who he was on a baseball blog that I really enjoyed. After that, I got on board with this TV writing and became a huge fan. What puts this audiobook on this list is the way that Schur is able (thanks to his own writing) to make this introduction to ethics and philosophy so accessible. It doesn’t feel dry, or head-in-the-clouds at all. Yes, I have significant issues with a lot of the thinking in this book (he rules out theism or morality given to us by a deity from the get -go), but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn from it—I can’t gain an appreciation of the thinking through ethical dilemmas.

I had fun, and I think I learned something. You can’t ask for more.

4 Stars

Movies (And Other Things)

by Shea Serrano, Mario Toscano (Narrator)

My original post
There’s a little bit of the seriousness of Black Nerd Problems in this collection of essays about Movies (and things like it), but Serrano doesn’t spend that much time with it. Serrano’s approach to movies is a wonderful hybrid of fanboy and educated critic that can appeal to people all over that spectrum. This results in a book that’s a great combination of movie knowledge/insight, social commentary, and humor mixed throughout each of these. Even when it came to movies I’ve never seen, have no interest in seeing, or saw ages ago and don’t remember well, Serrano kept me pretty engaged and entertained. Toscano’s narration is so good, so convincing that you have to remind yourself that he’s reading Serrano’s words and isn’t speaking from the heart.

3.5 Stars

We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

by Dennis E. Taylor, Ray Porter (Narrator)

My original post
Stumbling across this series is one of the highlights of 2022 for me. Ray Porter doing the narration is what pushed me to give this story a shot, and I’d be happy I did if only for his narration. I can think of a handful of narrators that could’ve got this gig (based on their other work, etc.) and I’m not sure how many of them would’ve got me to come back so quickly—nothing against Taylor’s text, but it’s Porter’s skill and warmth that elevates this book (and the rest of the series) into something I can see myself revisiting often.

It’s not all about Porter, I should make clear—Taylor has a gift for SF comedy. Throw in Bob’s snark and optimism and the great premise that pretty much opens the door for Taylor to do just about anything he wants in the series for as long as he wants to, and you’ve got yourself a real winner.
3 Stars

The Hobbit, or
There and Back Again

by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator)

My original post
As soon as I read that Serkis was doing audiobook versions of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I knew I had to listen to them—what could be better? I mean, for the scene between Bilbo and Gollum alone, you know that The Hobbit is going to be worth the time and expense. And it was.

The rest of the book is great, too, make no mistake. Serkis knows what he’s doing with his voice—because of the nature of a lot of his acting jobs, his voice has to carry the performance that his (own and natural) face can’t. It’s a great skill that he brings to bear on an audiobook’s narration. This is just a joy to listen to.

5 Stars

Free Billy

by Don Winslow, Ed Harris (Narrator)

My original post
Speaking of actors who can do a lot with their voice, here’s Ed Harris. There’s something so natural about his delivery of this short story that I have to wonder why he hasn’t been making audiobooks for years. It’s like Winslow’s words were written solely for him (I’ve heard three of these Audible Originals from this pair and could listen to another 20 this year). This book is a sequel to The Dawn Patrol—one of my All-Time Desert Island books. You get Ed Harris to do the narration on that, and you know I’m going to love it. People who aren’t me are likely going to enjoy it a lot, too.

(sure, there’s part of me that wishes Ray Porter had been used—his work on the audiobook for The Dawn Patrol was stellar, but why be greedy?)

5 Stars

The Hobbit (Audiobook) by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator): Serkis (Naturally) Knocks It Out of the Park with this Audiobook

By HCNewton

On January 27, 2022

In Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction

The Hobbit, or
There and Back Again

by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Recorded Books
Publication Date: September 20, 2020
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:10 hrs., 25 min.
Read Date: January 18-22, 2022

What’s The Hobbit About?

I suppose it’s theoretically possible that in 2022 someone will be reading a book blog and not know the basics of this, right?

