The Hobbit is a fascinating adventure tale about wizards, elves, dwarves, dragons, and many other fantasized creatures. Burrowed inside a hill, deep within Hobbiton, lives a particularly interestesting hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Being the jolly little hobbit that he is, Bilbo enjoys his peaceful life in the Shire until he is summoned by the old wizard, Gandalf, to go on an adventure across the lands. Bilbo accepts this adventure and sets out into the unknown on a quest for gold and riches. On his quest through the land, curious young Bilbo encounters many new things that are foreign to the Shire and life as he has known it. Traveling over the lands to strange towns, treacherous mountains, and dangerous forests the hobbit gains possession of a magic ring that he uses to his advantage on this journey for fortune.
This novel has been acclaimed a classic through generations for over the past 60 years. The Hobbit is an adventurous book about strange lands from long ago in a time when things were very different than they are today. The book is sometimes a little hard to follow with its elfish dialect and some tongue twisting sentences, but it is nothing a couple of read-through's can't fix. You may hit some boring drawn-out scenes, but stick with it. Once you are into the heart of the story, you will find it hard to put down. If you have a vivid imagination and an interest in fantasy, than this book will become a classic favorite of yours too.

This book is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit who lived a quiet life except for a single, life-altering year. He is recruited by a wizard named Gandalf to accompany a band of dwarves on their quest to reclaim the land and fortune that is rightfully theirs by slaying the dragon who took it from them. Bilbo is a reluctant hero, but nevertheless a memorable one. And his tale is an extraordinary flight of fancy that will stay in your heart forever. I am extremely picky about which books I like to reread, but after reading this for the first time I am sure that there will be a second, as well as a third and fourth. Tolkien is a masterful storyteller, and the world he creates is so vivid and well-conceived that it is easy to lose yourself in the forests of Mirkwood, the Misty Mountains or the desolate Lonely Mountain. Bilbo's adventure is captivating from one leg of the journey to the next. "The Hobbit" touches on issues of greed, courage and friendship without ever losing focus or seeming preachy. The only fault I can find is with me, for not reading it sooner.

The Hobbit is JRR Tolkien's prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though it stood on its own legs for 30 years, it is now difficult to disentangle this tale of Bilbo Baggins' adventuring with dwarves and finding of the One Ring from the grandly-scaled tale that would follow. This is a charming story, less an epic than a good old-fashioned tale, as Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield and the rest trek to the Lonely Mountain to wrest dwarvish gold from the dragon Smaug. Along the way they encounter Beorn the Bear-Man, elves, trolls and giant spiders.

This edition is quite beautiful, and would make a lovely gift for someone who has read the story and considers it something special. The binding is dark green and embossed with maroon and gold runes and an image. The paper is heavy and augmented by Tolkien's own illustrations.

This book is the most valuable title of the subject. In no other publication so many countries are compiled in one book. The piano arrangements are neither for absolute beginners nor for thorough professionals, and also the layout looks desirable. Although the quality of the scores varies, each of the tracks will definitely please you. Although this is the book's 8th edition and it always tries to be as up to date as possible, the most interesting (the new) countries of the world are missing. But anyway: if you are or if you want to be a professional in that topic, buy this book, you will never regret it!

This is a great book although many will be turned off by the price, It is worth the money IF this is a topic of interest to you.

The arrangements for the anthems also contain original romanized lyrics for them plus a translation into English

"The Silmarillion" is a coda to author J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings," and a fascinating one at that. The story describes Tolkien's world in ancient times, before there were hobbits, rings of power, or even elves. Think of it as the Genesis of Middle-earth, the creation of Tolkien's world. For those who have not yet read the Lord of the Rings, the names and places may be a bit puzzling. But the stories are engrossing as fantasy on their own. For Tolkien fans, The Silmarillion sets out to explain many of the tales and legends that were mentioned but not fully revealed in the Rings' trilogy. There's the story of the unchaining of Melkor; the coming of the high elves and men to Middle-earth; the courtship of Beren and Luthien, the fairest to ever walk in Middle-earth; and the fall of Gondolin. Perhaps most interesting is a chapter on the rings of power that describes Sauron's rise and his forging of the omnipotent One Ring. A fan of fantasy or curious about some of the legends of old that are mentioned in the main books? Then I say: "Read on!"

