Rating: Summary: Hire Jim Dale Next Time Review: This seems to be the only unabridged recording on CD which is enough of a surprise. Unfortunately, I find the recording only average. Mr. Inglis does an alright job and I concede that this is a very difficult piece to handle, but I agree with the 12/11/2003 reviewer who said that he sounds bored at times, too sing-song at others. I would add to that that he doesn't do a good enough job of adopting well-distinguished voices for each character. If you have had the pleasure of hearing any of the Harry Potter books performed by Jim Dale, you will be disappointed, as I was, by this one. Nevertheless, for now, this is the only way to listen to the pure, unedited Tolkien.Also, I just discovered, my copy of FotR has two disc 16's and no disc 15!!! Tried playing each to see if it was just a labelling problem - they are the same disc.
Rating: Summary: A must have Review: This audio book is far more than the reading of a Great Book. Mr Inglis gives us a reading that brings alive Middle Earth. You are transported to a world that is both beautiful and compelling. The singing of Mr Inglis is truly excellent and his reading of Tolkien's words brings out the beauty of the English language. A truly Must Have.
Rating: Summary: Superb recording! Review: I have to confess that I have not finished listening to the 55 hours' worth of listening in this audiobook. Neither am I a LOTR geek that has read the book eight times ;), but I am an avid fan of Tolkien's prose and of Peter Jackson's movies. When I started reading the actual book I was daunted by the sheer size and bored by the unsingable songs found rather constantly throughout the book. After some 300 pages I left the book stored in some dark corner of my collection, never to take it out again. Now, three years (and three amazing movies) later, I bought this recording and have been listening to it compulsively for the last three weeks. I have been utterly thrown off my car seat (hehehe) several times by Rob Inglis's beatufiul rendering of the different characters--I have not confused characters once thanks to Inglis's amazingly versatile voice. Anyway, it's a must buy for those that spend too much time in a car like me or any other prospective reader of LOTR.
Rating: Summary: Could be a lot better Review: It's the only complete reading of LotR out there, so it will have to do. Rob Inglis does a wonderful job performing the lighter roles. His hobbits in Hobbiton are outstanding. He also does a good Gollum (which isn't a light role). He's probably a good character actor. However, the dramatic renderings are frequently given in a frustratingly sing-song, randomly-inflected tone. It's like he gets bored or something and resorts to reading rather than performing. Tolkien, who wasn't a professional performer, per se, did a much more stirring job in his informal sample recordings, presented in The J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection. I wish someone could do for LotR what Jim Dale does for Harry Potter. Granted it's a long, complex slog, requiring a vast number of voices, however this story deserves more than it gets here.
Rating: Summary: Spectacular reading of a spectacular trilogy Review: I can't imagine a better reader for this material than the man they chose, Rob Inglis. I listen to LOTS AND LOTS of audiobooks, and this is among my favorite. The books themselves are quite imposing in size for someone like me, in that I don't have a whole lot of time to read, so the audio version is always my first choice. This is a breathtakingly spectacular piece of work.
Rating: Summary: Apropos Samantha Mendleson's Review Review: Samantha Mendleson's comments are so glib, so shallow, so crass. Her "review" of Tolkien's magnum opus (and of infinitely lesser import, Rob Iglis' wonderful performance) is so egregiously ignorant, the more objectionable her "review" becomes. Samantha, sweetie, I know you think you are clever and slick and funny (ahem!) but please could you do us all a favour and stick to lighter subjects, like the Simpsons, lest your tiny mind and limited cultural and literary experience insult authors and artistes of much loftier moment with your risible writings? Thanks so much :) Anthony PDC
Rating: Summary: Elves Review: Just to comment on the person before me about elves . . . Yeah, perfection of the elves is creepy. But the author takes his concept of the elves from Irish mythology, where the elves/fairy (sidhe) were worshipped as perfect demi-god beings. They were tall and beautiful and powerful warriors. So he kind of took the idea from else where. But otherwise, Tolkien's novels are interesting but one has to have a long attention span or scarifice several weeks to complete.
Rating: Summary: Fantastic Review: This is a great reading of The Lord of the Rings. 2 Days, 3 Hours, and 26 minutes of narration. Rob Inglis does a wonderful job of bringing the story to life!
Rating: Summary: Hearing the books - almost better than reading the books! Review: I have a long commute (45-60 minutes each way) to work and am constantly looking for engaging distractions. You couldn't ask for a better way to spend an hour in the car twice a day than listening to this outstanding production. The Lord of the Rings is perfect material for the audiobook format - and Rob Inglis does an excellent job of performing the book (not just reading the text). I couldn't imagine reading or listening to a digest of the book so this edition - unabridged - is worth the extra investment. For those who have read the series (as I have long ago) or those who have enjoyed the films, this is a terrific way to experience the story again. I quite expect to listen to all 46 CDs again!
Rating: Summary: Excellent Review: I think Rob Inglis has done a splendid job - the narrative keeps you engrossed and interested. He brings TOlkien's already rich writing to life. Some of the characters are particularly lucky as far as the narration is concerned - particularly i loved Smeagol, Grishnak, Tom Bombadil, and Treebeard. Although I do think that the price that is being charged is a little too steep. Its a better option to get the CDs/tapes from the public library and buy the books instead.
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