[Kath]

As a child reading The Hobbit I was struck by the almost callousness with which the deaths of Fili and Kili are dealt with. They are a passing mention, nothing more. Thorin, the great leader, gets a whole deathbed scene - but he was the one that caused half the mess in the first place! In order to have the moment of redemption before it was too late the attention has to focus in on him. But poor Fili and Kili - who were honest and loyal and while a part of Thorin's barricade due to their family ties were kind to Bilbo - just die 'off screen'. I found that very, very sad.

I think presenting the battle as a flashback works rather well. To try and write the battle as it was happening would get dull. 'Then the eagles came, and then the goblins came, and then the dwarves came, and then the other dwarves came, and then Beorn came.' Visually it could be done quickly and hold your interest, written it would become a lengthy battle chapter in what is a generally fast moving and very segmented book. If you're writing/reading for a child you need to keep their interest - and if your child isn't a huge fan of battle stories you would adapt.

There is an odd melancholy to the chapter as well, away from the deaths. Bilbo, while looking forward to getting home at last, does spend a lot of his time looking around and reminiscing about the journey there. He hardly wants to be fighting dragons or to be embroiled in politics any more but he knows this is the end of his grand adventure and there is a part of him that will miss it all. It leaves you as the reader with a longing for more.