The Silmarillion is not the easiest book to read, but it contains a wealth of information about Middle Earth and the ancestors of those characters we have grown to love in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One gets a sense of reading an actual history and not a work of fiction. The scope of this book is astonishing. Anyone who loves The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, will appreciate the depth that Tolkien has gone to in writing The Silmarillion.

My approach to reading this book was to treat it as an actual history, rather than a work of fiction; in doing so I found it totally believable and enlightening. I feel I know so much more about the world that Tolkien created, and the wonderful (and sometimes terrible) beings that enhabited it.

If you've wandered onto this page, you've probably already read either the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings or both and are hungry for more. The Silmarillion will deliver that --- sort of.

The Silmarillion is not a tale in the tradition of LOTR. It is a compilation of the historical stories Tolkien wrote as the background for that magnificent work. It fleshes out the details of the stories only hinted at in the poems and appendices of the Lord of the Rings. Here you will find out how Middle Earth was created, how the elves fell from grace, about the War of the Jewels between Morgoth -- to whom Sauron was but a servant -- and the sons of Feanor -- the fiercest and most powerful elf ever born. It even includes one appendix on Ahkallabeth -- the downfall of Numenor and one on the Rings of Power. You will be able to read all about the treachery of Sauron the Deceiver and his war with men and elves.

HOWEVER --- the story is not told like LOTR. It's more like a history book. The characters mostly exist as historical figures. The first story especially -- Music of Ainur -- does not fare well in the leadoff spot.

On the other hand, there are some stories that are simply amazing. The tale of Beren and Luthien Tinuviel is one of the most touching and epic love stories ever penned (Tolkein, in fact, had his wife's tombstone engraved to "Tinuviel"). The story of Turin Turambar is a heartbreaking Greek-style tragedy. The confrontation between Fingolfin and Morgoth is amazing. Reading the Similarilion is like reading a history book and finding an epic poem in the middle of it.

If you, like me, read the appendices to LOTR in rapture, you'll love this book. Buy it in hardback and treasure every word. On the other hand, if you found those boring, then you should probably buy the paperback and flip foward to the best stories. Otherwise, you'll probably put it on your shelf, forget about it, and deprive yourself of some of the best stuff to ever come out of the golden pen of Tolkien.

Though I have never read Thomas Hardy before, I shall again very soon. I greatly enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd. I kept associating Bathsheba, the heroine, with Scarlett O'Hara. They are both women from the past who are struggling for a place where only men typically tread. Unlike Scarlett, Bathsheba's emotions are more restrained. She's so young, but matures through the book. The reader yearns for the day she finally matures to the point that realizes she needs a partner in life, and her perfect partner is Gabriel Oak, her steadfast mate of fate.

I definitely recommend this book for one of those cold rainy weekends curled up on the couch.

I am looking forward to diving into my next Thomas Hardy novel, Jude the Obscure.

I've always condidered myself to be sort of an optimist; so it is really odd that I've always really loved Thomas Hardy's books. I count Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure among my very favorites, and whether or not it is my favorite, I think that The Mayor of Casterbridge is marvelously written. Still though, reading all of that fatalism and cynicism can be a little much. It was really nice to pick up this novel and not read so many grim scenes.

Far From the Madding Crowd is a pretty simple love story driven by the characters. First, there is Bathsheba Everdeen. She's vain, naive, and she makes the stupidest decisions possible. Yet, you still like her. Then there are the three guys who all want her: Troy who's like the bad guy straight out of a Raphael Sabatini novel, Boldwood who's an old lunatic farmer, and Gabriel Oak who is a simple farmer and is basically perfect. The reader sees what should happen in the first chapter, and it takes Bathsheeba the whole book to see it. The characters really make the book. The reader really has strong feelings about them, and Hardy puts them in situations where you just don't know what they're going to do. The atmosphere that Hardy creates is (as is in all of Hardy's novel) amazing and totally original. I don't think any other author (except Wallace Stegner in America) has ever evoked a sense of place as well as Hardy does. Overall, Far from the Madding Crowd is a great novel. I probably don't like it quite as well as some of his others, but I still do think it deserved five stars.

