“Of Tolkein's full-length novels, I found this one to be the one with the fastest pace and most action-packed story. There is not as much character development as in the famous Lord of the Rings trilogy, nor are the issues that characters face the same save-the-world type, but I found it to be an enjoyable story, a good introduction to Tolkein's work, and a good foundation for reading LoTR later. My only warning: don't expect all of Tolkein's stories to move along at such a brusque clip.”