The Hobbit vs The Odyssey: Which Should You Read?
The Hobbit
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty diry wet hole, filled with ends of worms and an oozy smell...”
The Hobbit is a tale of high adventure, undertaken by a company of dwarves in search of dragon-guarded gold. A reluctant partner in this perilous quest is Bilbo Baggins, a comfort-loving unambitious hobbit, who…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Odyssey
A new translation of the epic poem retells the story of Odysseus's ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War.
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Readers rate The Hobbit highest: The Hobbit 4.3 · The Odyssey 3.9.
- The Odyssey has the widest readership — 1271001 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Hobbit | The Odyssey | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (386268) | 3.9 (1271001) |
| Hardcover | 4.1 (9) | 3.9 (1457) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (1013) | — |
Reception
| The Hobbit | The Odyssey | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 386268 | 1271001 |
| Editions | 481 | 118 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1384770 | 1030492 |
| Reading it now | 2329 | — |
| Written reviews | 94402 | 37755 |
| Wikipedia attention | 50865 | 4219213 |
| Pages | 284 | — |