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law47's review against another edition
4.0
If you are looking for a short, humble, fantasy story then Farmer Giles of Ham is your man. This is about a Farmer who becomes a hero after "defeating" a giant. Soon after, word of Farmer Giles of Ham's courage spreads and his life will never be the same again. This story is not connected with Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit but does involve creatures common in Middle Earth.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is however, linked to Lord of the Rings as Tom Bombadil occurs in the Fellowship of the Ring. These are presented in a series of poems, some which are included in The Lord of the Rings and some other ones. They give more scope to the character of Tom Bombadil which is rather interesting.
Personally, I preferred Farmer Giles of Ham to the Adventures of Tom Bombadil as I found the story format more exciting but that's just me as I am not entirely poem compatible. Both stories are interesting and a good read so I recommend this to all.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is however, linked to Lord of the Rings as Tom Bombadil occurs in the Fellowship of the Ring. These are presented in a series of poems, some which are included in The Lord of the Rings and some other ones. They give more scope to the character of Tom Bombadil which is rather interesting.
Personally, I preferred Farmer Giles of Ham to the Adventures of Tom Bombadil as I found the story format more exciting but that's just me as I am not entirely poem compatible. Both stories are interesting and a good read so I recommend this to all.
charlottejones952's review against another edition
3.0
This was a book of two very distinct halves for me; the first part, Farmer Giles of Ham, was a wonderful adventure story which felt like a myth from centuries ago, and the second part, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, was a collection of poetry about various characters in Middle Earth. I found the poetry didn't engage me as much as I would have liked. The structure of each poem was quite similar and almost all of them consisted of rhyming couplets. Poetry isn't something I usually read for leisure but this wasn't the type of poetry I enjoy at all. I like poetry that has a lot of metaphor and depth whereas these felt quite shallow. I felt similarly towards the poems and songs that were included in The Lord of the Rings.
Overall I did enjoy this book and I'm glad I have finally read it as it has been on my shelf for quite a long time now. I loved the first half and disliked the second so I've had to give the book as a whole a middle of the road star-rating, however I would recommend reading Farmer Giles of Ham if you like fairytales or myths.
Overall I did enjoy this book and I'm glad I have finally read it as it has been on my shelf for quite a long time now. I loved the first half and disliked the second so I've had to give the book as a whole a middle of the road star-rating, however I would recommend reading Farmer Giles of Ham if you like fairytales or myths.
lordofthemoon's review
3.0
This volume collects two of [author: J. R. R. Tolkien]'s short books: [book: Farmer Giles of Ham] and [book: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]. I've already read the latter, and have reviewed it under another edition here, so I'll concentrate on the former here. This is a fairly short story, aimed at a younger audience, about the titular Farmer Giles and how an encounter with a giant led to a series of increasingly heroic events. Even in this short volume, Tolkien can't resist epic world-building, with the story being a foundation myth for something else (although set in what would become England, and not connected to Middle-Earth at all).
There are some lovely medieval-style "illuminated" illustrations to go along with the story (artist not credited in my edition) which really add to the atmosphere. I can't say the same about the illustrations with The Adventures of Tom Bombadil though. Those are pixelated and low resolution, which is a shame because the originals (in colour in my other copy) are lovely.
There are some lovely medieval-style "illuminated" illustrations to go along with the story (artist not credited in my edition) which really add to the atmosphere. I can't say the same about the illustrations with The Adventures of Tom Bombadil though. Those are pixelated and low resolution, which is a shame because the originals (in colour in my other copy) are lovely.
scyian's review
4.0
I discovered these in my father’s bookcase and since I was re-reading Lord of the Rings I delved right in. Farmer Giles of Ham is a great little read and Tom Bombadil has to be one of my favourite characters from Tolkien.
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