Tolkien loved fairy stories, and hated that the genre had been transformed into little more than children's literature. Tolkien featuring somewhat silly protagonists in reasonably standard fairy tale situations. This book contains two short tales by J.R.R. Though not on the same scale as The Lord of the Rings or even the lasting wonder of The Hobbit, both stories are sweet and charming, the one a classic fairy tale, and the other a clever, tongue-in-cheek, mock-heroic. With an inept but loyal dog named Garm, an oddly canny grey mare, and his own wits, Farmer Giles finds himself pitted against not only a great dragon, but the King himself. Farmer Giles finds himself involved in a series of misadventures that unexpectedly build his reputation, much to his delight, until said reputation leads to the King asking him to slay a dragon causing chaos nearby. The second story - and my personal favorite of the two - "Farmer Giles of Ham" takes a more lighthearted look at things. In typical Tolkien style, loving care is given to each marvelous sight, and the ending is bittersweet wonder is almost always brief, what fantasy gives and how it changes us, and the joy and grief of sacrifice. Tolkien, "Smith of Wootton Major" is a fairy tale about a young boy who is granted the ability to travel freely in Faerie thanks to a star found in a piece of cake.
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