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  • The Return of the King

  • The Lord of the Rings, Book 3
  • By: J. R.R. Tolkien
  • Narrated by: Rob Inglis
  • Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (6,032 ratings)
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The Return of the King cover art

The Return of the King

By: J. R.R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Rob Inglis
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Summary

The complete, unabridged audiobook of The Return of the King.

Concluding the story begun in The Hobbit, this is the final part of Tolkien’s epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, available as a complete and unabridged audiobook.

The armies of the Dark Lord Sauron are massing as his evil shadow spreads ever wider. Men, Dwarves, Elves and Ents unite forces to do battle against the Dark. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam struggle further into Mordor in their heroic quest to destroy the One Ring.

Includes Appendix A.

©1954, 1966 The Tolkien Estate Limited (P)1991 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

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: Aragorn - a Lord of the Rings character guide


From his time as the ranger Strider to his ascension to King of Gondor, this guide has everything you need to know about the hero Aragorn. Perhaps one of the most mysterious and intriguing characters in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Aragorn is known by many names: Strider, Elessar, Estel, and finally Aragorn II, heir to the throne of Gondor and Arnor. From a shadowy tracker who mysteriously comes to Frodo's aid to an essential member of the Fellowship of the Ring to the long-awaited king who restores harmony and peace to Middle-earth, Aragorn plays many important roles in the fantasy epic. And he has quite an interesting history.

What listeners say about The Return of the King

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One 'Book' To Rule Them All!

WOW!! Absolutely superb! A truly amazing book, from start to finish. The Lord of the Rings movies, really don't even scratch the surface. This is, without doubt, a masterpiece. Excellently written, and narrated with style.

If you've watched the movies, and think you know what Lord of the Rings is about, think again. Get this book, and you will understand what I mean.

Absolutely brilliant!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Read the book, saw the movie, loved the audiobook

I'll skip the review of the story, we all know it, its a 'Genius at work' moment. However, seeing the trilogy in the cinema, in advance of listening to this epic tale, I think improved the listen. Peter Jackson's characters almost fitted my imagining perfectly and this made listening, aided by a fantastic narration, a breeze. Oh, that there were more of it's kind out there.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An epic saga

A truly epic ending to the greatest book ever written.Have read the book many times myself so it was nice to be read to for a change

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Timeless classic

Marvelously done, perfect voice for the story and brings to life everything I loved about the books the first time I read them.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book but missing extra chapters

Generally well read but disappointed that the last few CDs after the end of the main book are not included. Also narrator sometimes slips into the wrong accent.

Overall though a very good listen.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tremendous

Goes without saying, a fantastic story brilliantly read. Makes time working at my sewing machine speed away.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A singed loaf of bread's understatement

Perfect performance, except for the narrator's lack of ghusto when singing.
Probably the greatest piece of creative literature humanity shall ever produce. Highly recommended.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • N
  • 05-12-13

poor reader great book

What disappointed you about The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Volume 1?

Rob Inglis has good diction but no expressiveness and is wearisome to listen to. He is not the right man to capture and excite the imagination, and his reading is a great disappointment.

What did you like best about this story?

Wonderful sustained creation of a parallel world. In some respects a modern Pilgrims Progress, that reflects Tolkien 's life experience and also his abiding academic interests. One of my favourite books.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I loved the book but was bored by the reading of it. For a book of this length the quality of the reader is imperative. I can't understand the positive reviews.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Lord of the Rings Return of the King Vol 1

A very well read adaptation of the Lord of the Rings. Gret pace when required and unashamed renditions of songs etc.. all the beauty of Tolkien's language brought to life

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

First time listening to the book

I loved these books more than I loved the films. Books always better as the flims gotta cut out parts.

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3 people found this helpful