• 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 (27,293 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: When Does The Rings of Power Take Place? Tolkien's Second Age, Explained


The Prime Video streaming series The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rooted in J.R.R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, the series is expected to cover all of the major events of the fictional world's Second Age. But what is the Second Age, and how does this period of time factor into the rest of Tolkien's world? Read on to find out.

Continue Your Journey Through Middle earth

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What listeners say about The Return of the King

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  • 5 out of 5 stars
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    24,464
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    2,215
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Story
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    21,952
  • 4 Stars
    1,625
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
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it is such a good book you shud read it love the


love the book idk what to say so it is good good good

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Epic ending

Well done. It was a good listen. Narration perfect. Additional content at end. The rings tale is at an end.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Finding heart in the performance

Any additional comments?

Ive been trying since my teens to get into these stories and always found them laborious to read, overly detailed, and poorly described until now. these performances were a saving grace.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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LOVE THE BOOKS!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Return of the King to be better than the print version?

Audio version is better than the movie... Never read the book tho.

What did you like best about this story?

LOTR what isnt to like about it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful Listen!!

Great story of adventure, friends, and battles. The people met along the way and the deep delve into the tall tale songs of their histories and how their woven together. Great listen! I highly recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding Finale

Return of the King is a classic, so whether or not I enjoyed this audible book was 100% dependent on the voice actor. He really brought it home in the last book of the LOTR trilogy. I can say with confidence I will be listening to this again.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good Ending

I'm glad they included the appendices. The performance is fantastic, the story is good. Probably the best of the trilogy.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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What an adventure

Loved the book it is so full of rich imagery and the mind of the author was creative beyond compare. The man reading the text did a great job and I will listen to all the books in this series again and again.

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Fantastic Conclusion to this audio series!

What about Rob Inglis’s performance did you like?

Rob Inglis had a way of reminding me of the movie epic, of the older animated versions, and even touched on the voices of characters and the way they sounded to me in my head whenever I read the print version. I really enjoyed Inglis' performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed at several points! Although I've read this series time and again since I was in grade school, listening to it on audio was like hearing the story for the first time. I laughed and wanted to cry when the battle at Minas Tirith was over, when the ring was finally cast in the depths of fire, and during the many partings.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

over all, great

only one complaint is that the chapters on audible are not the same email as the reader read.

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