The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Book 1)

Inspired by The Hobbit, and begun in 1937, The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy that Tolkien created to provide "the necessary background of history for Elvish tongues." From these academic aspirations was born one of the most popular and imaginative works in English literature. The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in the trilogy, tells of the fateful power of the One Ring. It begins a magnificent tale of adventure that will plunge the members of the Fellowship of the Ring into a perilous quest and set the stage for the ultimate clash between powers of good and evil. In this splendid, unabridged audio production of Tolkien's great work, all the inhabitants of a magical universe-hobbits, elves, and wizards-step colorfully forth from the pages. Rob Inglis' narration has been praised as a masterpiece of audio.

During his eleventy-[first] birthday celebration (hobbits have their own way of counting), Bilbo Baggins reluctantly agrees to give up the powerful but corrupt Ring of Power he found years before in The Hobbit. But getting rid of the ring turns out to be no easy task. In this first installment of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Inglis's skilled narration manages to retain the old-fashioned, fairy tale quality of the original text but is also well in tune with the story's darker aspects. As Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, and his friends take center stage to help dispose of the ring before some truly unsavory characters can obtain it, Inglis demonstrates he is up to the task of relating the original story's drama, suspense, and dark mysticism. J.P.M. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine