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Cardboard Box of the Rings #1
The Soddit: Or, Let's Cash In Again or, There, and Back Again, dammit, where did I put it, where is it, I don't believe it, I must have left it There, ... Again, fuming, oh there it is, it was by th
In the grand tradition of the blockbusting parody Bored of the Ring , comes this uproarious literary spoof of Tolkien's other (much shorter) masterwork, The Hobbit . It has already sold 80,000 copies in hardcover--and is still going strong.
Tolkien was never this funny--and that's why we need this delicious parody. It follows the adventures of Bingo "Sac" Grabbings, a rather unremarkable Soddit of Upper Middle Earth. He ventures forth (despite very sore and swollen feet indeed!) alongside Gandef the Coughing Wizard and a band of psoriasis-scratching, who-knows-what's-in-the-pipe-puffing dwarves, as they set out to relieve the haughty dragon Smug of his ill-gotten gold. With the blockbuster box office success of the Lord of the Rings films, and the continued interest in the original books, the time is ripe for someone to poke a bit of good-natured fun at the phenomenon that is The Hobbit , and this hilarious satire succeeds brilliantly. Written by an acknowledged expert on all things Tolkien, it both salutes and skewers the classic novel, reinventing the tale of a courageous little being whose amazing persistence--and more than a bit of Soddit luck--belies his diminutive stature.
Tolkien was never this funny--and that's why we need this delicious parody. It follows the adventures of Bingo "Sac" Grabbings, a rather unremarkable Soddit of Upper Middle Earth. He ventures forth (despite very sore and swollen feet indeed!) alongside Gandef the Coughing Wizard and a band of psoriasis-scratching, who-knows-what's-in-the-pipe-puffing dwarves, as they set out to relieve the haughty dragon Smug of his ill-gotten gold. With the blockbuster box office success of the Lord of the Rings films, and the continued interest in the original books, the time is ripe for someone to poke a bit of good-natured fun at the phenomenon that is The Hobbit , and this hilarious satire succeeds brilliantly. Written by an acknowledged expert on all things Tolkien, it both salutes and skewers the classic novel, reinventing the tale of a courageous little being whose amazing persistence--and more than a bit of Soddit luck--belies his diminutive stature.
343 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
36 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Adam Roberts
258 books559 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
June 7, 2018
This Another comedy parade of LOTRs this perhaps has the edge over Bored but they both good laugh no your Rings
April 23, 2025
It's a parody of my favourite book of all time, and can't say it hit me the same way... or any way at all, really. At the start it did that usual parody thing where it just takes the original premise but gives the characters funny names and makes everyone so much less respectable, dirty and diseased and low-class and all that jank. The prose wasn't too good either and overall it didn't seem to have very much at all to keep my interest.
The goblins are turkeys now. Because... gobble gobble. Joy.
Still, the longer the book goes on the more it finds its own voice and style and gradually gets to go on its own path, which makes it simultaneously better and worse than what it started as. It does something a little bit original and actually in parts mildly interesting - but that's also not really what I picked up the book for. The original premise is by the end almost entirely gone.
And so by the end it skirts this awkward line. As a parody it's half-assed and ultimately gives up on its quest to do something original instead. But it's not really original either because it started out as a parody! So it fails, no matter how you look at it.
A couple interesting bits of worldbuilding and fantasy stuff, nonetheless, nets it a half star. Good going. Still wouldn't be enough to pick it up, though.
The goblins are turkeys now. Because... gobble gobble. Joy.
Still, the longer the book goes on the more it finds its own voice and style and gradually gets to go on its own path, which makes it simultaneously better and worse than what it started as. It does something a little bit original and actually in parts mildly interesting - but that's also not really what I picked up the book for. The original premise is by the end almost entirely gone.
And so by the end it skirts this awkward line. As a parody it's half-assed and ultimately gives up on its quest to do something original instead. But it's not really original either because it started out as a parody! So it fails, no matter how you look at it.
A couple interesting bits of worldbuilding and fantasy stuff, nonetheless, nets it a half star. Good going. Still wouldn't be enough to pick it up, though.
April 5, 2013
As someone who enjoys nearly all types of humor, this book immediately caught my eye when I came across it in some used book store. The silly names of places on the world map, the goofy illustrations (the first one I saw involved our hero, "Bingo," stepping on a solid), and the quirky writing style amused me when I skimmed it, so I bought it for $3. I honestly felt like I had struck gold.