This book was a required read for Academic Decathalon but I was handed the cliff notes and told to study them if I didn't have time to read the book. I dislike cliff notes unless I have already read a book and I need to review so I chose to listen to it on tape. I was thoroughly surprised to find myself laughing at the overly-honest Gabriel Oak proposing marriage to Bathsheba Everdene, I had been informed that this book was something of a rural comedy but I had not expected such preposterous situations and ironies. The novel centers around Bathsheba though I would not label her the heroine because the reader is often frustrated by her behavior and even annoyed by it. She is quite poor but a smart girl and a particularly beautiful one as well. Gabriel meets her and soon decides he must marry this young woman. She declines deciding that she can't love him and soon moves away. Gabriel loses his farm in an unfortunate event and through circumstance comes to be in the same part of Wessex as Bathsheba. She has inherited her uncle's farm and is now running it herself and she is in need of a sheperd and sheperding happens to be Gabriels forte so he is hired. Farmer Boldwood who runs the neighboring farm becomes smitten with Bathsheba too when he recieves a prank valentine saying "marry me" on the seal(this valentine was sent by Bathsheba and her maid/companion). He soon asks for Bathsheba's hand and Bathsheba who feels guilty for causing this man's desire says she will answer him upon his return in two months time. The union with Boldwood is not to be since Bathsheba falls deeply in love with Frank Troy and soon marries him. An ex-girlfriend of Troy's shows up but dies shortly after giving birth, Troy is heartbroken and tells Bathsheba that he loved Fanny more and still does. Troy leaves and soon is assumed dead but is truly only missing. Boldwood moves in one Bathsheba again but in a set of bizarre events Troy returns to take Bathsheba from Boldwood once more. Boldwood is infuriated and turmoil ensues. This is an escapist novel in these times and is well worth reading. Weatherbury and Casterbridge will charm you and allow you to experience the little oddities of Victorian Era rural life in the pleasantest way imaginable.

This has to be one of my favourite books. It was my first Smith book and he definitely lives up to the hype. Its every thing a good adventure novel should be, with well defined characters, loads of sword swinging action, intrigue, betrayal and even a heavy dose of eroticism thrown in for good measure.

I like his style of writing. He possesses an almost liquid command of prose that seems to flow from one sentence to the other, never yielding to monotony. That is the mark of a good writer, a talent that a lot of modern-day authors lack.

Since 'Birds of Prey',I have read a list of other Wilbur Smith books and I'm yet to be dissapointed. If you like a good Indiana Jones/James Bond/Treasure Island/Historically correct book, check out Smith without hesitation.

The man is the Stephen Spielberg of adventure novels, not the mention an engrossing storyteller. He'll hook you from the first page.

AHHH,the pleasures of a good read are underrated!

This was my first Smith book, but not my last. In the past I'd never read this type of book -- dealing with sailors (unless of course they were in an historical romance novel), but I decided to give it a try. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. This book has it all -- action, adventure, romance, some sorrow, loyalty, you name it. The characters are very well developed so that you come to know and care about them. The loyalty between some characters and what they would do for each other brought me to tears. The plot twists and turns in such a delightful manner that you never want to the book to end. But when it does, don't despair -- just pick up Monsoon -- the sequel. You won't be disappointed!

I am an avid reader of adventure and historical novels and have recently found Wilbur Smith through a recommendation of a friend. I recently read Birds of Prey and Monsoon back to back. I couldn't wait to read on and was saddened when I completed the two books. I anxiously hope and wait for a sequel to Monsoon. Now I have ordered the entire Courtneys of Africa series. I just completed The Sound of Thunder and while good (3 star)was not up to the excitement and adventure of Birds of Prey and Monsoon (both 5 stars). Perhaps it was the adventure on the high seas as opposed to the Boer War that I enjoyed but I think it was more the writing style and great decriptive and story telling skill that made the difference. I can't imagine a more exciting or better written novel than Smith's latest two books. Tomorrow I will begin A Time to Die.

