Well, I finished rereading The Hobbit and it was well worth it. Bilbo Baggins turns out to be quite the hero, as he and his 13 dwarf companions encounter countless obstacles on their journey to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim the dwarfs’ gold buried under the mountain by Thror, the grandfather of the eldest dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield. Bilbo’s wits are sorely tested as he tries to keep his friends safe on their journey. Trolls, a small slimy creature called Gollum, goblins, wolves, giant spiders, Wood-elves, and of course, Smaug, the dragon, are among the many creatures devised by Tolkien that Bilbo and the dwarves are either captured by, or must outwit during their adventures. Bilbo finds a “magic” ring in his travels, which allows him to become invisible while he is wearing it, which he uses to his advantage.
But as great wealth tends to corrupt, the conclusion contains a terrible battle between the “Five Armies”: the Goblins and the Wild Wolves on one side, and the Elves, Men and Dwarves on the other. A classic tale of evil vs. good, and while this battle ends in The Hobbit, the next three volumes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy describe the war that ultimately develops and concludes in the last volume, The Return of the King. (The movie won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture).