Helloooo!

The Prologue - There and Back Again

My relationship with the classics of the genre is bumpy. I tend to think of them more as archeology rather than genre highpoints. If the best book of the genre is 70 years old then is the genre really that healthy? The Lord of the Rings first entered my consciousness when I saw the animated movie one summer holiday. A film that unusually ended on a  cliffhanger and the announcer had to say what happened next using picture stills! The film was visually good and I liked reading so young junior school me tried to read the book…and failed…I tried many many times over many years. I was puzzled – this has magic and wizards. I should like this…but it was not working for me. I think I finally managed to read it when I’m about 20 (mid-1990s). I set myself a challenge of 100 pages a day and managed to read it over a couple of weeks. I was glad that I finally managed it. I think I appreciated what Tolkien was trying to do but oh boy was I not going to do that again. A few years later though I loved the movies – that was how to do it! I continually feel puzzled why I’m told Rings is the best ever fanatssy novel.

As I enter my 47th year I’m setting myself a few challenges and one is to revisit Middle Earth to see what I may have missed. So a chapter a day (slightly impacted by a scratched eyeball this week) should take me about 9 weeks. So join me as I try to take this book on one more time!

Chapter 1 – A Long Expected Party aka Exit Bilbo Stage Left

I do appreciate that Tolkien decided to not just pick up from the Hobbit a few days later and creating a newish cast I think allows us all to come fresh in. It is a genteel bit of mystery in a very pastoral, rural and occasionally what feels a middle class twee Shire that calls to mind the images grandparents of my time (which would be early 20th century century) would describe their childhoods – even in urban Liverpool. Its unusual rather than high tempo with Bilbo deciding to go and then in an interesting shadowy near confrontation with Gandalf about leaving the Ring behind that suggest a lot of things are going on. Overall while pace is slow its an interesting enough start for me to continue.

Chapter 2 – The Shadow of the Past aka The Great Infodump

So this is where the story explains the backstory to help us know where this story is going to go next. Clear? Props to Toilkien this is not easy to do in most books and I admit this bit of the story works it’s a conversation in a hobbit house that helps us still see the bigger world running outside it. Indeed a theme starying in this section is how unaware of the wider world these Hobbits are – it sounds provincial but people’s awareness of wars on their doorstep is often quite low and I can see why no one knows what is going on. This scene works as you Frodo is getting quite scared. Its fascinating here how in this chapter Tolkien drops in lots of future ideas – forest ents get mentioned, Aragorn and most interestingly Gollum’s backstory as a darker type of hobbit to those we’ve met– a fascinating revelation that I suspect most readers of that book didn’t see coming . It also introduces Sam who to the slightly frail ever so posh Froso is a welcome contrast. I think I’ll like Sam (well I am allowed to cheat giving you my thoughts!).

Chapter 3 – Three is Company aka Tolkien makes clear we are not doing Hobbit 2.

Just when you think we might be going somewhere I recall a major reason I struggled to finish this book – pacing. Blimey this pasrt of the story slows right down. The sense of urgency we are told is high and yet Frodo by the end is only just leaving the shire. The first half of the chapter I was very much reminding myself of why I’m rarely recommending this to readers and yet and yet I think this chapter is where Tolkien starts to realise that he can go for a more adult type of storytelling. The first encounter with a Black Rider is chilling – brilliantly weird, menacing and makes an impression. Just the words Black Rider gives me all sorts of mental images to process that have lingered in my brain for a long time. I was also really impressed how much the forest encounter with Elves here is delivered ethereal as these people do not act like the Hobbits we’ve met for four chapters – they seem ancient, alien and aloof but also foreshadow that Frodo is in trouble and that if m,mighty Elves cannot help him we start to understand how hard Frodo’s life will be.

Chapter 4 – A Short Cut to Mushrooms aka Farming of the Rings

After being impressed how the story was finally up and running then this chapter quickly brings me back to Earth. Yes we get more Black Rider weirdness and they manage to be manacing without fully turning up to do battle but we also get a lovely charming and cosy detour to old Farmer Maggot and absolutely nothing really moves in the story. You start to watch the page count here…

Chapter 5 – A Conspiracy Unmasked aka We Need More Hobbitses

To put it bluntly 100 pages have passed and we’re still in the Shire boundaries. There is a bit more Black Rider goodness but the fact they only have to get 20 miles riding in to catch up doesn’t really spur the team on. We have chats and more provisions and food. It’s slowwww.

Despite that we get more Hobbits in the shape of Merry and Pippin and knowing that I like these two does give me a lift. I am intrigued how they leave poor Fatty Bolger to fend off the Black Riders and pity this spin-off show we never got to see. One little element I liked here was when its referred to Captain Frodo and Company -  an unusual turn of phrase more suited to WW1 of the bright middle class off to war and not yet aware what horrors await. Despite this I’m still feel a lot of treading water is still underway.

Chapter 6 – The Old Forest aka Magical Forest 1 Hobbitses 0

We’re finally out of the Shire a mere 130 odd pages. But putting that to one side I liked this chapter a lot. The Forest is a beautifully dark fairytale version; weird – , ominous and changing shape; getting our characetrs lost and we even get an evil tree decades before the Evil Dead. Relatively speaking knowing what to come this is small scale but it’s a chapter that shows us how unused to this world our hobbits are and its more luck and a small demi-god out of the blue that saves him. Our team are not the D&D group who sort things out on their own just yet.

Chapter 7 – In The House of Tom Bombadil aka The Bonbadil Blot test

Ok this is an area that I cheerfully skipped in many attempts as its so reaslitvely uneventful. Now though I look at with eyes of someone who has read a bit more mythology and it’s a fascinating choice.

On the one hand it doesn’t quite fit the narrative of what is to come. Bombadil would usually these days come back to play a larger part and here he comes, sings and goes. But there is a mention of lore and this chapter does show a bigger mythology here something under the Middle Earth - wilder, the old old stories and that sone powers even the Ring does little for. It’s very cosy, a little strange and it’s a fun chapter to read even if I feel it again slows things down.

See you all next week!