I don't care for either author. Tried reading The Hobbit in middle school and found it utterly boring.

Shakespeare I just can't get anywhere with. The archaic language is too much of a barrier.

I had the opposite reaction when I was that age, but there really is no comparison between The Hobbit and LOTR. The former is a children's book, the latter just the opposite. That doesn't mean any given reader will like LOTR, of course, or that they're wrongheaded if they don't. But readers who give up on Tolkien just because they disliked The Hobbit may find they've shortchanged themselves.

You can use one to deflect the other; Tolkien was so disappointed by the twist in Macbeth that he wrote the Ents.

Ah, I didn't know that. "I guess you are referring to "Burnham Wood is come to Dunsinane"?

Yep. And he also mentioned that the c-section aspect of the other prophecy felt weak, so he used a much simpler method of defeating “no man”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare%27s_influence_on_T...

You had me with you until your final two words. I'm not a fan of Lord of the Rings either, but I can't say I'm "not impressed." It's clearly a work of genius, though it doesn't appeal to me personally. And I'll defend anyone's right to dislike Shakespeare, but if you're not impressed, you're not paying attention.