So a Hobbit (Bilbo Baggins) is recruited (quite presumptuously) by the wizard Gandalf to join a band of thirteen dwarves on their odyssey to sneak back into their territory which had been taken over by the dragon, Smaug. Their goal is to steal back the treasure (particularly an heirloom of the king’s family, the Arkenstone). There’s really no reason to think that Bilbo, who hates the idea of adventure and just wants to stay in his comfortable home all day (like 99.9997% of Hobbits) will make a capable burglar. But Gandalf insists on it, overrules the objections of the dwarves, and tricks Bilbo into accepting the role.

Along the way, they have various adventures—in addition to some nasty geographical features, they meet goblins, giants, trolls, freakishly huge talking spiders, a ware-bear, elves, and several others. Some of those are allies, many are not. Eventually, they reach the Lonely Mountain, face off against the dragon, find themselves in the middle of The Battle of Five Armies, and then (as the title implies) Bilbo goes back home.

The Narration

I saw that Serkis recorded this and almost jumped immediately—but I made myself hold off until he did the follow-up trilogy. Well, that happened last fall, so after I wrapped up my Alex Verus re-listen, I moved on to this series. What a delicious listen!

Serkis does a great job bringing individual characters to life—and keeping them individual. A couple of times I wondered if he was doing a McKellen impression with Gandalf, but I talked myself out of it—ditto for the other characters. I thought his Smaug was excellent, too.

The moment that [name redacted out of habit, can’t imagine I’m spoiling anything] turns on Bilbo was so well done that I felt something like surprise while I was waiting for it.

But the big question for me going in was how was he going to approach Gollum. Would he be prevented from duplicating the voice/characterization from the films in this format, because it wasn’t owned by some film company or something? Or was Serkis just sick and tired of doing it and wanted to try another approach? Nope and nope. His audiobook Gollum sounded just like the movie Gollum and I could’ve listened to that section of the book on a loop for few times through. I just loved it. It almost didn’t matter what he did the rest of the time.

I typically listen to audiobooks at more than 1.0x speed—it varies from book to book, narrator to narrator, genre to genre—what speed I use. Frequently, too, I’ll start at something like 1.2 and then work my way up as I get used to a narrator/book. Not with this one—I wanted to soak in the performance. I don’t think I made it more than a paragraph or two before I slowed to 1.0 and kept it there the whole time, I just really got into his performance (I’m not sure that I’ll do that for LoTR, those are some long reads).

Oof, I really should’ve thought of this before starting the book…

If you’re reading, it’s easy to skip and/or skim through the songs. If you’re listening to an audiobook—unless you want to stop everything you’re doing to focus on fast-forwarding just enough, you’re stuck listening to them all.

Call me a Philistine if you will, but I just can’t do the songs. And I consistently forget how many of them there are in this book. I tried, I really tried to pay attention, but I couldn’t. I do think Serkis did a decent job carrying a tune with them. I’d love a Behind the Scenes look at how they decided on a tune for him to use.

So, what did I think about The Hobbit Audiobook?

I’m not the Tolkein-fanboy that I (and many acquaintances) would’ve assumed I am. This is only my third (complete) time through the book—I tried a handful of times in grade school, but couldn’t make it through. I got some encouragement from a big fan in college to push through it so I could get to The Lord of the Rings, but didn’t get around to it until the year before Jackson’s LotR was released. I really enjoyed it then, and my appreciation grows in the re-reads. Serkis’ work here moved that up a lot, too.

It’s just a fantastic audiobook—any problems stem from the original text, not Serkis’s performance—if anything he helped the text (not that it needed much). I can’t wait to see what he does with LoTR, those books demand a bit more, and I’m confident he’ll live up to expectations, now I just want to hear it for myself.

If you’re at all curious about this, you should give it a shot—you’ll be glad you did. If you have no curiosity about this—are you sure? Should you reconsider your position? This’d be a great way on family vacations or something to introduce younger readers to the series, I’d think.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.