LMB Book Club, The Hobbit Ch. 16: A Thief in the Night

[Lennidhren]

Back to our regularly scheduled book club meetings this weekend!

For music we can do the poem from ch. 15 since there wasn't time for it at last week's Ales & Tales. (Not yesterday's, but last week when we had the last book club meeting...y'know.)

Topics for discussion:

(1) Bilbo has acquired quite a reputation among the Elves and Lake-towners, as "the dwarves' hobbit" and "that queer little creature that is said to be their servant." What does this view of the main character from an outside perspective add to the story?

(2) Alerting Bard to the approach of Dain's forces, Bilbo mentions that many of the dwarves are veterans of the Dwarf and Goblin Wars, referring to the wars of retribution over Azog's slaying of Thror, grandfather of Thorin. We have some links here to LOTRO's epic story quests in Moria.

(3) Even after burgling Thorin's beloved Arkenstone and essentially betraying the dwarves to their enemies (at least that's how Thorin would describe it), Bilbo returns to the dwarves to wait out the outcome of his actions. What do you make of his loyalty? To whom is he loyal? Why?

(4) Gandalf reappears! Why now? How does his encounter with Bilbo at the end of the chapter contribute to the story?

[Meneladan]

we could conceivably meet at my new smial sometime or other. It is set up for it :-)

[Lennidhren]

Looks like the vote is for Sunday 4pm EDT. Meeting at Galspi's smial sounds fine to me!

[gaiagil]

My husband is taking me to the opera this afternoon, so my stay will be very brief!

Alas!
Gaiagil