Pat Murphy’s There and Back Again, by Max Merriwell adapts J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit in the style of space opera, focusing on a norbit named Bailey Beldon living in an asteroid who finds himself on a quest with a group of clones and a pataphysicist named Gitana, traveling through a series of wormholes in search of the ultimate Snark, a piece of alien technology left behind by the mysterious alien civilization that built the wormholes. In addition to The Hobbit, Murphy incorporates elements of Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark as a form of old Earth popular culture that shapes the cultural touchstones people use, similar to memes in our own society. Murphy’s writing blends humor and heart, following the general beats of The Hobbit while creating her own world such that the events she references only become clear after the fact. There and Back Again is a delightful read and will entertain fans of space opera, Tolkien, or both. ( )

Such a cool adventure. The Hobbit in space. I mean, how much more do you really ned to hear in order to pick this book up?

It's done so well. Not only as a retelling, but also just as a scifi adventure. It's just awesome.

I'd completely forgotten about the Snark stuff, so that was a pleasant surprise when I started rereading it. The Hobbit AND Lewis Carroll. Beautiful.

I highly recommend this book to fans of Tolkien, science fiction, and adventures in general. ( )

In a tale heavily influenced by Tolkien's The Hobbit, Murphy tells of a norbit, who has a comfortable home in the Asteroid Belt, but is drawn into an adventure to the center of the galaxy with a group of clones called the Farr sibs, and Gitana, an apparently well-known adventurer.
Like Bilbo Baggins, Bailey is hesitant to leave his peaceful existence, but is also drawn by the spirit of adventure. He comes to learn about the mysteries of the universe and finds himself more useful on this journey than anyone (except Gitana) believed he would be. Run-ins with space pirates, ancient alien artifacts, and spaceship-eating spiders are all par for the course.
Also comparable to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this space opera is cheeky, exhilarating, suspenseful, and moving all at the same time. Pat Murphy (and her pseudonyms) may just be my new favorite author.
(I ordered and read this book in order to get some perspective and back story on Adventures in Time and Space with Max Merriwell which I received from NetGalley in Bad Grrlz' Guide to Reality) ( )

Im Dezember las ich bei BoingBoing in einem Nebensatz, dass die SF-Schriftstellerin Pat Murphy (die mir bisher nichts sagte), den Hobbit ins Weltall verlegt habe. Gesehen, bestellt, und inzwischen angekommen und gelesen.

Und: hat mir gut gefallen. In There and Back again, by Max Merriwell (1999) verschiebt Murphy Tolkiens Hobbit in den Weltraum: Der Norbit Bailey Beldon, im gemütlichen Astroidengürtel zuhause und dort mit einer Teekessel-Rakete unterwegs, eine Nachricht. Die mystische Gitana schaut vorbei, und weniger später dann auch die Klone. Das Abenteuer beginnt. Sehr erkennbar, und doch sehr anders. Jede Station in Tolkiens Hobbit findet ihr Äquivalent in der Bailey Beldons Reise durch Raum und Zeit. Das Buch unterhält auf zwei Ebenen: Da ist der Wiedererkennungseffekt (ach, das ist hier die Seestadt, und das ist Gollum!), der allen Spaß machen könnte, die den Hobbit – also das Buch – kennen. Aber There and Back again ist auch für sich genommen eine gelungene Queste mit eigener Tiefe, die deutlich über eine oberflächliche Parodie hinausweist. Auch ohne Mittelerde-Hintergrund ist Murphys Buch ein spannendes Weltraumabenteuer, das manchmal ins Surreale abdriftet.

Ach ja: Der Grund, warum There and Back again bei BoingBoing erwähnt wurde, ist vielleicht auch noch nennenswert. Das auffällig ungleiche Geschlechterverhältnis im Hobbit verkehrt sich hier ins Gegenteil. Funktioniert auch. ( )

Hobbits in Space! Now with 20% more clone action!

Now onto the more serious review.

I liked it. It retained just enough of the story from the Hobbit, added a bit of Lewis Carroll "The Hunting of the Snark", mash it with some space opera that includes light speed restrictions, worm holes, and an ancient extinct elder race, you get a very entertaining read, with interesting characters and a not so standard space opera plot.

I felt the ending was a bit weak - once the snark was found and it turned into a Boojum, the fight was over a bit too quickly. I also thought the ending, while interesting, was a bit over the top. ( )