One of my favorite all time Novels is "Hour of the Dragon" by Robert E. Howard. While the story line plot was pretty straight forward his writing style is unsurpassed.
I do consider the Hobbit a stand alone novel since there is not sequel or prequel necessary to get the full story. Just like you don't need to read the Hobbit to understand the story line behind LOTR.
I thought the Hobbit was okay, I've heard many folks say it should not be a Juvenile book, but after reading it I do believe that is the correct classification.
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