It wasn't until I'd progressed partway through that the reason this book had been abandoned in a used book store had become painfully apparent. While the author is indeed a clever individual, it seemed to me like he tried to produce a humorous product by throwing an endless barrage of mediocre puns at the reader in hopes that at least something would strike their funny bone. Don't get me wrong, this story does indeed have laugh-worthy moments, but the sheer amount of content that tries to be funny (but isn't) grew really cumbersome after awhile.
By the time I'd reached the halfway mark, I wanted it to be over. Still, I pressed on. Whether I did so in hopes that something amazingly funny would present itself at any moment, or out of morbid curiosity (you know how people stare at a car accident or train wreck as they drive by, hoping to catch a glimpse of something gruesome?) I don't know.
When I finally finished reading this book, I was feeling like the hero of the story himself--an unfortunate individual who got himself mixed up in something he really didn't enjoy, and yet, against insurmountable odds, he had managed to survive until the very end. And, like Bingo, I'm sure glad this tale is finally over. ;)
It wasn't until I'd progressed partway through that the reason this book had been abandoned in a used book store had become painfully apparent. While the author is indeed a clever individual, it seemed to me like he tried to produce a humorous product by throwing an endless barrage of mediocre puns at the reader in hopes that at least something would strike their funny bone. Don't get me wrong, this story does indeed have laugh-worthy moments, but the sheer amount of content that tries to be funny (but isn't) grew really cumbersome after awhile.
By the time I'd reached the halfway mark, I wanted it to be over. Still, I pressed on. Whether I did so in hopes that something amazingly funny would present itself at any moment, or out of morbid curiosity (you know how people stare at a car accident or train wreck as they drive by, hoping to catch a glimpse of something gruesome?) I don't know.
When I finally finished reading this book, I was feeling like the hero of the story himself--an unfortunate individual who got himself mixed up in something he really didn't enjoy, and yet, against insurmountable odds, he had managed to survive until the very end. And, like Bingo, I'm sure glad this tale is finally over. ;)
July 8, 2022
This properly made me smile and laugh out loud.
I'll have to put my hands on the LOTR versions too.
I'll have to put my hands on the LOTR versions too.
June 1, 2015
Originally published in 2003, I can’t say that The Soddit - tag line ‘If we likess it, then we putss a ring on it…’ written by A.R.R.R. Roberts was a favourite read, or that it was the worst I’ve come across. The deliberate exaggeration of characters, play on names, long-winded explanations and half-a-page-in-length sentences were quite amusing initially and I did laugh on occasion, but then the story became a bit tedious by the end. But, on the other hand, Mr. Roberts addition of droll sarcasm was ingenious, as well as his descriptions of the The Soddit world and its most unusual inhabitants. The author has definite talent when it comes to writing, what I'd classify as the ultimate parody; obviously it's something he thoroughly enjoys. One thing I did love was the names. Who wouldn’t love a name like Bingo Grabbins? Or Gandef and Thorri (King)? And the drawings by Douglas Carrel, were exquisite. If you’re a J.R.R. Tolkien fan, and you can keep an open mind, then you’d probably find The Soddit an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars!
Read full review: http://www.blakrayneblog.com/2014/05/...
Read full review: http://www.blakrayneblog.com/2014/05/...
January 25, 2014
Any time you read a parody of one of your favorite books, it's hard to judge the parody fairly. That said, this tried; it had enough of a twist that it was a legitimately interesting book on its own (I really like what Roberts did with the dragon and the spiders, for instance) but it fell a little flat in its dependence on the one-liner. And the footnotes--while it's funny to lampoon how overly scholastic Tolkien was, some of the footnotes were just downright silly, and not in a funny kind of way but in a superfluous kind of way.
Very creative (faaaar better than his The Da Vinci Cod, but forgettable. Maybe 2.5 stars, if Goodreads did halvsies. And the fictitious book pitches at the back were some of the best writing in here.
Very creative (faaaar better than his The Da Vinci Cod, but forgettable. Maybe 2.5 stars, if Goodreads did halvsies. And the fictitious book pitches at the back were some of the best writing in here.
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January 8, 2016
I think, perhaps, at the time it was amusing and rather less ludicrous than the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings parodies and I went along with it because it was easy reads and cheap laughs. But, in general, it's not particularly worth it as it doesn't feel like the parody is done in a respectful manner. I am all for parodies, and my French and Saunders-borrowed mantra of "only take the piss out of the things you love" is top of the list in consideration of things like this, but that never really entered in to it, for me. It didn't feel like love, it felt like a parody, only. It was also full of those kind of sentences that, when translated in to what they actually mean, come out like "well, this is rubbish but haha you're not buying it for great writing, eh?".
