ive only read the trilogy, Hobbit, Children of Hurin (such a depressing book :( ), and a tiny bit of Silmarillion.

at first i thought they looked ridiculous, but now they look ok...Thorin is a little odd though, he looks like a villain -_-

Oh, I forgot about the Children of Hurin. Read that one, too.

Thorin looks like a human lord, to me. And Kili? looks like an elf. And also looks nothing like his brother. >_>

and bombur is too fat...and on and on XD at least they have the dishes tossing clean up scene, from what i saw in the trailer ^_^

But do they sing "Chip the glasses, crack the plates, that's what Bilbo Baggins hates"?????

That is the question!

bahahaha theyd better!!! i do love the hobbit and while im excited....im also really worried they might completely ruin it :o

Well, just in meshing it thematically with the LotR films, they're basically de facto changing the spirit of the story from the whimsical adventure it originally was (and always will be! No one can take it away! *cries*)

:( i never really thought itd be anything like the book though....it just cant work, like you said earlier (i think...?)

I think I said something to that effect. Can't quite remember now. :p

I do hope they include Beorn. I hated that he wasn't in the animated version. Of course, how could PJ resist including a badass bear warrior? Think of the visual effects! :D

ooooh yess he is a great character!!! on another note, i saw a crew boat named Beorn last year (i used to row) I think the team's school mascot was a bear, so thats why XD made me really excited and i pointed it out to everyone.

Pretty sure, not positive, that Beorn is either Old Norse or Old English for Bear. Or at least related to the word.

oooh ok that makes sense, though the coach being a hobbit fan would be nice too XD oh man its late...but i need currency. what did you think of children of hurin, btw?

Well, I kind of did it wrong and read CoH right after LotR, so I didn't really understand it that well. I really ought to go back and read it now that I know the setting's history inside out.

I do like the tale of Turin Turambar, though. He's a really complex character for Tolkien, another reason why I like the expanded material more than the "core" books -- they do away with the basic black-and-white morality in LotR and the Hobbit.

that was interesting, i was shocked at some of the stuff that happened in that book....

And yet, it's Turin who is prophesied to finally, utterly defeat Morgoth in the Dagor Dagorath. Says a lot about Tolkien's conception of a hero.

Though, as far as shocking moments go, for me, I have to say, Feanor takes the cake. Sure didn't expect an elf to behave that way after just reading LotR. :p

hmmm i dont remember a lot from any of the books. who was that again?

Feanor? The guy who crafted the Silmarils. Vengeful, jealous, venal, wrathful, given to making really stupid oaths... he's quite a guy. :p

And he's the paragon elf, besides. :D