The Hobbit

by George MacDonald

MacDonald wrote this in 1872, giving you a chance to see where Tolkien drew inspiration from—a young protagonist discovering courage through a magical journey with genuine peril and wonder. Like Bilbo, the heroine must navigate a world where danger lurks in unexpected places, but MacDonald's prose has a dreamlike quality that makes the terror feel almost mythic rather than merely adventurous.

by George MacDonald

Here's your surprise pick: this is intricate court politics and character study rather than action-adventure, but it shares Tolkien's gift for making you care deeply about a gentle outsider thrust into a world of danger and protocol. Maia, like Bilbo, must navigate treachery and unfamiliar customs with integrity intact, and Addison captures that same quiet dignity in the face of overwhelming circumstance.

by Naomi Novik

Novik gives you that same sense of an ordinary person discovering they're capable of extraordinary things, but she builds her magic system with the logic of a craftsperson—every spell has weight and consequence. The relationship between her protagonist and the mysterious wizard mirrors Bilbo and Gandalf's dynamic, but with far more friction and mutual misunderstanding that gradually transforms into something deeper.

by Clifford D. Simak

A delightful 1968 science fiction novel that proves adventure and wonder aren't confined to medieval fantasy—Simak uses goblins, aliens, and time travel to explore similar themes of an ordinary being caught up in extraordinary circumstances. It has Tolkien's warmth and humor without the darkness, and Simak's prose moves with the same unhurried confidence that makes you trust the narrator completely.

by Robin McKinley

McKinley writes a young outsider discovering martial prowess and belonging in a culture not her own—much like Bilbo finding his burglar's courage among the dwarves. But she grounds the fantasy in sensory detail and emotional authenticity; you feel the weight of the sword, the ache of training, the loneliness of being caught between two worlds in ways that make the magical elements feel earned rather than given.