The Hobbit
Tolkien, J.R.R.
The Hobbit is JRR Tolkien's prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though it stood on its own legs for 30 years, it is now difficult to disentangle this tale of Bilbo Baggins' adventuring with dwarves and finding of the One Ring from the grandly-scaled tale that would follow. This is a charming story, less an epic than a good old-fashioned tale, as Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield and the rest trek to the Lonely Mountain to wrest dwarvish gold from the dragon Smaug. Along the way they encounter Beorn the Bear-Man, elves, trolls and spiders.
Rob Inglis, who reads this unabridged edition of this fantasy classic, is a Shakespearean actor, and has the chops. His voice is clear, resonant and beautiful, and he has created unique voices for each character -- even the fourteen dwarves. He could relate the dialogue with no intervening narration and you would be able to tell who is speaking! In addition, he lends animation to the text, not reading in a dry style, but with appropriate inflection, humor and drama. It is a pleasure to hear this beloved book brought to life by such a talented actor.