Jonathan Swift's 18th century satire, Gulliver's Travels, is an extraordinary tale of the adventures of an English ship surgeon. The ship surgeon, Gulliver, by a series of unfortunate events on each of his four voyages at sea, receives the chance to explore the cultures of the countries of Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg and the land of the Houyhnhnms. Each land is considerably different from the others, and creates quite an entertaining read.

While the story itself is particularly unusual, the satirical element which Swift applied to it adds another level of comprehension. If understood, one could have a nice chuckle at the way Swift mockingly portrays ideas and people through the various cultures which Gulliver encounters. Some similes, however, are intended to get a more serious meaning across. For example, in his first journey of the book, Gulliver finds himself in the country of Lilliput where the people are only six inches tall, save the king who is seven. In this land there are two groups which were distinguished by which side a person breaks their eggs on. One king published an edict commanding all his subjects to break their eggs on the small side, but many would've picked death over breaking their eggs on the 'wrong' side, so many did. By this, Swift meant to throw contempt on the exaggerated importance that people place on their differences, as on which side one breaks an egg is a very trivial thing. The two groups mentioned represent the Catholic and Protestant religions, between which were many wars and massacres during the 1500's when the Protestants first appeared.

Gulliver's Travels takes the reader to many lands, all different and unique ' each adding another perspective on traditional beliefs and ways of thinking. Gulliver changes as much as the scenery around him, and after each voyage he has changed dramatically. At the end he has transformed so much that I feel really sorry for his family ' although it's only love that could allow them to put up with his strange behaviors.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an appetite for literature, as Gulliver's Travels is an excellent satire of the ways of the thinking in the early 1700's. Also, the author does a good job in describing the lands which Gulliver visits in great detail. Although Swift may not have written this book with intense action scenes and steamy romance, it is definitely a work worthy of the people of today.

Lemuel Gulliver is a surgeon/ship¨ˆs captain who embarks on several intriguing adventures. His first endeavor takes him to Lilliput, where all inhabitants are six inches tall, but resemble normal humans in every other respect. His next voyage lands him on Brobdingnag, where a grown man is sixty feet tall, and even the shortest dwarf stands thirty feet tall. On his third trip, he travels to several locations, including a floating island. During Gulliver¨ˆs final voyage, he is abandoned by his mutinous crew on the island of the Houyhnhnms, which are extremely intelligent horses. No evil or concept of lying exists among these creatures. The island is also inhabited by Yahoos, savage, irrational human-like creatures who are kept as pets by the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver wishes to spend the rest of his life on this peaceful island, but he is banished and forced to return to England.
I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to people 14 or older. Since the novel was written in the 1700¡¯s, the words, grammar and usage are a little confusing. The reader also must have prior knowledge of 18th-century politics to get a full image of what Swift is trying to convey. At some points, the author goes into detail about nautical terms and happenings, and that tends to drag. Overall, the book is well-written, slightly humorous, if not a little confusing.

I have trouble reading classic literature. I am an avid reader and I want to enjoy the classics, but just find it difficult to understand the meaning in some of the writing.

This, however, was a pleasant surprise. Although written in the early 1700s, the story itself was fairly easy to follow. Even towards the end, I began to see the underlying theme of the satire that Swift has been praised for in this work.

Being someone who reads primarily science fiction and fantasy novels, I thought this might be an opportunity to culture myself while also enjoying a good story. I was correct in my thinking. Even if you can't pick up on the satire, there is still a good classic fantasy story.

Essentially, the book details the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, who by several misfortunes, visits remote and unheard of lands. In each, Gulliver spends enough time to understand the language and culture of each of these land's inhabitants. He also details the difference in culture of his native England to the highest rulers of the visted nations. In his writing of these differences, he is able to show his dislike with the system of government of England. He does this by simply stating how things are in England and then uses the reaction of the strangers as outsiders looking in, showing their lack of respect for what Gulliver describes.

I found it very interesting to see that even as early as the 1700s there was a general dislike of government as well as lawyers.

