A new wave of readers have discovered "The Fellowship of the Ring," thanks to the arrival of the epic movie hits. And that is definitely a good thing, because this trilogy not only spurred the fantasy genre into a respectable position, but also provided the template for virtually every elf, dwarf, lost king, and medieval fantasy world since. It's also a wicked good read.

We open some sixty years after the events of "The Hobbit" -- Bilbo Baggins is older, not much wiser, substantially wealthier, and quite eccentric (one not-so-affectionate nickname is "Mad Baggins"). He has also adopted his bright young cousin Frodo, who was orphaned at a young age and had led a rather fractured life since then. On his 111th birthday, Bilbo suddenly vanishes, leaving behind all his possessions to Frodo -- including the golden ring that allows its wearer to become invisible.

Seventeen years later, Gandalf the wizard shows up again on Frodo's doorstep, and informs the young hobbit that his ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron. It inevitably corrupts those who have it, and most of Sauron's power is invested in it. Trying to deflect danger from the Shire, Frodo leaves with his best friend Sam and his loyal cousins Merry and Pippin. But Frodo has only the slightest idea of the hideous and dangerous journey ahead of him, that will take him across Middle-Earth to the evil land of Mordor.

Many fantasy cliches were spawned from this book (although they weren't cliches when Tolkien used them). Orcs, elves, dwarves, halflings, sprawling medieval kingdoms, dethroned kings, gray-bearded wizards and evil Dark Lords. But no one will feel that these are stale; on the contrary, they feel fresh and unused, because that is what they were when the book was first penned.

Narrative-wise, this book begins on much the same note as "The Hobbit": it's lighter and more cheerful, since it opens in the Shire. But darker undertones begin to crop up in the very first chapter, when Bilbo begins clutching at the Ring and speaking in a Gollum-like manner. The pace is pretty slow and gradual until the hobbits reach Bree, at which point it becomes darker, faster and harsher in tone and pace. The matter in it also becomes more mature, particularly in the chilling scenes after Frodo is stabbed by a Nazgul.

One of the things that Tolkien did exceptionally well is atmosphere. With a minimum of words, he conveys the menace of the Black Riders, the beauty of the Elves, the decay of the ancient kingdom of Moria, the mystery of such characters as Aragorn. In some areas, he deliberately didn't elaborate on the such things as the Balrog, leaving the visualization up to the readers.

Another strong point is a sense of epic proportions. Too often a fantasy writer TRIES to write an epic, at the expense of individual character development. Tolkien managed to balance both of them, by focusing on the individuals in the center of epic struggles.

Frodo himself is the quintessential "little guy" hero, one of the last people whom you'd expect to be on a mission to save the world. He's prone to moods of either cheerfulness or sadness, a little immature and bored at the beginning, but incredibly brave and stout-hearted when the pressure is put on him. He has no astounding destiny or special powers to help him. He's simply an ordinary person.

We also have Gandalf, who is fleshed out from the pleasantly crabby wizard of "Hobbit" -- we see more of his hidden sides and powers here. And Frodo is surrounded by a well-rounded cast of characters, including his loyal gardener Sam and his charmingly sneaky cousins, as well as a rich fellowship of ethereal Elves, mysterious men and doughty dwarves.

Tolkien wasn't the first fantasy writer, but he can rightly be described as the first noted fantasy writer, and he remains top of the heap today. "Fellowship of the Ring" is a must-read -- and then go watch the movies again.

i have all 3 books and have listened to them over and over! this is also a great way for my kids to enjoy a book i think they would have difficulty reading by themselves. they love mr. inglis' voices too. he sounds just like the movie characters although he recorded this before they came out! wonderful!!

Anyone says that the movies are preferrable to this needs to learn how to read (that said, I'm a huge of the movies--they are cinematic masterpieces).

But this is classic fantasy at its best. Every other fantasy author to come along, as great as they are, still have not managed to create the depth of what Tolkien created.

Stemming from the world he created for "The Hobbit", Tolkien writes a truly epic story of good vs evil, friendship, and loyalty. All simple, wonderful themes that speak to us whether we live in Middle-Earth or the real world. He has managed to great an entire culture that the reader finds himself caring for, a world that needs to be protected at all costs.

Tolkien is a master of plot. While the story isn't unnecessarily complex, it is broad and you have to hand it for him for juggling so much.

The characters even more so are wonderful. They are flawed, but at the same time properly heroic.

"The Fellowship of the Ring" is an excellent beginning to a classic trilogy.

The title pretty much says it all. In fact had it not been for this very version of the story I might never have been able to read the trilogy in its unabridged form. The Library of Congress version, better known to some of you as the Talking Book version recorded mainly for blind would-be readers, just didn't capture the story at all. Because of the narrator's voice I just couldn't get into it.
Then along came Recorded Books Incorporated with their unabridged recordings. In fact when I have a choice of audio book companies I generally go with them because of their excellent narrators. British stage actor Rob Inglis does a fine job of bringing these classic novels to life, and Fellowship of the Ring is no exception.
The book comes in a very portable box and consists of about sixteen disks in four cardboard holders, although only the actual novel and the afterward that Tolkien wrote are featured here. The Concerning Hobbits material found at the beginning of the book is absent, but it can fortunately be found on one of the final two disks of Return of the King. It's actually quite a nice setup. In fact I've got the entire trilogy, now including the Hobbit, stacked on my dresser beside my bed, next to a small boom box for easy listening.
As for the performance, as I said, Rob Inglis does a very admirable job. With his deep, calm English voice he's able to convey the narrative quite well, and while his voices aren't extremely varied it's still easy to tell who's speaking, whether it be Aragorn, Boromir or one of the hobbits. I particularly like the fawning yet sinister portrayal he gives to Gollum.
All in all this is an excellent version, not the least because it includes the entire novel unlike other performances I've heard. An excellent narrator only makes things better. It's great for lying at home reading or taking a long trip in the car. I listen to the series at least once a year, generally more than that.

If you are a fan of The Lord of the Rings, this audio recording is must-have for your collection. I love to read and re-read the trilogy; there is something magical about these books. Sometimes I focus on the poems, sometimes the characters, sometimes I just read them because they are familiar and comforting.

This unabridged audio recording brings the book to life in a new and wonderful way. The narrator's voice is a perfect match for the story. Rob Inglis gives each character an appropriate voice, and his reading of the narrative is excellent. It's wonderful to listen to the story read aloud by such a fine actor!

I've purchased dramatic abridgements of the trilogy, and was disappointed. So much was left out! With an unabridged reading, I can enjoy the whole story. If a poem or passage strikes my fancy, I can listen to it again.

I am very pleased with this version, and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good audio version.