The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien (Audiobook Review)

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Title: The Hobbit

Series: The Lord of the Rings, prequel

Author: J R R Tolkien

Publisher: Recorded Books

Narrator: Rob Inglis

Duration: 11 hours, 30 minutes

Copyright: 1991

Genres: fantasy, adventure, classic fiction

Filed in: Audiobook reviews

Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.



THE GIST: Many years ago, a mighty dragon named Smaug came to the south lands. He had strayed far from the lands where dragons usually live. Unfortunately for the dwarves that lived there, Smaug chose as his new home the Lonely Mountain. Smaug ate all the dwarves and laid claim to the mounds and mounds of treasure the dwarves had hidden in the deep places of the mountain.



Many years later, Thorin, the grandson of the slain dwarf king, has decided it is time to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the treasure. Gandalf the wizard has agreed to aid the dwarves and, for reasons of his own, which are usually many and mysterious, Gandalf chooses a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins by name, to be the company's burglar.



Now, hobbits are small folk, and never have any adventures at all if they can help it, but Bilbo is so indignant at the dwarves’ scoffing of his alleged burgling abilities, that he decides to go with them in spite of himself. The dwarves agree to pay Bilbo an equal share of any treasure that they recover, or to pay his funeral expenses, as the case may be. So the company departs; thirteen dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard.



The road to the Lonely Mountain is long and treacherous. The band has more adventures along the way than I can recount to you here, but there is one memorable episode where Bilbo saves the dwarves from giant spiders, and another in which Bilbo rescues everyone from the dungeons of the wood elves in Mirkwood. The dwarves gradualy learn that there is more to this little hobbit than meets the eye.



At one point, while crossig the Misty Mountains, the adventurers become lost in the tunnels and Bilbo gets separated from the group. As he stumbles around in the dark, Bilbo discovers a solitary ring and pockets it. Soon after that he encounters a strange creature named Golem who wonders if hobbits might be good to eat. With a little cleverness and a lot of luck, Bilbo gets away from Golem and, discovering that the ring makes him invisible when he is wearing it, he slips past some Goblins and escapes the mountain.



In the fullness of time, the travel-weary group finally reaches the Lonely Mountain. To make a long story short, Smaug is defeated, but Bilbo and the dwarves are not in the clear yet. Now that the dragon is gone, everyone in the land wants a piece of the treasure which is rumoured to be very great. Dwarves, men, elves, goblins, and eagles clash in the now legendary Battle of Five Armies” to see who will win the prize.



MY THOUGHTS: “The Hobbit” provides a lot of important background information leading up to Tolkien's monumental "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Gandalf, Bilbo, and Golem all play important roles and, of course, the ring that Bilbo finds in the mountain forms the basis of the entire trilogy.



I have heard Tolkien described as a modern-day Shakespeare and, in my opinion, the description is very apt. Tolkien chooses his words and puts them together masterfully and beautifully. Writers of this caliber just don't come along very often.



NARRATOR: Rob Inglis was a good pick to read “The Hobbit.” He has a voice that is deep and mellow and his mild British accent is very pleasant to listen to. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Inglis has had training in classical theater. He does good voices for the different characters of “The Hobbit” as well which is a nice bonus in any audio book. Fans of J R R Tolkien will recall that his characters are fond of telling tales in the form of song. Rob Inglis actually sings them, and his singing voice is as pleasant as his speech.



FINAL WORD: “The Hobbit” transcends all ages and genres and I defy anyone not to like it! Seriously, this is a great audio book that everyone should read at least once.



FILM ADAPTATION: An animated version of “The Hobbit” was produced for television by Rankin-Bass in 1977. It was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, but lost out to “Star Wars.”



Rumour has it that “Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson is working on a two-part live action version of "The Hobbit", to be released in 2011 and 2012. Can’t wait to see that!



CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:

The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien (Audiobook Review)

The Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien (Audiobook Review)

The Two Towers by J R R Tolkien (Audiobook Review)

The Return of the King by J R R Tolkien (Audiobook Review)





If you liked this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:

Get “The Hobbit” by J R R Tolkien (Unabridged Audiobook) from Amazon.com.



Interested in the movie?

Get "The Hobbit" animated DVD from Amazon.com.



This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.

Audiobook review by Steven Brandt

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