Reviews

This brand-new unabridged audiobook of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first part of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure The Lord of the Rings, is read by BAFTA award-winning actor, director and author, Andy Serkis.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, a young hobbit is entrusted with an immense task. He must make a perilous journey across Middle-Earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ruling Ring of Power - the only thing that prevents the Dark Lord Sauron’s evil dominion.

Thus begins J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic tale of adventure, which continues in The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien is a perfect fit for readers who crave an epic adventure filled with magic, mythical creatures, and a timeless struggle between good and evil, as they embark on a thrilling journey with Frodo and his companions to save Middle-earth from the darkness of Sauron's rule.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book, but overall, for the most part, I loved it. There were places that I didn't quite understand what Tolkien was trying to say but overall a very strong plot and story line. Of course, I had known the plot and story from the get go but seeing things that had not happened in the movie take place in the book was lovely and made me wish they had been put in to the movie, even for a short while, Tom Bombadil, for example, was a fantastic addition to the story (in my opinion) as he sort of shaped out the hobbits on their journey and encouraged them to be brave and continue with their quest.

Our introduction to Aragorn is brilliant. I really loved that. Aragorn is such a strong character, and he really is important to the story line.

Borormir is a much more preferable character in the book than he is portrayed to be in the movie. A lot more caring and understanding and I very much enjoyed his story line.

Legolas and Gimli, of course, are exceptional. Even if they don't get many lines. Gimli is a very strong character, much like Aragorn, and is as lovable as he always was. Legolas is much the same, not much "screen time" if you will but a very likable character in his ways and actions.

Pippin and Merry are very light hearted characters that bring a humour to the book. And we all know about Sam and Frodo who have not much changed in the movie adaptation savve for Sam's cheekiness and Frodo isn't so much of a wuss in the book.

As someone who grew up with the films, it felt quite nostalgic reading this book, but I found I got lost in the detail as Tolkien really builds this world so meticulously and magically. As an English teacher, I really appreciate it, and I am in awe of what he was able to create. But as a fantasy reader, I found I got lost in the detail of the world, the influx of characters that I almost felt stupid at times and felt I was really missing important details.

What did help was that I listened to Mary Clay Watts' podcast 'That's What I'm Tolkien About' on Spotify in between each chapter and I listened to the audiobook on Audible, read by Andy Serkis. Mary Clay based her podcast off of Michael Schubert's podcast 'Potterless', which I also listened to while I was reading the Harry Potter series, so I was familiar with the formate and I enjoyed reading the books almost as a novice like Mary Clay was, and going on this journey with her. It's not the most thought provoking podcast of all times, but it helped me see things in the chapters that I would have possibly missed and it was interesting to her people engage in interesting and lighthearted conversation about it.

I wouldn't recommend this book to an on and off reader as you really need to get into the book to enjoy it, but if you are a fantasy reader, and someone who enjoys the movies, it is definitely worth the read. I don't think I would have enjoyed reading the physical book as much as I enjoyed listening to Serkis' reading, and I think it would have taken me a lot longer to get through it, as the chapters are incredibly long, but the audiobook was great.

aswillis's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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