ach_sss_no

Livebloggy notes while reading The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, chapter 18 & 19. These are notes I'm making in the process of assembling a proper chapter-by-chapter review of the book. There was some indication of interest in seeing a liveblog-style thing when I asked on Tumblr, so I'm posting my notes.

Bilbo wakes up all by himself in a desolate rocky wasteland. Fortunately someone searching for survivors comes across him.

"A nasty knock on the head, I think," said Bilbo. "But I have a helm and a hard skull. All the same I feel sick and my legs are like straws."

"I will carry you down to the camp in the valley," said the man, and picked him lightly up.

This completely random unnamed guy then carries Bilbo to the camp no questions asked. What a nice guy.

there stood Gandalf, with his arm in a sling. Even the wizard had not escaped without a wound

Oh Gandalf has his arm in a sling oh no so hey Thorin is dying over here to the left.

Thorin apologizes, since he can’t spend money when he’s dead anyway. It's actually a very nice apology.

and, whether you believe it or not, he wept until his eyes were red and his voice was hoarse

Whether you believe it or not, Bilbo grieves bitterly for the dude who called him a descendant of rats and tried to throw him off a cliff.

I am being facetious, this is a rather nice moment and I am sure anyone who had been on a journey that difficult would bond. Also, if someone suddenly piped up at a tense moment and said 'oh it was me, I gave your worst enemy your prized family heirloom because I wanted to help pressure you into giving him money', I wouldn't react any better. I

While Bilbo was out, the Eagles fought the goblins-

Dain has crowned their chief with gold, and sworn friendship with them for ever.

Oh so that’s how the head Eagle became King Of Birds. okay that checks out. Also, Beron turned up in bear form and apparently… ate half the goblin army. So, wait. That was a battle of seven armies. Elves, dwarves, men, goblins, wolves, eagles, and Beorn. I think Beorn counts.

Fili and Kili were the only other two dwarves that died. I remembered the death toll being higher, I’m not sure why. Still, that’s a shame that those two are gone. They were nice guys who didn’t seem to be too into the war idea to begin with.

Bard takes the promised fourteenth share of the gold to rebuild his town, and offers to reward Bilbo, who takes a modest amount and bids everyone a fond farewell.

"If ever you are passing my way," said Bilbo, "don't wait to knock! Tea is at four; but any of you are welcome at any time!"

Awww

‘The king bade them stay a while’Then they halted, for the wizard and Bilbo would not enter the wood, even

though the king bade them stay a while in his halls.

Yeah it's a nice thought but I don’t think Bilbo wants to go back to the graybar hotel

"I beg of you," said Bilbo stammering and standing on one foot, "to accept this gift!" and he brought out a necklace of silver and pearls that Dain had given him at their parting.

"In what way have I earned such a gift, O hobbit?" said the king.

"Well, er, I thought, don't you know," said Bilbo rather confused, "that, er, some little return should be made for your, er, hospitality. I mean even a burglar has his feelings. I have drunk much of your wine and eaten much of your bread."

"I will take your gift, O Bilbo the Magnificent!" said the king gravely. "And I name you elf-friend and blessed. May your shadow never grow less (or stealing would be too easy)! Farewell!"

That is really nice. I like Thranduil now.

When Thranduil first showed up I was inclined to think he was a grumpy old miser, but here at the end of the book I’ve come around to thinking that perhaps... perhaps he’s just put up with a lot from dwarves in the past and is tired of them. He seems pretty cool with everyone else.

Yes, I did read the Silmarillion one time, no, I do not remember what the Silvan elves and the dwarves originally beefed about.

Hmm, we get a ‘Bilbo had adventures on the way home’ summary, and I guess I was wrong earlier:

OFFSCREEN BATTLES: 1,004 (estimated)

"So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending!" said Bilbo, and he turned his back on his adventure.

:')

The chapter ends there- there’s one more, which is essentially an epilogue. I’m going to go right into it.

We enter the chapter with Gandalf and Bilbo making a pit stop at Rivendell where the elves are doing a tra-la-lally reprise.

This is where Bilbo finds out that Gandalf and his friends… yeeted Sauron from Mirkwood while he was doing burglar things… Uh…

OFFSCREEN BATTLES: MORE THAN 5?

I've heard that in the movies we see this happen, which- honestly could make for a very interesting way to expand on the story. I have just heard that the execution might not have been all that was desired, but then again I don't think that's a part of the movies that people tend to focus on to complain about. I'll.... see, I guess.

Anyway Bilbo stays in Rivendell a while and rests up. I did not see any reference to Elrond telling him at any point that he could come back later and just move in permanently. Elrond’s in for a surprise.

Coming to a rise he could see his own Hill in the distance, and he stopped suddenly and said:

Roads go ever ever on
[poem snipped]

Gandalf looked at him. "My dear Bilbo!" he said. "Something is the matter with you! You are not the hobbit that you were."

That’s so poignant and-

…

You’re right, Gandalf. Who recruited Bilbo by graffiting ‘Burglar here lolz’ on his door, again?

Then we discover that Bilbo has been declared dead in his absence and all his stuff is being auctioned off. A little preview of the Scouring of the Shire, I guess. I notice the Sackville-Bagginses are mentioned but Lobelia, the most infamous of their number, is not. I suppose she was not really a character until LOTR and my mind retroactively decided she must have been in this book too.

Indeed Bilbo found he had lost more than spoons – he had lost his reputation.

It is true that for ever after he remained an elf-friend, and had the honour of dwarves, wizards, and all such folk as ever passed that way; but he was no longer quite respectable

I wonder if he said anything spicy when taking his house back that would partly account for that.

The book ends on a sweet note when Balin drops by for a visit years later, actually taking up on the tea invitation. I regret to say that the book does not say whether he came at 4 or not.

Things are going well for everyone since the adventure with one exception.

The old Master had come to a bad end. Bard had given him much gold for the help of the Lake-people, but being of the kind that easily catches such disease he fell under the dragon-sickness, and took most of the gold and fled with it, and died of starvation in the Waste, deserted by his companions.

Oh dear. Well, he was a jerk anyway.

The final words are:

Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!"

"Thank goodness!" said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar.

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed that. Bilbo is such an enjoyable protagonist. He's humble, competent, witty and good-natured.

There’s not much to say about the ending. It just feels like a complete and satisfying ending.

Oh, I guess I can share my dwarf tier list. I categorized them primarily by how nice they were to Bilbo, how often they did useful things instead of complaining, and/or whether or not they are fat.