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  • 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 (27,545 ratings)

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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

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
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    24,699
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    2,229
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
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    22,133
  • 4 Stars
    1,634
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Timeless escapism

Though stepping back out into the modern world after spending any significant amount of time in Middle Earth leaves me somewhat sad and vaguely aware of how Orcish modern architecture and culture seems to be, I still find it well worth what little time can be spent there. The narrator could be better as there only seem to be three real differences in voice affectation; the high English (heroes, elves and smart people) the low English (hobbits, except for Frodo who is a, "smart person") and Orcish (self-explanatory) This is easily forgiven however, given the material. The beauty and sweeping epic nature of the themes in this trilogy are astounding and immersive.

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

Since the first time (fourth time through) I "read" the books, I haven't wanted to rewatch the movies. The books are so much better.

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

appendix to long

I love the story. however the appendix is way to long. while I appreciate the history and lineage of middle earth, most of it is not crucial to the story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Phenomenally done!

This was great! So easy to listen too! One of my favorite series of all time!

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

Bittersweet

I was not ready for “The Age of Man” to commence or to leave this world. Lord of the Rings is darker in tone than The Hobbit. Excellent Audiobook production.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent work!

Loved the 3rd book in the trilogy. Excellent work of art and superbly narrated. Amazing job.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Perfect

I was unable to get through Lord of the Rings reading it, but I listened to this entire audible series and it was amazing. The narrator’s voice suits exactly my ideas of how it should sound d for a Tolkien book. I would highly recommend this recording.

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

I really love this series!

In this book, Sam does indeed get Frodo back. And they proceed to Mordor to destroy the ring. After Frodo destroys the ring, they go home to the Shire to find it in the clutches of bandits! Saruman was behind it! But they chased him off!

Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn were in this book. I'm not sure who the King was, but all of our heroes survived!

Rob Inglis did a fantastic job performing this story! I thoroughly enjoyed his narration.

I read this book on September 9, 2022.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Hobbits: They like to eat

Quality production. But after listening to the entire series, the main takeaway is this: Hobbits are small, tired, and hungry. There are some side-plots about evil forces or something, but the main story here is about being small, too tired to take another step, and dreaming of supper.

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

perfect

as beautiful as a story can be. no slow spots. you'll cry a few times, you will cheer more. the prologue and appendix fill in all details.

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