March 23, 2016
Den är inte särskilt skoj bortsett från delen med bryggeriet. Mycket möjligt att den är roligare på engelska men tror inte att skillnaden är drastisk.
Hade kunnat göra/läsa något vettigare men har svårt för att sluta med en bok som man kommit halvvägs in i.
En liten annorlunda twist på slutet men det räddar inte resten av boken.
Hade kunnat göra/läsa något vettigare men har svårt för att sluta med en bok som man kommit halvvägs in i.
En liten annorlunda twist på slutet men det räddar inte resten av boken.
October 5, 2018
Some clever commentary on the Hobbit, with some jokes that are better than others. While the jokes by themselves are entertaining, the lack of deeper unity driving the plot with an engine much weaker than the original makes it less satisfying to sustain the parody over a novel-length.
April 18, 2020
Bingo Grabbings is visited upon by an old wizard called Gandef, who seems to be losing his faculties due to age. And then of course come the dwarfs and they all need Bingo’s help with a quest. They need to go to the Only Mountain where Smug the Dragon lives and they insist it’s for the gold, but eventually, Bingo suspects there is more to it than that…
The Soddit is one of the funniest things I have read. I read this book quickly and easily, with joy and plenty of out-loud laughter. The story cleverly follows the plot line of J.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, but A.R.R.R. Roberts (Otherwise known as Adam Roberts) also cleverly tells his own story at the same time – as, I guess, a good parody will do. The humour is silly, yet intelligent, if you know what I mean, not unlike Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, where the jokes, characters and the characters’ names make clever little allusions to things and people in our universe and society.
Every moment bursts with hysterical imagination and creativity, which had me smiling from ear to ear most of the way through.
A hilarious parody, but with its own interesting twists and turns of a story line. I recommend this book to fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy who love a good laugh, especially if you also love good British humour.
The Soddit is one of the funniest things I have read. I read this book quickly and easily, with joy and plenty of out-loud laughter. The story cleverly follows the plot line of J.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, but A.R.R.R. Roberts (Otherwise known as Adam Roberts) also cleverly tells his own story at the same time – as, I guess, a good parody will do. The humour is silly, yet intelligent, if you know what I mean, not unlike Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, where the jokes, characters and the characters’ names make clever little allusions to things and people in our universe and society.
Every moment bursts with hysterical imagination and creativity, which had me smiling from ear to ear most of the way through.
A hilarious parody, but with its own interesting twists and turns of a story line. I recommend this book to fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy who love a good laugh, especially if you also love good British humour.
September 3, 2013
The Soddit, a parody of The Hobbit. Like Bored Of The Rings, I haven't read the original yet. I might do so in the future. Anyway, Bored Of The Rings was quite a funny book, all things considered. The Soddit, however, didn't offer that instant satisfaction. It took a while to get or appreciate the (often dry) humour.
Still, after some chapters the magic does begin to work. Obviously it's best to read such a book when you're in the mood for it, when you're in need of a laugh, especially, for example, after a stressful day.
The Soddit reads very easily, and while it's a parody, it does create the impression it's a serious book, too. Meaning it's not always easy not to sympathise with Bingo (Bilbo) and the dwarfs. Story-wise it's funny to read how Sollum (Gollum) and the spiders talk in a very philosophical manner. Something one wouldn't expect. Also entertaining is the influence of contemporary elements and terms (product placement, for example).
Oh, and, Gandef (Gandalf) changing into a dragon? Yes, there's a logic reason for that, based on evolution. ;-)
Afterwards there's - obviously funny - publicity for other related (fictional) works: you get a description of the story, and a small excerpt. There's also promo for parodies of e.g. Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Mary Poppins, ... And even for the The Soddit Society or the fanclub.
While I may rate The Soddit a bit lower than Bored Of The Rings, especially when comparing the two, it shouldn't be done, as it's neither a follow-up, nor a sequel. If you liked BOTR, then by all means do read The Soddit as well. You won't regret it. :-)
Still, after some chapters the magic does begin to work. Obviously it's best to read such a book when you're in the mood for it, when you're in need of a laugh, especially, for example, after a stressful day.
The Soddit reads very easily, and while it's a parody, it does create the impression it's a serious book, too. Meaning it's not always easy not to sympathise with Bingo (Bilbo) and the dwarfs. Story-wise it's funny to read how Sollum (Gollum) and the spiders talk in a very philosophical manner. Something one wouldn't expect. Also entertaining is the influence of contemporary elements and terms (product placement, for example).
