The Hobbit

There are a rare handful of children's books and fantasy novels that definitely deserve to be experienced in different ways (books, movies, audio) and at different times (youth, middle age, etc). I remember my first exposure to this wonderful piece of high fantasy as a child. I loved the world Tolkien created and the way he was able to balance fantasy, poetry, humor and drama. I read it again during the whole 'Lord of the Rings' (LOTR) movie period, and now I've just listened to it on Audible with my own kids in anticipation of taking them to the movie. Wow!

When judging 'the Hobbit', it is tempting to grade it straight against the LOTR trilogy. There is a trap, however, in reading 'the Hobbit' AFTER reading the LOTR. While these works by Tolkien are obviously related, they are very, very different. Tolkien's approach, tone, style and intended audience was a different. If you separate LOTR from 'the Hobbit', gently, it is easier to see the greatness of 'the Hobbit' on its own.

As an adult, I now view 'the Hobbit' more as a Bildungsroman rather than a traditional quest novel. Listening and reading this with my kids, I found myself once more transported not just to middle-earth, but back to my own youth and innocence.

What a comforting audiobook. How nice it is when you buy an audiobook that repays you with a great story and a comforting and riviting reader/actor. I had never read "The Hobbit" before so I had only a vague familiarity of the characters to start my literary adventure, but let me tell you how wonderful and exciting it was to go along with Bilbo, Gandalf, (and the Dwarves) Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. We met up with the Elves, Wargs, Goblins, Trolls, Humans and Smaug the dragon who lives in the Mountain that he had stolen from the Dwarves many years before. Oh I miss it already. I guess it's a great thing that I have a bad memory so I can enjoy this one again before too long (LOL). I refuse to spoil the story for you so I will have to leave off after adding that I hope you give this book a chance, that is only if your up for a grand literary adventure.

I am so glad that this is finally available on Audible! The book is one of my favorites, great all ages. Full of elves, dwarfs, dragons, wizards, goblins, giant spiders... Absolutely fun and engrossing.

I love the narrator as well. He brings the characters to life and his voice is very pleasant to listen to.

Anyone can, and should, enjoy this book. It was written for everyone! As another reviewer said, this is a book (and series) that defined the genre of fantasy. I can't wait to listen to all of them.

And THANK YOU Audible for, when finally releasing the series, and knowing it would be popular, having each book only 1 credit. Certainly worth more, but it means that people who haven't read these amazing books are more likely to take the leap and find themselves enchanted.

I plan on fully enjoying the next 65 hours and 17 minutes of my listening.

If ever a book was meant to be read aloud, it's this one! The storyteller is a tremendously important part of "The Hobbit", and Inglis just does a wonderful job enthralling us all with this adventure.

The tone and significance of this work is very different from that of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. As long as you recognize that and accept "The Hobbit" for the children's book it basically is, you will enjoy this version of a classic. And, when it comes to a good tale, there's a child in each of us who will absolutely love it!

I tried to read Tolkien when I was young but it just didn't hold my attention - too many weird names (I hate when I don't know how to pronounce a name in my head) and songs and maps to keep track of. Even though I've seen all the movies (and the animated version of The Hobbit of course), I've always felt left out - I knew that true Tolkien fans had some inner level of cool that I lacked. Now, I am SO glad I missed out as a kid because it made listening to the audio version so much better! The narrator is perfect and of course the writing is superior. I am going to listen to the rest of them and really hope they are as good as The Hobbit.

Rob Inglis's narration is clear and crisp with characters finely enunciated--from the individual dwarfs to Bilbo, from Gandalf to the spiders and the dragon! This reading is better than any dramatization (although there are some good ones) because it combines the best of narration with the value of the unabridged text. Inglis also sings the poetry--haunting and stirring melodies performed beautifully. In a way, Inglis paints the text vocally in the manner that Alan Lee painted the text visually. I am thrilled that audible has made the recordings of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series available in the US. Worth every penny/credit!!

Being a fan of the world of Middle-Earth since I was about ten or so, I was delighted when in Middle School I discovered the unabridged audiobook recordings produced by Recorded Books. As with most of what RB does, they picked the perfect narrator. British stage actor Rob Inglis does an excellent job of bringing the many characters to life, in this case Bilbo and Thorin and Company, not to mention the many characters they meet o their quest to recover the Dwarves' treasure. And unlike most narrators, Mr. Inglis actually sings the many songs sprinkled throughout the story and, while he doesn't always choose what I would consider the right tune for all the given songs, he does have a good tenor. His regular narration style is also extremely pleasant on the ears, and his pronunciation of the names of characters and places is also excellent. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed when Audible removed these recordings from their site some years back and extremely delighted a few days ago when I discovered they'd made them available once again. I used this month's two credits to buy The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring and plan to use next month's two to buy the remainder of the story. If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings and were disappointed or at least not completely satisfied by the other adaptations out there, you may just be in for a pleasant surprise if you give these unabridged productions a listen. It's much more convenient having them available in digital format since you won't have to worry about tapes or discs wearing out, which they inevitably do eventually. I just need to get myself a bigger IPod.

1. Not A Prequel--love of god, can we at least separate the literary masterpieces from the mass market movie productions? The Hobbit was written first, whether or not Peter Jackson filmed it last.

2. Finally! Someone does an unabridged audiobook version!
3. It's Tolkien and brilliant.
4. The reading is great, but only one nit-pick: some characters and scenes should be read a little darker and not so upbeat. For example, the songs of the Dwarfs--these should be dark and foreboding, but the way that they're read/sung in this recording makes me think of lawn ornament Gnomes digging in the garden. Minor nit-pick. Overall, a very long awaited and welcome recording! Thanks!

What can I say? The story's almost incomparable, so let me switch to commending Rob Inglis' performance. I tend to shy away from dramatizations, but Inglis' delivery is mostly narration. He does just enough variation in delivery to make the characters distinctive without resorting to silly vocal tics. It's masterfully done and a great example of how a good narrator can enhance a book just as easily as a poor one can ruin it.

Rob Inglis is the ultimate story teller! Perfect listen by the fire place! With multiple voices he is truly the Lon Chaney of audio! I have been borrowing these at my library for years. Now I can finally have them in my library. I listen to them yearly. Other versions of Tolkien's works by various authors pale compared to Rob Inglis' proper style.

Pleasant voice. Knows when to emphasize!

absolutely. The way Rob reads, allows for no dull moments.