I would recommend this book to anyone who reads the fantasy genre. Obviously, it's not an epic saga like so many most fantasy readers enjoy, but it's a nice break. I would also recommend this to high school students who are asked to pick a classic piece for a book report. It reads relatively quick and isn't as difficult to read as some of the others that I've tried to read.

The Crystal Prison is a far more enhanced versoin of the Redwall Saga with it's talking maice and animals. Even though it lack's Redwall's stunning fantasies, the Debtford Mice Trilogy sets a pretty fine point for a new author.It's simply wonderful with its great details and great plotline. I'd give it five stars if it wasn't for its confusing characters.
I started reading The Crystal Prison just like any other person would start: I would handpick it from the library or buy it. Usually, I'd check the cover art, as the phrase " never judge a book by it's cover" felt like the words of a dull critic. Nevertheless, I read this book and found it was pretty interesting, given its bizarre lines of characters.
The beginning is fairly simple, it starts off with the ending of Robin Jarvis' (the author) first novel. The Debtford mice have escaped the chamber of Jupiter and the rat infested sewers of the city. Forced by an evil witch named Starwife, they must move to the countryside. But despite an owl who hunts in the night, the countrymice that live in the plains have nought to do but to point their fingers at a young, outspoken female mouse named Audrey. What's left is a wilder conclusion you'd never believe!

THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA is one of Shaw's most biting critical commentaries...this time on doctors. Shaw hated doctors, as a result of a botched operation on his foot, so here he portrays them as a group of ignorant, bull-headed windbags. All, that is, except for one doctor, who has actually found a cure for tuberculosis. The "dilemma" in the title is whether to use the cure on a talented young painter who is a moral and ethical sleazebag, or on an upstanding middle-aged physician who is a good soul, albeit a boring and relatively mundane one. All this is complicated by the fact that the doctor is in love with the painter's wife! The biggest problem with the play is that it has lost some of its impetus in the last century. Antibiotics can now cure tuberculosis, and the medical profession is far more restricted in its use of "experimental" treatments than it was then. However, Shaw's wit and invective is still poignant even at the end of the twentieth century. A must-read for Bernard Shaw enthusiasts....

I recently read the novel Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. As a student, I would not recommend this book to other readers. Unless falling asleep after every chapter of a book classifies it as good, Wuthering Heights is only good as a bedtime story. In the novel, it is said that Heathcliff and Catherine are in love, if this is so they wouldn't have spent their times together trying to hurt one another for pleasure. Heathcliff would have not wished that Catherine not rest in piece because she didn't mention him in her last breaths of air before dying (even though she was unconscious). This relationship that the author portrays as love, really is not love. It is more of a hate than anything. Another thing about this novel in which, I did not quite enjoy was its exaggeration in descriptions of everything. It is great to describe things well enough for the reader to create an image on what is happening in the story, in their mind, but don't push it overboard. For example, Liam O'Flaherty an author of short stories and novels uses great descriptions in his works. In his stories, he was able to create a mental image of the story in reader's imaginations, without letting the story get boring, and without over doing it. The thing is in Wuthering Heights, Bronte explained things out far too well and made the story less interesting. So coming from a student, I would not recommend this book to another student.

"It is as if Emily Bronte could tear up all that we know human beings by, and fill these unrecognizable transparencies with such a gust of life that they transcend reality." -Virginia Woolf

Damn straight, sister! I gotta tell you, read this book in the *summer time*. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, read this in the gloom of winter, as I stupidly did.

The epic story of Catherine and Heathcliff plays out against the dramatic backdrop of the wild English moors, and presents an astonishing vision of fate and obsession, passion and REVENGE.

This classic book is a bummer. Not that it's bad writing, but my oh my.. it makes you so sad! Your heart just goes out for Heathcliff and the depression he faces. But also, the um... "inter-breeding" (*blush*) is quite disturbing!! One cousin marries one other cousin and they have kids who marry their other cousins, I was just surprised that the whole lot of them weren't, "messed up".

I really wouldn't recommend this book for happy people. If you want some romance and a historical novel, read "Gone with the Wind". My favorite.