Oh, and, Gandef (Gandalf) changing into a dragon? Yes, there's a logic reason for that, based on evolution. ;-)
Afterwards there's - obviously funny - publicity for other related (fictional) works: you get a description of the story, and a small excerpt. There's also promo for parodies of e.g. Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Mary Poppins, ... And even for the The Soddit Society or the fanclub.
While I may rate The Soddit a bit lower than Bored Of The Rings, especially when comparing the two, it shouldn't be done, as it's neither a follow-up, nor a sequel. If you liked BOTR, then by all means do read The Soddit as well. You won't regret it. :-)
March 11, 2009
Waste of your time
The book is so terrible, I cannot believe someone can write such a gibberish. It looks like an author has never been told that his sense of humour is unacceptable. It reminds me of a hopeless guy who cannot master an art of telling a joke and make others laugh. Whenever he tells a joke, other people would smile and nod their heads politely, but never tell the joker how really bad he is. The book lacks everything. It is not funny, it is utterly boring and its so called humour is anything but something you would like to read for an entertainment.
The book is so terrible, I cannot believe someone can write such a gibberish. It looks like an author has never been told that his sense of humour is unacceptable. It reminds me of a hopeless guy who cannot master an art of telling a joke and make others laugh. Whenever he tells a joke, other people would smile and nod their heads politely, but never tell the joker how really bad he is. The book lacks everything. It is not funny, it is utterly boring and its so called humour is anything but something you would like to read for an entertainment.
Read
January 15, 2015No stars. This is...without a doubt, the worst book I have ever read. I knew it was a parody...I expected it to be so. But I also expected it to be clever and funny...you know, how a PARODY is suppose to be. This is neither. It's groan inducing with horrible puns that Adam Roberts probably thinks is hilarious along with really just stupid lines.
Avoid this book like the bubonic plague.
Then again, the bubonic plague is probably more enjoyable.
Avoid this book like the bubonic plague.
Then again, the bubonic plague is probably more enjoyable.
November 10, 2025
I love a good parody. I cracked up over National Lampoon's "Bored of the Rings", and have kicked around the idea of writing a parody of "The Hobbit". I worry that "Bored of the Rings" has not aged well, and I worry that any attempt I make might be a dud. Well, one thing "Bored of the Rings" definitely did right, and that I would emulate, was to be short. Why this writer chose to make a satire of an already quite short novel a lumbering 327 pages long I cannot fathom.
While 327 shouldn't feel lumbering, it does with this book. Jokes are just driven into the ground - the Gandalf character hacks and coughs, the footnotes are professorial and pretentious, the Beorn character... I don't even know what, is a satire of Ikea stores because he loves furnishings? He talks about them for 10 or 15 pages anyway. Every scene is twice as long as it could be, sometimes with nothing that appears to be a joke at all. Parody Gandalf coughs and asks people to repeat themselves, dwarves interject "ooh!" "la!" "larks" into practically every sentence, and the narrator sprinkles in pointless conversational "what was I just saying" asides - it felt like the writer was getting paid by the word.
Though there were some decent jokes near the beginning, they died off eventually, or maybe the book just became so tiresome I didn't notice them anymore. And then the author tried to stuff in some world-building, there was a surprisingly grim battle scene that might have been tolerable if I cared about the characters, and the story tapered off to an end.
I know that comedy is hard, and I honestly wonder if the writer was under some kind of contract to make this book to a certain standard (and length). It was actually sad to see the better things in this book buried under a mound of blather. This was never going to be an outstanding book, but it would have been twice as good if it had been half as long.
While 327 shouldn't feel lumbering, it does with this book. Jokes are just driven into the ground - the Gandalf character hacks and coughs, the footnotes are professorial and pretentious, the Beorn character... I don't even know what, is a satire of Ikea stores because he loves furnishings? He talks about them for 10 or 15 pages anyway. Every scene is twice as long as it could be, sometimes with nothing that appears to be a joke at all. Parody Gandalf coughs and asks people to repeat themselves, dwarves interject "ooh!" "la!" "larks" into practically every sentence, and the narrator sprinkles in pointless conversational "what was I just saying" asides - it felt like the writer was getting paid by the word.
Though there were some decent jokes near the beginning, they died off eventually, or maybe the book just became so tiresome I didn't notice them anymore. And then the author tried to stuff in some world-building, there was a surprisingly grim battle scene that might have been tolerable if I cared about the characters, and the story tapered off to an end.
