Rating: 
Summary: Lord of the Rings
Review: Excellent. However, perhaps due to my ignorance, I expected this rendition to be the complete unabridged reading of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is not. It is greatly abridged and although very well done, it left me feeling cheated. I would caution other purchasers to be aware of the above and if they desire a very well done abridged version, fine. Otherwise, be aware that the descriptions of an an unabridged version are not to be believed. The expected excuse I will probably receive as a result of this review is that it is an unabridged dramatization. You be the judge.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Radio Adaptation - Yours to Own!!
Review: With three movies released in the cinemas, which are masterpieces in their own right, this is the definitive dramatisation of Tolkien's work. A medley of great actors come together with the help of Brian Sibley and Michael Horden to create a convincing experience. This is highly recommended for those who don't have time to read the whole book, and for those who would like to experience Tolkien's adventure in a different way.
Rating: 
Summary: This audio book is NOT unabridged
Review: Not only is this audio book abridged, it's an ADAPTATION. It opens with dialogue between Gollum and his torturer in Mordor (did I miss a chapter?), where it sounds to me like they are torturing him with a stapler. Ian Holm and the rest of the cast give good performances but if you've read the books, even they won't be able to save this "adaptation" for you. I read and loved The Lord of the Rings and was looking for a nice audio version to keep me company on my long commute - well this ISN'T it.
Rating:
Summary: Must Have For LOTR Fans
Review: What can I say that hasn't already been said! These cd's are truly a work of art. From the outstanding performances to the awesome sound effects, you'll feel as if your in Middle Earth. The BBC has put together one truly outstanding masterpiece. Even if you seen the movie, this will be a whole new experience you have to hear to believe. So break out your walkman and put on the headphones and be prepared to be immersed in a world the could only be divised by the mind of J.R.R Tolkien.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This book is truly the best book I have ever read. You find yourself caught up in Frodo's epic adventure and you just can't keep from caring about what happens to the little hobbit who has the fate of the world on his little shoulders. A must read!
Rating:
Summary: Brings Middle Earth to Life!
Review: This BBC production is simply fabulous. Ian Holm as Frodo is wonderful, as is the rest of the cast. Perfect sound effects, music. I was a bit worried about how they would condense the three books, but I think it's largely successful. This is a real treat for Tolkein fans. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent to get a different angle but the book is better
Review: What you will find with the dramatized version is that they cut out a tremendous amount of Tolkiens descriptions and replace them with statements by the characters. Ex: Instead of hearing Tolkies description of Aragorn's perilious clime and getting the full picture as it happens, it is replaced by Aragorn saying, "There, I'm up." I enjoyed these tapes tremendously, but only because I had already read the books and could visulize what was happening. I would not get these tapes unless you have heard the "Unabridged" version first or read the books.
Rating:
Summary: Great Buy
Review: When i bought this book it was for a road trip i had been planning for. Not expecting too much i put it into my car cd player and began listening. By the time i arrived i wasnt through with the cd's but i was allready addicted to the book. It is hi quality with great sound effects. It also with relation to the story definatly grabs onto you and when it came to my road trip it made a very boring trip enjoyable. BUY IT!! You wont be sorry
Rating:
Summary: Why listen to CDs when we have the movie(s)?
Review: Why?...Well...because from books to radio adaptation to movie script, things have to be left out.....And with the film, a lot of things were left out. I knew that I have truly been a fan of this 13-hour radio presentation from the BBC when I watch TLOTR on the big screen. As scenes flew by, I would almost say out loud, "damn, they left out this character and that plot turn and...." Still, I'm happy to admit, the movie will suffice to finally bring a story I've long enjoyed to a much broader following.... But when I find myself talking to other people who have really gotten into the story behind the movie, I always end up telling them about a version of TLOTR that I heard on National Public Radio over twenty years ago, it was 26 1/2 hour episodes then and Tammy Grimes was the host of the series. I recorded all 26 episodes off the radio and handled those 13 cassettes with kid gloves all these years...Until the day I saw a 13 CD set of a radio adaptation of TLOTR at a favorite book store of mine. YES. it was the same presentation (sans Grimes), and after listening to all 13 CDS over the holiday season, I discovered additional dialogue here and there that apparentally had been deleted for the NPR airing... OK, a reality check....this 13 CD set does has a few technical flaws (and yes, Tom Bombadil, Goldberry or the burrow wright episode isnt mentioned anywhere in it) ...just read some of the other reviews here to discover what some of those flaws are. Nevertheless, if you loved the movie (and I did) you ought to get this set..... It will flesh out so much of what the movie had to leave out AND you can enjoy it in situations where reading the books won't do.... An interesting feature of the BBC radio version is that the voice of Frodo is that of Ian Holm, the actor who gives us Bilbo in the movie. I wonder if he had kept his earlier Rings involvment in mind when he became Bilbo on the screen. I can say more here but once again, the other reviewers before (and after) me will "fill up the corners" as the hobbits would say. So I guess now the question must be asked, "Why settle for the movie when you can get so much more from this adaptation?"
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant BBC voice adaption
Review: I doubt that a better audio dramatisation of the Lord of the Rings will ever be produced. This BBC version is an abridged account, but one that still runs to thirteen one-hour episodes. Tolkien's work has been intelligently and sympathetically produced with the skill and dramatic eye one expects from the BBC. Lovers of the book will be pleased that no aspect of the story has been compromised by being condensed. Indeed I expect that Tolkien would have been very pleased with this product because surely this was the way he -- a scholar of the oral story-telling tradition -- would have wanted the Lord of the Rings to be told. The BBC dramatisation is restrained but uses clever sound effects to heighten the building tension of the story. The various actors all seem to 'fit' their characters well, and do not reduce their personas to cartoon-like figures, which would be easy enough to do. Very occasionally listeners may become confused in identifying the characters simply through their voices, but mostly this is not a problem because of the very distinct voice portrayals. In sum, this production is one of the very few additions to the seemingly unstoppable Lord of the Rings 'industry' which adds more to Tolkien's legacy than detracts from it. I strongly recommend it to both long-standing lovers of the book as well as those coming fresh to the Lord of the Rings.
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