Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The Lord of the Rings trilogy has been on my TBR for a long time. But it's a daunting series to take on even though it's a movie series that my family and I have watched many times - for some reason often at Christmas time. It was high time I read the books the movies were based on but when I saw that Andy Serkis was narrating, I grabbed the audiobooks. 

Known as the voice of Gollum in the popular movie franchise, his acting and vocal chops shine in this trilogy. He brings the books to life as he effortlessly takes on multiple characters, each distinctive with their own intonation and accents (often reminiscent of the vocal characteristics of the actors in the movies). Serkis' narration made took this experience to the next level and made it a very immersive experience.

My only beef with the original books is all the singing. Argh!! So .. much .. singing that I started to fast forward through those parts. Hats off to Peter Jackson who directed the movies and omitted most of the songs and made some great decisions in terms of plot for the movies. 

This trilogy is an entertaining and enchanting tale of adventure, friendship, good vs evil and how bravery can come from the least likely of people and quite literally save the world. Highly recommended.

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: J.R.R. Tokien

Genre: Fantasy, Classic

Type and Source: eAudiobooks from Audible.ca

Series: Lord of the Rings

Publisher: Recorded Books

First Published: 1954-1955

Narrator: Andy Serkis

Run Time of Trilogy: 65.5 hours

Book Descriptions: 

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...

Two Towers - Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs. Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin—alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

Return of the King - The Dark Lord has risen, and as he unleashes hordes of Orcs to conquer all Middle-earth, Frodo and Sam struggle deep into his realm in Mordor.

To defeat Sauron, the One Ring must be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. But the way is impossibly hard, and Frodo is weakening. The Ring corrupts all who bear it and Frodo’s time is running out.

Will Sam and Frodo succeed, or will the Dark Lord rule Middle-earth once more?