Are you enjoying The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime TV and want to experience the original trilogy again? As one of the greatest, most epic Fantasy stories, any Lord of the Rings audiobook is worth a listen. But there are so many now! Let me tell you where the differences are between all these versions so you can pick the best one for you.
When you search on Audible for the Lord of the Rings audiobook, it can be quite confusing how many books pop up and you are rightly wondering why. Since these books are so popular, they have been re-recorded several times.
And don’t forget that this is a trilogy!
So, every production has a series of three books: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. That’s a whole lot of LotR to pick from with so many different narrators and versions on offer.
By the way, The Hobbit is just one book that was turned into three movies. The Lord of the Rings is a real trilogy though, every book was turned into one movie.
**The marked links and book covers on this page are affiliate links. If you use them to purchase something, I earn a fee at no additional cost for you. Disclosure**
Blurb of The Fellowship of the Ring:
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. 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.
The Lord of the Rings audiobook with Andy Serkis
Andy Serkis, the actor who played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings movies, recorded a new version of all The Lord of the Rings audiobooks in 2021.
I can highly recommend these audios! Andy Serkis is very gifted as an audiobook narrator, you can’t go wrong with him. And if you have watched the movies, it will be easy for you to recognize many of the characters he is voicing, most notably Gollum.
These three audiobooks are unabridged and contain word-for-word the entire books by J.R.R. Tolkien, no changes were made that deviate from the original text.
If you listen to an Andy Serkis Lord of the Rings audiobook, you can rightly say that you have “read the books”!
As these audiobook recordings have only just been published in 2021, you can be sure to get a very high-quality audio production.
Buy The Fellowship of the Ring read by Andy Serkis on Amazon**
Or listen to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on Everand**
Related article: The Best Audiobooks on Everand
The Lord of the Rings audiobook with Rob Inglis
The most well-known recording of the trilogy is by Rob Inglis. I love this specific The Lord of the Rings audiobook because of Rob Inglis’ warm voice. He even sings all the songs!
Imagine listening to a storyteller, sitting next to you and reading you this epic adventure. This version, just like the newer Andy Serkis recording, is unabridged.
I listened to Rob Inglis reading LotR in 2020 for an audiobook marathon and it was at the same time soothing and engaging. Rob Inglis is such a fantastic narrator!
If you are unsure which unabridged version you want, give the audiobook samples on Audible of both Rob Inglis and Andy Serkis a careful listen and see which voice appeals to you more.
Buy The Fellowship of the Ring read by Rob Inglis on Amazon**
Or listen to the entire trilogy with Rob Inglis on Everand**
The Dramatized Lord of the Rings audiobook
If you are intimidated by the epic unabridged versions with their 20 plus hours length, then the dramatized audio plays might be perfect for you!
This full-cast production of The Lord of the Rings audiobook is abridged, meaning the story was edited and shortened to make it more suitable for a cast with several actors.
So-called radio or audio plays are great for people trying audiobooks for the first time since they feel like a movie. With so many talented voices, including Ian Holm, who was Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings movies, your mind will keep more engaged with the story, which helps to keep your attention.
The audio plays have a length of around 4 hours each. If you have read the trilogy before, these books are a great way to re-visit Middle Earth in a new way. The abridged versions are still more in-depth than the movies. But it isn’t word-for-word the original trilogy as J.R.R. Tolkien wrote it.
Start with The Fellowship of the Ring audio play**
Recently, (I assume because of the popularity of Rings of Power on Amazon Prime) Amazon has removed The Fellowship of the Ring audiobook narrated by Rob Inglis from Kindle Unlimited. It was such a great offer for subscribers to be able to borrow this audio without any extra cost.
I hope The Lord of the Rings audiobooks will be included again in the future! For now, the ebooks are still available to borrow and you can buy The Fellowship of the Ring audiobook as well as the other two parts at a highly discounted price. And while you have to return the ebooks, the audiobooks are yours to keep.
And I recommend you check out Everand! For a flat monthly fee, you can borrow the entire trilogy, either narrated by Rob Inglis, or by Andy Serkis, as well as The Hobbit, and even The Silmarillion, on which Rings of Power is based!
I hope I could help you find your way around the different narrators and productions of this epic Fantasy story.
Happy listening 🙂
Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 audiobooks per year has become the new normal and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.
Thanks for the article! Too bad you didn’t include Phil Dragash’s version, which is my personal favorite. It’s a work of art in it’s own right.
Thank you for sharing! I didn’t know his Lord of the Rings narration. It looks like a great project.