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The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings, Book 1

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The Fellowship of the Ring

By: J. R.R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Rob Inglis
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About this listen

Continuing the story begun in The Hobbit, this is the first part of Tolkien’s epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.

Sauron, the Dark Lord, has gathered to him all the Rings of Power – the means by which he intends to rule Middle-earth. All he lacks in his plans for dominion is the One Ring – the ring that rules them all – which has fallen into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

©1954 The Tolkien Estate Limited (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Mythology

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Critic reviews

"An extraordinary book. It deals with a stupendous theme. It leads us through a succession of strange and astonishing episodes, some of them magnificent." ( The Observer)
"Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century." ( Sunday Telegraph)

Featured article: Gimli - a Lord Of The Tings character guide


Here's everything you could possibly want to know about Gimli, the Dwarf who was embraced by a band of Hobbits, and the important role he plays in one of the world's best-known and most-loved fantasy sagas.

Featured article Gimli: a Lord Of The Rings character guide
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I first read the LOTR when I was 13, and on occasion I wish I had never read it. Not because it's a bad story, but because it's a world of wonder that I wish I could enter anew again. The depth of the tale, the breadth of the world created by Tolkien exists as a beautiful overlay for our own, creating a window into what the past might have been like as well as understanding how the present could be changed by the action of those with courage they were unaware they possessed. On top of that, it's a great story for anyone at any time. I read it regularly, with no expectations of seeing anything new but it's always there, waiting to be discovered. Take the time to listen to a tale of courage, betrayal, evil and triumph. And love.

The joy never fades

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I read "The Lord of the Rings" for the first time in 1999 or 2000, when I was twelve or thirteen, and revisited it a few years later when the films were huge hits and everybody was reading the books anyway. It's over ten years ago. I read "The Hobbit" too during that period, in fact it was one midsummer night, and if you know anything about midsummer in Finland, you'll know the nights are bright. I started reading in the evening, lying in bed, and couldn't stop. I had no clock, and looking out I had no idea what time it was. Then I realized I had read the whole thing, and found out it was about five o'clock in the morning. One of the most enjoyable reads I've had, easy to say.

I revisited "The Hobbit" two years ago, around the time the first film came out, and was pleasantly surprised by its strength as an individual work, a quality dimmed by the passing years. It's high time, then, to revisit the longer unexpected journey, which in my mind is now so soaked in the narrative solutions of the film versions that it'll be interesting to see the story through.

So instead of three, we get to use six credits if we want the whole thing. Never mind you can get all fifty hours of "Against the Day" for one credit, or sixty hours of "War and Peace" for two. I think "The Hobbit" is a better deal still, though, so I would go for it if I were you. Two credits for 11 hours are credits well spent.

But of course I used the six credits for this. Of course! The good thing about the three books having been split into six parts is that I'll get the chance to really go over the top and take my time with the books, and harass you with endless, speculative rumblings muttered in the corner of The Prancing Pony that nobody pays any attention to. That's the proper thing to do, I think, since the books themselves take their time in not only getting things going keeping them so. In fact, if one is accustomed to the fast-paced film versions (this is argued for and against, but I think they really are fast-paced), one might be shocked at how leisurely Tolkien makes his journey. On one hand one is truly immersed in the world he has created, and since part of the fun and I think the writer's point is to march us through this marvelous creation, this works wonderfully. The Shire becomes a real place that we can care for, since we spend so much time there, since Tolkien also dwells in the matters of the hobbits in his introductions. On the other, there are moments where it seems the narrative merely plods along. I am seriously wondering about Tom Bombadil, for example. I'm not too fond of the Old Forest episode with Bombadil, and especially since he's completely beyond the effect of the ring, he becomes redundant rather quickly, even to the extent that he's explicitly written off from the story in "The Council of Elrond" as exactly that, superfluous . I understand the need for exciting adventure, but for me he's more of a red herring, although I remember liking him a lot when I first read the book, and having been shocked to learn he would be cut from the film version.

Bombadil's presence in the story is needed from the travelogue perspective, though. When they hit the road, there's an awful lot of traveling from one place to another, since Tolkien has to have the pieces moving, and I understand that the adventure in the Old Forest gives a nicer rhythm to the story that finds its culmination with their arrival at Rivendell; Bombadil, Bree and Weathertop serve as useful watersheds, since sandwiched between "The Shadow of the Past" and "Many Meetings" is a great deal moving the necessary pieces around the board.

All this does pay off in "The Council of Elrond", though, where Gandalf gives his account of his journeys, and the conflict with Saruman. The effect when one realizes how their paths *didn't* cross is powerful.

Since it is my intention to write on all six audiobooks, you'll hear me singing Rob Inglis' praises quite a bit. His narrator voice suits Tolkien's tempo well, his Gandalf is spot on, and he doesn't overdo any of the characters for contrast's sake, something I find in Dotrice's interpretations of Martin's epic. And he sings brilliantly! The songs, and there are many, are not read as mere fillers, which they're not, but Inglis gives them life that reveals them as the integral parts of narrative that they are. Brilliant!

Marvelous Creation

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I got myself a beautiful paperback set of the LoTR, all ready to pre-read for my unit on Tolkien at uni. I had months to do it in. That was in March. Well, four months had gone by and I was barely 50 pages in. Had a serious word with myself, sat down to it and could not concentrate. Perhaps it's the pandemic, perhaps I've simply lost the ability to use my brain, I couldn't tell you, but clearly this show was not getting on the road, so I decided to treat myself to the audiobooks instead.
"I'll get through it this way," I thought. "It won't be too painful," I thought.
WOWEE. I was not prepared for the treat that it became. I got my paint-by-numbers kit out and merrily painted cherry blossoms while Rob Inglis spun me tales of elves and dwarves and hobbits and orcs and powerful wizards and one very sinister piece of jewellery. And what I've been reliably informed is "poetry based on Old English verses" was, in fact, a musical of Boublil and Schonberg calibre thanks to Mr Inglis. (The chapters in Rivendell, being quite so musically gifted, took probably ten times longer than if I'd just read them, but I have learned through listening to this book that it is definitely better to enjoy the journey than the destination, even if it takes you about two more decades than the film would suggest is the timespan of the story.)
I have a feeling Tolkien would have enjoyed this audio version of his book. I think most people with the time to appreciate it would. He would be good company I reckon, because only a very chilled-out chap could have written this story. From watching the films, I was led to believe this would be a pacy book. Nah. Pace is overrated. We should all learn to stop and pay attention to the trees (all of them. For pages at a time.) Sure, there might be nine ancient evil beings on horseback chasing you, but there is always time for mushrooms and a week-long holiday with a tree man and there is always, ALWAYS time for tea.
Thank you, Tolkien and thank you, Mr Inglis. That was delightful. I look forward to Sam and Frodo's declaration-of-love duet in The Twin Towers :)

LoTR: The Musical

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I watched the movies at the cinema when they came out, but never read the book. I wanted to read the book to see the differences and decided that the audible audiobook copy would be a great way to do that. I'm glad that I did. The narrator was good and the story was interesting. It was a good listen and one that I would recommend and wouldn't hesitate to listen to again.

Good

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My favourite story and love being read to can't wait to listen to the next instalment. Part two here I come...

Wonderful start to a great story

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