The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien · 1937
Before it was LotR's prelude, it was the template for the quest narrative, the dragon's hoard, the reluctant hero. The most widely read fantasy novel in history and the entry point for generations into the genre.
The case against
Tolkien's narrator keeps elbowing in, winking at the children he assumes are listening, and the story is a string of episodes: trolls, then goblins, then spiders, then elves. At the climactic Battle of Five Armies, Bilbo is knocked unconscious and the ending arrives secondhand. Charming, yes; also slight.
Science Fiction & Fantasy · the Pro canon
The case for it and the rest of the canon open with Pro.
if this one calls to you, so will these →