I know that comedy is hard, and I honestly wonder if the writer was under some kind of contract to make this book to a certain standard (and length). It was actually sad to see the better things in this book buried under a mound of blather. This was never going to be an outstanding book, but it would have been twice as good if it had been half as long.
November 7, 2019
Pffff... Opzich wel leuk, en een verrassend plot. Maar ik ben denk ik gewoon niet genoeg fan van lotr om het echt tof te vinden. En ik ben teleurgesteld dat het boek niet eindigde met Bingo's nog steeds kloppende voordeur.
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Het is een spoof boek over de Hobbit. We volgen Bingo en een arsenaal dwergen op weg naar de Only Mountain. Hij denkt dat ze daarheen gaan voor goud, en om de draak te doden. Niets blijkt minder waar. Gandalf is namelijk aan het veranderen in een draak, en ze willen hem onderbrengen bij Smug. Blijkbaar ontstaan draken uit tovenaars, en hun op hun beurt van dwergen.
Maar dit mislukt natuurlijk, Smug gaat dood, en er is een grote veldslag voor de deur van zijn berg. Slechts 20 man weet het te overleven na een invasie van gobblds.
-----------
Het is een spoof boek over de Hobbit. We volgen Bingo en een arsenaal dwergen op weg naar de Only Mountain. Hij denkt dat ze daarheen gaan voor goud, en om de draak te doden. Niets blijkt minder waar. Gandalf is namelijk aan het veranderen in een draak, en ze willen hem onderbrengen bij Smug. Blijkbaar ontstaan draken uit tovenaars, en hun op hun beurt van dwergen.
Maar dit mislukt natuurlijk, Smug gaat dood, en er is een grote veldslag voor de deur van zijn berg. Slechts 20 man weet het te overleven na een invasie van gobblds.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2020
I'll admit that after the first few pages, I thought I was going to put this down before finishing the first chapter. But, once things opened up with the introduction of the dwarfs and Gandef, the level of intrigue jumped up and I gladly continued. I even laughed out loud a few times well reading -- mostly at the footnotes.
Having finished the book, now, though, the parodical and satirical elements were more embellishment than enticement for me. I found myself much more interested in what Roberts changed about the original story and one of the more well known items in Tolkien's universe.
Having finished the book, now, though, the parodical and satirical elements were more embellishment than enticement for me. I found myself much more interested in what Roberts changed about the original story and one of the more well known items in Tolkien's universe.
August 17, 2021
such a good + funny book!!! loved this. perfect comedy book. great ending, interesting illustrations, and loveable characters! would recommend
(this is coming from someone who isn't a fan of the actual hobbit series too haha)
(this is coming from someone who isn't a fan of the actual hobbit series too haha)
September 7, 2021
Quite a charming little parody. I knew exactly which points in The Hobbit it was referring to and it's contemporary humour was refreshing to read. It was nice to read something that didn't take itself to seriously but still delivered a coherent and delightful story.
November 19, 2023
I got 52 pages into this one, and I maybe cracked half a smile once.
This is just not my flavour of humour at all, and every single line is a new gag, so there didn't seem any point in carrying on.
This is just not my flavour of humour at all, and every single line is a new gag, so there didn't seem any point in carrying on.
April 11, 2020
This was a funny book. Even when I knew this was a parody. The things that happen in this book are a complete surprise, a total reccomend
October 16, 2020
Humor mit Holzhammer, trotzdem teilweise amüsant
April 12, 2022
This is such a hilarious rendition of the lord of the rings: the hobbit. I laughed the whole way through and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series
January 14, 2023
This was not quite what I expected. It was a silly read, but fun, similar to the style of Douglas Adams.
June 30, 2024
A fun and unique parody of the biggest piece of fantasy writing in history. This is a humorous story following the original loosely. An enjoyable and easy read.
December 30, 2020
Humorous parody. Not a bad find for a dollar store purchase.
March 5, 2017
There are, or so I have been told, some excellent parodies of Tolkien's work abroad in the world. This, however, is absolutely not one of them.
Perhaps I should have been warned by the title, but The Soddit bears a much stronger resemblance to my old nemesis The Last Ringbearer than it does to any of the more intelligent or thoughtful Tolkien parodies. Save for puerile play-on-words variations of places' and persons' names, this story seems much more interested in pushing an agenda of its own than teasing at anyone else's, Tolkien's or otherwise. However (to be fair to The Last Ringbearer, which was at least aiming for consistency) it also seems to have completely forgotten what its own agenda is. This book is so lacking in focus that I'm pretty sure you couldn't find it with even the most overpriced and hefty of microscopes.
