The universe established by British novelist and scholar J.R.R. Tolkien might appear as expansive and overwhelming to someone unfamiliar with the marvelous realm of Middle-earth as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (currently in Phase Four with more still to come).
Additionally, a new addition has been made with the release of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon (sounds catchy, doesn’t it?)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey concludes eight years after The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and 19 years after the final Lord of the Rings movie.
Here is a primer to this expansive realm to introduce newbies to Tolkien’s Middle-earth in case you wish to watch the series and stay up with the inevitable social media discussions.
The two most popular and well-known of Tolkien’s books are The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (released between July 1954 and October 1955).
The Hobbit chronicles the exploits of the title character, Bilbo Baggins, a little dwarf with hairy feet who sets off with a group of dwarves on a journey to recover stolen goods.
The Lord of the Rings picks up the narrative when it is discovered that Bilbo’s ring is the One Ring, which was created by the terrible dark lord Sauron as a source of power.
Tolkien’s imagined mythology, which made its premiere in The Hobbit, is situated in the imaginary Middle-earth.
Despite being the most well-known tales, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit do not include all of Middle history.
The book covers the First and Second Ages of the Earth and traces the formation of Arda, where Middle-earth is located (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place in the Third Age).