16. Farmer Giles of Ham

by J.R.R. Tolkien (79 pgs)

Rating: 4

Farmer Giles is a practical sort living in a picturesque little village with a dog and his wife, Agatha. When he chases off a giant, everything begins to change and he soon finds himself chasing after a somewhat crafty dragon named Chrysophylax.

Farmer Giles of Ham is actually meant as a children's book. It's something of a fable about the difference between ordering things done and doing them yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if it weren't also a pot shot at the local nobility. Anyway, it's well written, amusing, and very very short. There really isn't an excuse not to read this.