I could perhaps forgive the above if the book were funny, but it isn't. Instead, it is unfocussed, rambly, disjointed, alienating, and doesn't have a jot of humanity or cleverness in its bones to make up for it. I'm sure this makes sense by someone else's measure, but to me - who prides herself on being able to sit through even the longest expository worldbuilding paragraph, and go along with even the silliest of narrative contrivances if an amusing element is involved - it was just dull, awkward, and about as much fun as having my teeth pulled out with two halves of the same bent soup spoon.
Perhaps I should have been warned by the title, but The Soddit bears a much stronger resemblance to my old nemesis The Last Ringbearer than it does to any of the more intelligent or thoughtful Tolkien parodies. Save for puerile play-on-words variations of places' and persons' names, this story seems much more interested in pushing an agenda of its own than teasing at anyone else's, Tolkien's or otherwise. However (to be fair to The Last Ringbearer, which was at least aiming for consistency) it also seems to have completely forgotten what its own agenda is. This book is so lacking in focus that I'm pretty sure you couldn't find it with even the most overpriced and hefty of microscopes.
I could perhaps forgive the above if the book were funny, but it isn't. Instead, it is unfocussed, rambly, disjointed, alienating, and doesn't have a jot of humanity or cleverness in its bones to make up for it. I'm sure this makes sense by someone else's measure, but to me - who prides herself on being able to sit through even the longest expository worldbuilding paragraph, and go along with even the silliest of narrative contrivances if an amusing element is involved - it was just dull, awkward, and about as much fun as having my teeth pulled out with two halves of the same bent soup spoon.
September 30, 2012
It may have come to your attention that on the 20th September 2012 it was the 75th anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and in particular Bilbo Baggins. Others may be aware of the impending premiere of Peter Jackson’s film version (or at least the first part) in December.
This is, according to the front cover, ‘Absolutely NOT the tie-in to the major films of Tolkien’s classic novel’, though readers who have read The Hobbit may be aware of some aspects of this tale. Mind you, the cover also has written across the top, ‘If we likess it, then we putss a ring on it ...’ which may give you an indication of the humour therein.
The Soddit tells the tale of Bingo ‘Sac’ Grabbins, the titular soddit. Happy with his life in Hobbld-Ahoy! at Grab End, he is sitting on his comfortable sofa when he is disturbed by the arrival of a wizard, Gandef, the ancient magician who is hard-of-hearing.
When dwarves Gofur, Failin, Tori, On, Mori, Ston, Wombl and King Thorri also arrive at Bingo’s home, with at least one with a deliberately over-emphasised regional accent, Gandef persuades Bingo to go on an adventure quest to raid the legendary treasure hoard of Smug, the dragon. On their journey to Smug’s lair through the Minty Mountains they meet a variety of different types of elves, trollps, Gobblins and Sollum, a humourless little man, whose Thing(R) created by the Evil Sharon comes into Bingo’s possession...
By now you’ve pretty much got an idea of how it goes, and probably an idea of whether you would enjoy this book or not. A book which, it might be worth mentioning, on its original publication in 2003, sold over 150 000 copies and was a London Sunday Times bestseller.
150 000 book buyers can’t be wrong. Surely? Well, as if you didn’t work it out from the above, it is very silly, and like all ‘humorous’ books of this nature, some will find it hilarious whilst others will be distinctly unmoved, nay, disdainful of its efforts to entertain. Professor Roberts (no, really!) at Royal Holloway, London University never misses a chance to set up and run with a gag here, and, as you might expect, if one doesn’t quite work for you there’s another along a few sentences later to try again. There is actually some semblance of an intelligent mind at work behind all this tomfoolery, though some may be hard-pressed to see it. These books usually work best with a degree of rational thought behind them, and as a Tolkien Scholar Prof. Roberts has an understanding of the mythology.
Do you need to read ‘the original’ before attempting The Soddit? Well, yes. You can actually easily work it out most of it as you go along, though there are jokes that you may only ‘get’ with an idea of Tolkien’s version. I must admit I was tempted to go and find a copy of ‘the original’, on which this is not based, remember, to re-read afterwards. Some of the ‘jokes’ may be better followed after a recent reading of Tolkien’s version, I suspect. Which can only be a good thing.
