J. R. R. Tolkien started his book with the sentence: "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."  That simple sentence starts a whole chain of questions: What’s a hobbit?  Where is the hole?  And so starts a book that grabs your interest for the next few days.  His description is enough to see the battles, to see the danger, feel the air of the mountain, and smell Smaug.  So much description is incorporated into this work of art, yet it seems like a short story, and leads you on the journey into THE LORD OF THE RINGS, where Bilbo’s relation Frodo takes on a much more perilous journey.

 I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a satisfying fantasy novel.