The Hobbit Audiobook By J. R. R. Tolkien cover art

The Hobbit

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The Hobbit

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Andy Serkis
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THE GREAT MODERN CLASSIC AND PRELUDE TO THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature. I don’t know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum—as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes in his thin face. He had a little boat, and he rowed about quite quietly on the lake; for lake it was, wide and deep and deadly cold.

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

This brand-new unabridged recording is narrated by the acclaimed actor, director and author, Andy Serkis.

(P)2020 HarperCollins

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Editorial review


By Alanna McAuliffe, Audible Editor

JOURNEY THERE AND BACK AGAIN WITH THE HOBBIT

I was still in diapers when the bar for fantasy world-building was set unreasonably high. My mother, who had been a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work since she herself was a child, passed along her fandom to me. To this day, that sense of awe hasn’t faded, and even as an adult, I find myself wide-eyed and wonderstruck by the world that Tolkien created—dragons and dwarves and hobbits and elves and wizards, dark forces unseen and simple goodness unparalleled, a good old-fashioned tale of whimsy and adventure that completely redefined what it meant to tell a story.

But when Tolkien wrote The Hobbit back in the 1930s, he did not set out to create a work explicitly for children. Rather, he was crafting a fairy story, one rooted in his fascination with language, mythology, and history, that allowed him to build out a lore of his own. Nevertheless, it captivated readers young and old and has since become both a staple of kidlit and a foundational work in the overarching fantasy genre. Many stories are hailed as timeless, as enjoyable for little ones as they are for those several generations ahead, but few are as truly universal as this one, an accessible entry into a fully realized world in which you may wade as shallowly as you like or dive deep into ages of lore and backstory.

At its core, the story, following a most unlikely hero in the reserved, slightly curmudgeonly Bilbo Baggins, is a quest not just to slay the dragon and conquer evil but a journey into one’s own. Before Gandalf’s intervention, Bilbo has no inclination of taking on such an exploit, preferring instead the comforts and safeties of the only home he’s known. Hobbits, seemingly representative of England’s common countryfolk, are not heralded for theatrical acts of daring or brawn. But what Bilbo does have, in spades, is heart, goodness, and the capacity for tremendous courage, given the opportunity. Over the course of the story, we listen as Bilbo transforms into the confident hero of legend, the kind of pathfinding traveler that would write of his ventures, which in and of themselves create his memoir and center the narrative of The Hobbit. Bilbo is such a beloved figure in literature because he is all of us—as a timid, cautious child, his capers rang as evidence that I, too, had something to offer.

Continue reading Alanna's review >

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


Galadriel is one of the most significant characters both in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and the wide history of Middle-earth more generally. If you've listened to The Lord of the Rings or seen any of the film adaptations, then you're likely well aware of who Galadriel is. But what, exactly, makes her so important? What is her history? This character guide is here to answer all of your questions about the powerful Elf Galadriel, the Lady of Lórien.

Featured Article Galadriel A Lord of the Rings Character Guide
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Timeless Classic • Whimsical Adventure • Exceptional Voice Characterization • Rich Imagery • Clever Writing

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The only thing that could have made this better would be if it was completely read in Gollum's voice

Gollum

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Andy Serkis doing Riddles in the Dark is Transcendant, and his voice acting on all of the other voices also blows my mind.

Andy Serkis doing Riddles in the Dark

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Stunning performance. The voice acting is next level. Think what one may about the hobbit movie trilogy but Mr Serkis does homage to those character voices. More importantly he adds himself, giving his performance extra depth and continuity. Distinctly different voices yet they all fit into the world. Audio books are creatively in their infancy. We can go much farther with voice effects and sound effects adding to the emotional content in this form of storytelling. Not there yet but while we wait please allow Mr Serkis to take you away into middle earth. Plus the audio quality is great.

Incredible

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I already own this in paper back, hard cover, tape, cd, vinyl records and MP3. they all pale in comparison to Andys rendition. he uses many of the voices he was responsible for in the films, and his close connection to JRRs film works made this an amazing performance. FIVE STAR.

Andy Serkis.... amazing.

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this was my favorite book as a child, and I grew up with the Lord of the rings movies. having the one and only Andy Serkis read it is a match made in heaven for any fan, from casual to hardcore devotee.

as good as my imagination

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