A book for the inner-teenager, or an actual teenager you know, The Soddit, will amuse, annoy and entertain many a reader. And if nothing else, you can probably have it read in the time you are waiting in the queue for the movie in December.
Now: where’s my copy of Bored of the Rings gone..... ?
This is, according to the front cover, ‘Absolutely NOT the tie-in to the major films of Tolkien’s classic novel’, though readers who have read The Hobbit may be aware of some aspects of this tale. Mind you, the cover also has written across the top, ‘If we likess it, then we putss a ring on it ...’ which may give you an indication of the humour therein.
The Soddit tells the tale of Bingo ‘Sac’ Grabbins, the titular soddit. Happy with his life in Hobbld-Ahoy! at Grab End, he is sitting on his comfortable sofa when he is disturbed by the arrival of a wizard, Gandef, the ancient magician who is hard-of-hearing.
When dwarves Gofur, Failin, Tori, On, Mori, Ston, Wombl and King Thorri also arrive at Bingo’s home, with at least one with a deliberately over-emphasised regional accent, Gandef persuades Bingo to go on an adventure quest to raid the legendary treasure hoard of Smug, the dragon. On their journey to Smug’s lair through the Minty Mountains they meet a variety of different types of elves, trollps, Gobblins and Sollum, a humourless little man, whose Thing(R) created by the Evil Sharon comes into Bingo’s possession...
By now you’ve pretty much got an idea of how it goes, and probably an idea of whether you would enjoy this book or not. A book which, it might be worth mentioning, on its original publication in 2003, sold over 150 000 copies and was a London Sunday Times bestseller.
150 000 book buyers can’t be wrong. Surely? Well, as if you didn’t work it out from the above, it is very silly, and like all ‘humorous’ books of this nature, some will find it hilarious whilst others will be distinctly unmoved, nay, disdainful of its efforts to entertain. Professor Roberts (no, really!) at Royal Holloway, London University never misses a chance to set up and run with a gag here, and, as you might expect, if one doesn’t quite work for you there’s another along a few sentences later to try again. There is actually some semblance of an intelligent mind at work behind all this tomfoolery, though some may be hard-pressed to see it. These books usually work best with a degree of rational thought behind them, and as a Tolkien Scholar Prof. Roberts has an understanding of the mythology.
Do you need to read ‘the original’ before attempting The Soddit? Well, yes. You can actually easily work it out most of it as you go along, though there are jokes that you may only ‘get’ with an idea of Tolkien’s version. I must admit I was tempted to go and find a copy of ‘the original’, on which this is not based, remember, to re-read afterwards. Some of the ‘jokes’ may be better followed after a recent reading of Tolkien’s version, I suspect. Which can only be a good thing.
A book for the inner-teenager, or an actual teenager you know, The Soddit, will amuse, annoy and entertain many a reader. And if nothing else, you can probably have it read in the time you are waiting in the queue for the movie in December.
Now: where’s my copy of Bored of the Rings gone..... ?
December 31, 2016
It's not often a book manages to surprise me as much as this book has.
I went into it expecting something akin to "Bored of the Rings" -- a silly, insubstantial, somewhat lazy parody with no real hold to it; more a collection of puns and pseudo-dirty humor with characters that were just plain unlikeable, pathetic or downright useless, all for the sake of a cheap laugh -- but with enough genuinely amusing ideas to be worth a read-through.
And for about the first third of it, that was more or less exactly what I got. Pathetic and/or unlikeable characters, check. Lots of gross-out humor and sexual innuendo, check. Lots of mildly uncomfortable homoeroticism of the "ha ha, how gay this is" variant, check. There were some funny asides, but the most genuinely entertaining parts of the book were when the author forgot about the plot altogether and just went on unrelated tangents and rants either in the narrative or via the characters.
But then, sometime around the scene where Bingo finds the Thing(TM) and meets Solemn, it changes. It actually becomes, well, GOOD. Not GREAT, but it goes from being a lazy parody to becoming a story in its own right.
Still deeply steeped in Tolkien parody, but it starts developing its own world and mythology to become its own thing, with its own creation story and its own seriously interesting twist on creatures like dwarfs, wizards and dragons. The Thing(TM) is completely different from the One Ring and leads to some unique plot developments; it comes to the point where some of these ideas are ideas I'd like to have seen explored further in an original, non-parody fantasy story.
Even Bingo begins undergoing massive character development and ends up actually being a pretty likeable guy when all is said and done.
That first third of the book really works against it; I can only imagine how many people started reading "The Soddit" and found it annoying, tiresome and shallow -- and quit before they hit that first-third mark when the book actually gets good.