I don't like romance novels, or movies or television shows. Such is the curse of the lion share of my sex, despite our gradual feminization in the modern era.

I'm glad I overcame my aversion to read this excellent portrayal of eros defiled. Heathcliff is the focus, fulcrum and prime mover in this story. He is dragged of the streets and taken in by a wealthy gentleman from the provinces. This man showers great affection on the young street urchin and demands equal treatment from his two natural born children.

The eldest, a son, resents this upstart, so when the father dies, he relegates poor Heathcliff to the status of neglected servant. Catherine, the younger, has become a close friend of Heathcliff and follows him into the relatively untethered but savage life of the servants' children. Growing up unsupervised they develop the manners of the low born, and but develop a strong bond of love that transcends the facile distinctions of filial versus romantic.

Alas, when Catherine comes of age, the duties of her birth beckon and she is taken from Heathcliff and marries someone of higher station.

It is this love, never fulfilled, that sours in Heathcliff makes him a despicable tyrant.

This is the dark side of romance, and Romance as viewed from the man's vantage point.

Worth reading.

After finishing all 5 books in the series, I came away satisfied, but not completely full (much like eating sushi). The backdrop to the series is fantastic (who is not intrigued by ancient Egypt) and the characters were generally interesting, but unfortunately, there was MUCH too little development, both in terms of characters and plots. The author has an annoying habit of solving/explaining away too many (as in all) of the major conflicts to Ramses, being a living god and thus calling on super-natural abilities to solve the problem / slay the enemy. Each book could have easily been the length of the entire series, example: the entire battle of Kadesh (Ramses most notable victory) was glossed over in about 15-pages! I realize this is a novel, but let's get real...unfortunately, this is the case with most of the interesting items in this series from relationships, to motives, to plots. BUT with that said, it was an enjoyable read AND I found that a good bit of the series was historically accurate, of course with some liberties taken. I would recommend this book and each one in the series to other readers (provided they have an interest in Ancient Egypt), but just don't expect too much and you might not be let down.

I read this book with an open mind, knowing that the mystery that was Egypt is far from being solved.

I believe that one day we will find, under the sands of time, artifacts that will totally revise our vision of past civilizations in that region.

For now, this book's plot has elements which are intiguing and which challenge the 'truths' we were taught in school about this amazing culture.

My main complaint is that I do not believe the book is well translated. Perhaps I am wrong, but my feeling is that the translator intentionally simplified the novel, as if American readers were somehow less knowledgeable than their French counterparts.

My suspicions on the subject of the translation are based on my first hand knowledge of the French. Their sophistication level is such that I do not believe the Ramses quintet would have been so successful, if it read as it does in the English version.

I LOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDD THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Okay, let's go. First things first. I read this book in Icelandic. Yes, yes, I KNOW what you're saying: 'Liar, you're kidding, etc.' But I did, so I DO HAVE AN EXCUSE if I get the names a LITTLE jumbled (I don't know what the original names of some characters are)

I have always been interested in ancient Egypt. Face it, they are sooo neat. This book is interesting because you are seeing what it was like to be a young man from a royal family at this particular time period. Ramses is 14 at the beginning of the book, the younger of pharoh Seti's two sons. He wants nothing more than to be chosen to rule after his father's death, but his older brother Shaanar (It's Sénar in Icelandic) has already been picked as crown prince.

One thing that Christian Jacq does is to "assume" that Moses was alive around this time (more precisely only a year or two older than Ramses). I've seen this done before, such as in the cartoon The Prince of Egypt, and it adds a nice depth to the plot, as we know he will one day rebel against Egypt and leave it out of religious objection to Egyptian beliefs.

I've seen some people talk about "cartoonic" language and childishness, and I can tell you immediately that the translator must have messed it up. It's beautifully done in the Icelandic version.

I only wish that I could either get a hold of books 4 and 5 in english here in Iceland or that this blasted translator could hurry up and finish translating them!

Anybody interested in ancient Egypt, or just likes well written historical fiction should read it. I got it on a saturday morning, finished it sunday afternoon, lent it to a classmate last monday and got it back friday. Too bad they don't teach egyptology in the 8th grade.