The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, Book 3)

I have bought the lord of the rings in all it's form since becoming interested in all things tolkien 25 years ago and the trilogy in this form is absolutely superb. Rob inglis's voice and narration really complement the book brilliantly. Excellent stuff.

I just finished reading the book, and now I am listening to it starting with the hobbit straight through the return of the king because I read them that way and I think the hobbit is in a way a part of the lord of the rings. its 60+ hours total but its worth it the narrator is great, I would of course recommend actually reading it before listening to it because as the story is a big journey, so is reading the book, its a very long story and part of appreciating it is working your way through it and for those that say "Oh I saw the movies", There is ALOT that the movies left out and gives the story a new feel. Since I read it long after seeing the movies I was not prepared for what I read, there are so many small parts that either were left out or changed slightly that its like reading a story you don't know entirely. I have to say that I love the movies and if not for them I would never have wanted to read the books. If the only way you are willing to experience the book is audiobook only then I still recommend it because they are wonderful books, my favorite actually. If you do read them first, finishing them does feel great, like a journey complete.

At the school where I teach, I've got a very nice little model of Tolkien's city of Minas Tirith on my desk. I'll always love the first several chapters of The Return of the King for its focus on that city-on-the-brink, and for the apocalyptic battle against the witch king of Angmar and his minions. And the great news is, that's just the beginning of the book!

Book V, the first part of Return of the King, picks up with the fate of all Middle Earth teetering on the very doorstep of destruction at the hands of Lord Sauron's most powerful ringwraith servant. Aragorn and company forge a last alliance between the human kingdoms of Rohan and Gondor that serve to stem the Dark Lord's tide while Frodo and Sam inch ever closer to their final destiny ... and the ring's (chronicled in the first three chapters of Book VI).

Just as The Fellowship of the Ring lovingly spent several chapters establishing a world that needs to be saved, this final installment of Tolkien's master trilogy spends several chapters wrapping it up when the major danger has passed. It seems old J.R.R. was reluctant to leave, but don't be fooled (or over-spoiled by Peter Jackson's abridged movie ending). The uprising in the Shire, which serves as falling action and conclusion, does what so few stories of this scope ever do: wraps up every loose end and shuts the door on the story in a way that made it virtually impossible to sequelize. And Tolkien is to be credited for that.

(This review has been posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire fantasy, "Teeth.")

If you love the books you'll like this recording. This series is unabridged. It's something like 52 hours long for all three sets. This is what I put into my car cd player when I was trapped in rush hour traffic. It makes a good escape if you're a Tolkien fan.

One reader narrates the whole book, and he does a great job of changing his voice during dialoge between characters.

I've been very happy with all three of these recordings.

The finale to the Lord of the Rings series has come! This book has, of course, started with the long Minas Tirith chapter, with Pippin and Gandalf. Pippin meets the citizens. Then, it goes over to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli's point of view. Aragorn has to live out his destiny of becoming king. Next, there's Merry back in Rohan. Merry just does something. It transitions towards those points while the battle of Pelenor Fields is about to begin, and Aragorn is trying to return to his home nation of Gondor so he can get the throne. But, it goes over to what I think is the climax (Sam in Cirith Ungol attempting to rescue Frodo). Sam, the real hero, and Frodo are trying to destroy the One Ring once and for all in the Cracks of Doom. Sauron still continues to carry out his men to eradicate Gondor and Rohan's men. The battle between fate begins...
This is (so far) my favorite book ever! Although, it takes long to read, you'll get immersed into it if you have a strong imagination. It's full of specific details and hordes of excitement. You may not expect the ending, but you'll love it. Better than 'The Hobbit'! You'll get it if you're in high school. No matter what you do, buy that book! If you're a hardcore fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, this is the book for you. Yes!!! - Nathan