I went into it expecting something akin to "Bored of the Rings" -- a silly, insubstantial, somewhat lazy parody with no real hold to it; more a collection of puns and pseudo-dirty humor with characters that were just plain unlikeable, pathetic or downright useless, all for the sake of a cheap laugh -- but with enough genuinely amusing ideas to be worth a read-through.
And for about the first third of it, that was more or less exactly what I got. Pathetic and/or unlikeable characters, check. Lots of gross-out humor and sexual innuendo, check. Lots of mildly uncomfortable homoeroticism of the "ha ha, how gay this is" variant, check. There were some funny asides, but the most genuinely entertaining parts of the book were when the author forgot about the plot altogether and just went on unrelated tangents and rants either in the narrative or via the characters.
But then, sometime around the scene where Bingo finds the Thing(TM) and meets Solemn, it changes. It actually becomes, well, GOOD. Not GREAT, but it goes from being a lazy parody to becoming a story in its own right.
Still deeply steeped in Tolkien parody, but it starts developing its own world and mythology to become its own thing, with its own creation story and its own seriously interesting twist on creatures like dwarfs, wizards and dragons. The Thing(TM) is completely different from the One Ring and leads to some unique plot developments; it comes to the point where some of these ideas are ideas I'd like to have seen explored further in an original, non-parody fantasy story.
Even Bingo begins undergoing massive character development and ends up actually being a pretty likeable guy when all is said and done.
That first third of the book really works against it; I can only imagine how many people started reading "The Soddit" and found it annoying, tiresome and shallow -- and quit before they hit that first-third mark when the book actually gets good.
August 26, 2013
A Hobbit with a vengeance
Like every Soddit Bingo Grabbins enjoys a comfortable life and violently attacks anyone who dares to endanger this goal, as long as the opposition is much smaller than him, that is. Indeed Bingo can be a real pain in a dark cave, certainly when one treads on his extremely painful feet. So it is no wonder that when Gandef and his company of brainless Welsh dwarves force him to go on a long and tedious adventure that Bingo is far from happy and never misses an opportunity to make this very clear. And wouldn't one agree that he has reasons enough: wasn't it indeed Gandef who completely ruined Bingo's front door with a magical spell gone haywire? And by the way, the dwarves claim that they are on mission to find enormous amounts of free gold. Well, Bingo does not believe this to be the real purpose of their quest. They are probably out just to get in some real painful trouble and how Bingo pities his painful feet.
Although The Soddit hints at being a parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, it basically only uses the characters of that masterpiece of fantasy and tells a completely different story. True, Gandef and Bingo do go on a quest (although no one knows what the real purpose is), but that is about where the similarities end. In a way not following the original story has been a good decision, because it gives the reader the enjoyment of not knowing what will happen next. On the other side it also reveals that the author while writing the story never really had an ending in mind and just went along to see what the story would turn out to be. But then again, this kind of book is made by its puns and jokes, and The Soddit is really packed full with them. Of course not all of them are as funny as they were intended, but on average it has enough successful ones to make this book an enjoyable and hilarious read.
Like every Soddit Bingo Grabbins enjoys a comfortable life and violently attacks anyone who dares to endanger this goal, as long as the opposition is much smaller than him, that is. Indeed Bingo can be a real pain in a dark cave, certainly when one treads on his extremely painful feet. So it is no wonder that when Gandef and his company of brainless Welsh dwarves force him to go on a long and tedious adventure that Bingo is far from happy and never misses an opportunity to make this very clear. And wouldn't one agree that he has reasons enough: wasn't it indeed Gandef who completely ruined Bingo's front door with a magical spell gone haywire? And by the way, the dwarves claim that they are on mission to find enormous amounts of free gold. Well, Bingo does not believe this to be the real purpose of their quest. They are probably out just to get in some real painful trouble and how Bingo pities his painful feet.
Although The Soddit hints at being a parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, it basically only uses the characters of that masterpiece of fantasy and tells a completely different story. True, Gandef and Bingo do go on a quest (although no one knows what the real purpose is), but that is about where the similarities end. In a way not following the original story has been a good decision, because it gives the reader the enjoyment of not knowing what will happen next. On the other side it also reveals that the author while writing the story never really had an ending in mind and just went along to see what the story would turn out to be. But then again, this kind of book is made by its puns and jokes, and The Soddit is really packed full with them. Of course not all of them are as funny as they were intended, but on average it has enough successful ones to make this book an enjoyable and hilarious read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews