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A review by thisotherbookaccount
Farmer Giles of Ham/The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J.R.R. Tolkien
3.0
It is unfair to review this book simply because it is a compilation of two books: Farmer Giles of Ham and, a separate book, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, which is in itself a compilation of many different poems, and not all of them are about the title character.
However, since this is the edition that I have, then the rating pertains to this copy -- it is unfair, yes, but what are we going to do.
Having read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings numerous times over the years, I knew two things: 1) I do not like Tom Bombadil and 2) I do not like his poetry. In fact, poetry, for the most part, does not gel with me very well. I like a certain cadence to my reading, and poetry, despite the rhythm, breaks that cadence for some reason. It causes a lot of stops and starts, and that is not the way that I like to read.
Anyway, going in, I didn't have much expectations for The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. In fact, I go as far as saying that Peter Jackson made the right choice by leaving him out of the adaptation. Bombadil's character, while fascinating and an intricate part of the universe, is not fun to read at all. The poems that I did enjoy from the second half of this book turned out not to be anything related to Bombadil, because he's most likely going to sing his way out of a tight situation, like he did in The Fellowship of the Ring. If I were Tolkien's editor, I'd totally cut him out from the text altogether. Yes, he wore the ring and the ring had no effect on him, but I can live without him, for sure. Most of the poems didn't really grab me, which explains why I docked two stars from the final rating.
But Farmer Giles of Harm is a totally different animal -- and an enjoyable one, at that!
I had such a pleasant time reading Farmer Giles of Ham that, halfway through, I figured that this is the kind of book that I'd like to read to my children in the future. It has everything! Giants, dragons, knights, treasures, humour and adventure -- what's not to love?
And everything Tolkien writes is, in a way, a precursor to The Lord of the Rings. He wrote The Hobbit almost as a test-run for the epic fantasy series, and Farmer Giles is essentially Bilbo Baggins, but taller. He is the reluctant farmer who is unwilling to go on adventures at first, but his heroism is gradually proven in the course of the story. Also, Giles has several confrontations with a dragon, another precursor to Bilbo's meeting with Smaug in another universe altogether.
And boy, can Tolkien write human-dragon meetings! The dragon here may not have the wits and charms of Smaug, but its interaction with Giles is just as enjoyable, if not too brief.
It's a short and sweet story (about 77 pages in this edition) that didn't waste its time at all at world building. Instead, it's a fun little story about a fun little adventure, and I definitely had a lot of unexpected fun along the way.
I highly recommend Farmer Giles of Ham for fans of Tolkien who are curious about the rest of his bibliography. Even if it isn't set in Middle-earth, expect the same wit and greatness from the master himself. Except, of course, if it has to do with Bombadil. Skip that one.
However, since this is the edition that I have, then the rating pertains to this copy -- it is unfair, yes, but what are we going to do.
Having read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings numerous times over the years, I knew two things: 1) I do not like Tom Bombadil and 2) I do not like his poetry. In fact, poetry, for the most part, does not gel with me very well. I like a certain cadence to my reading, and poetry, despite the rhythm, breaks that cadence for some reason. It causes a lot of stops and starts, and that is not the way that I like to read.
Anyway, going in, I didn't have much expectations for The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. In fact, I go as far as saying that Peter Jackson made the right choice by leaving him out of the adaptation. Bombadil's character, while fascinating and an intricate part of the universe, is not fun to read at all. The poems that I did enjoy from the second half of this book turned out not to be anything related to Bombadil, because he's most likely going to sing his way out of a tight situation, like he did in The Fellowship of the Ring. If I were Tolkien's editor, I'd totally cut him out from the text altogether. Yes, he wore the ring and the ring had no effect on him, but I can live without him, for sure. Most of the poems didn't really grab me, which explains why I docked two stars from the final rating.
But Farmer Giles of Harm is a totally different animal -- and an enjoyable one, at that!
I had such a pleasant time reading Farmer Giles of Ham that, halfway through, I figured that this is the kind of book that I'd like to read to my children in the future. It has everything! Giants, dragons, knights, treasures, humour and adventure -- what's not to love?
And everything Tolkien writes is, in a way, a precursor to The Lord of the Rings. He wrote The Hobbit almost as a test-run for the epic fantasy series, and Farmer Giles is essentially Bilbo Baggins, but taller. He is the reluctant farmer who is unwilling to go on adventures at first, but his heroism is gradually proven in the course of the story. Also, Giles has several confrontations with a dragon, another precursor to Bilbo's meeting with Smaug in another universe altogether.
And boy, can Tolkien write human-dragon meetings! The dragon here may not have the wits and charms of Smaug, but its interaction with Giles is just as enjoyable, if not too brief.
It's a short and sweet story (about 77 pages in this edition) that didn't waste its time at all at world building. Instead, it's a fun little story about a fun little adventure, and I definitely had a lot of unexpected fun along the way.
I highly recommend Farmer Giles of Ham for fans of Tolkien who are curious about the rest of his bibliography. Even if it isn't set in Middle-earth, expect the same wit and greatness from the master himself. Except, of course, if it has to do with Bombadil. Skip that one.