• The Return of the King

  • Book Three in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
  • By: J. R. R. Tolkien
  • Narrated by: Rob Inglis
  • Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (27,258 ratings)

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The Return of the King  By  cover art

The Return of the King

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Rob Inglis
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Publisher's summary

The Return of the King is the towering climax to J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy that tells the saga of the hobbits of Middle-earth and the great War of the Rings. In this concluding volume, Frodo and Sam make a terrible journey to the heart of the Land of the Shadow in a final reckoning with the power of Sauron.

In addition to narrating the prose passages, Rob Inglis sings the trilogy’s songs and poems a capella, using melodies composed by Inglis and Claudia Howard, the Recorded Books studio director. This recording also contains Tolkien’s preface to the trilogy, including a prior history of the ring, and shire habitat, history, and folkways.

©1983 Christopher R. Tolkien, Michael H.R.Tolkien, John F.R. Tolkien, and Priscilla M.A.R.Tolkien (P)1990 Recorded Books

Featured Article: Boromir—A Lord of the Rings Character Guide


Among the array of characters in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the most intriguing is Boromir. Son of Denethor and heir to the Steward of Gondor, Boromir is present in only a small part of the trilogy. He first appears at the Council of Elrond, and dies before the end of Book One, The Fellowship of the Ring. Yet even though he is the only major character to die so early in the series, he plays an important role.

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What listeners say about The Return of the King

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Superb high fantasy adventure

The Lord of the rings concludes with the book. It is an example of fantasy at it's best. I prefer the first book, but all things must come to an end. Anyone not at least familiar with what happens should know that there is plenty of fighting between dwarves, orcs, elves, humans, and all kinds of other races. Evil is confronted and the hobbits show their character. The narration is wonderful. This is one of the older recordings I have come across through Audible but I doubt it could be made better. The voice acting is perfect, and it is not over produced. There is really nothing that can be said against this recording of the Return of the King.

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Excellent

Rob Inglis narration is wonderful. I wish I had downloaded the book to read along, but it was such a pleasure to have a story read to me again😃

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A classic

A classic, any lover of fantasy worth their salt knows Tolkien. As they should, the father of modern fantasy. <3

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A classic tale comes to a close

Any additional comments?

The tale of the ring comes to an epic conclusion and solidifies the loyalty of its listeners. In this final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Tolkien wonderfully ties up all the lose ends in a satisfying and rewarding way, making the listener, or reader, want to go back to fellowship and start all over again. The narration is wonderful and captivating as to be expected in a Lord of the Rings book.

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Enjoyed it

I just figured out that some chapters are out of order but in my opinion doesn’t take away from the book since you have many story lines than stop and return later I felt the story still ran smoothly. The book is better than the movie and the movie was great.

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Amazing book!

Before listening to the book, I only knew what the movies portrayed. There was so much more to the story that I never knew. Such a great story!

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The return of the king

A wonderful trip,I have been here before each time is as exciting as I remember ! This is an adventure well worth taken

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Great voice

I will always enjoy this story!!! It has been a part of my life and an enjoyable read of all time

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Great recording!

Where does The Return of the King rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great book! I look forward to listening to this again!

Have you listened to any of Rob Inglis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Rob Inglis is a wonderful narrator! I've enjoyed listening to him speak The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

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Best audiobook and book so far

This is the best audiobook I ever heard. Had to take a break after this, since other books felt so bad in comparison .

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