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The Hobbit
- Narrated by: Rob Inglis
- Series: The Lord of the Rings, Book 0.5
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Categories: Children's Audiobooks, Literature & Fiction
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Publisher's Summary
Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all - a treasure-troving dragon named Smaug.
In this fantasy classic, master storyteller J.R.R. Tolkein creates a bewitching world filled with delightful creatures and thrilling dangers. Narrator Rob Inglis will hold listeners of all ages spellbound with his skillful portrayal of hobbits, dwarves, and enchanted beasts.
What the critics say
"Rob Inglis expertly bridges the gap between the whimsical, childlike aspects of Tolkien's fantasy classic and the hints of darker things to come later in The Lord of the Rings. Though content to enjoy his cozy life, cheerful hobbit Mr. Bilbo Baggins agrees to help his wizard friend Gandalf aid a group of dwarves seeking their lost treasure. As their various adventures ensue, Inglis treats listeners to a tour-de-force performance rich in colorful characterizations and several engaging singing performances. This story should be the unquestionable starting point for those venturing into Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Listeners experience a vocal performance that is in turn charming, gripping, a little scary, and always engaging." (AudioFile magazine)
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What listeners say about The Hobbit
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sarah
- 2019-04-30
Always one of my favourites
Fantastic reading by Rob Inglis of one of my favourite childhood books. I will never get sick of this story. It stands the test of time!
5 people found this helpful
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- Langer
- 2019-08-14
Very Good reading of a Classic Children's Fantasy
There is another performance of this novel on Audible. That one is read by, imho, a superior narrator...Martin Shaw.
That version is, unfortunately, abridged to about half length.
Rob Inglis does an admirable job reading this book, and even sings all of the songs and poems in the text, but lacks much of Shaw's proficiency. Some songs are performed loudly and confidently. Others are fairly toneless and sound like me at church with an unfamiliar hymn.
Overall, a great book. 4.5 stars
4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-01-15
Best Reader Possible
He sings songs funnily and merrily, and has a voice for all the characters. I'm definitely going to specifically listen to his LOTR readings.
12 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-05-16
Another Masterful Performance by Rob Inglis
Rob Inglis knocks it out of the park every time! My mom read the hobbit to me when I was very young, and this is my first time experiencing the story as an adult and I just loved it! While the pacing is much quicker than the LOTR trilogy, it is a very enjoyable prelude to the Fellowship, and is a great book to listen to if you’re new to the fantasy genre or want to renew your love for fantasy stories!
2 people found this helpful
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- Mike morris
- 2020-05-06
Review of the Hobbit
Amazing story. loved the performance. had me sleep like a baby. Please read this when you get a chance.
2 people found this helpful
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- Peter Menkveld
- 2020-07-26
Would recommend to anyone with good taste
Love it! hope to listen to it many times over :) narrator does a splendid job
1 person found this helpful
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- Shania c
- 2020-06-23
Amazing
I absolutely loved the narrator. He made it an amazing experience. Especially when he sang
1 person found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 2020-05-02
Rob Inglis is alright.
The story is fine, amusing, and a hint of something epic. It's a fairy tale, something people tend to overlook when slapping it together with the epic Lord of the Rings.
Rob Inglis is alright as a narrator, he feels like your old grandpa who's reading you your favourite story when you're about to go to sleep. However, some of his voices are ear grating- such as a few of the Dwarves and all the goblins who have speaking roles.
He also sings every song and it's a bit offputting, instead of sing-talking or chanting like most people do he blares out every note remarkably loud in an older fashion singing voice. Whenever Tolkien's poetry/music came on I would have to reach out and skip continually until he was finished.
My last bit is a nitpick- he pronounces Dain of the Iron Hills as Dine instead of Day-n, and as someone who has always heard of it as the latter just felt wrong.
1 person found this helpful
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- Corie
- 2021-04-20
now I know why it's a classic!
I've always loved this story, but never read the book in its entirety. I'm happy I finally checked this one off my list!
I really enjoyed the narration! I am a big fan of a narrators that perform individual voices for each character. It truly enhances the experience and helps me follow along when there are multiple characters to keep straight.... especially when they all have weird names lol 🤣
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- KO
- 2021-04-19
Great Story, Great Narration
Rob Inglis is a treat and it is a great story. Gandalf Thug Ly fe
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- Bryan J. Peterson
- 2012-10-20
Finally! Thank you Audible!
Being a fan of the world of Middle-Earth since I was about ten or so, I was delighted when in Middle School I discovered the unabridged audiobook recordings produced by Recorded Books. As with most of what RB does, they picked the perfect narrator. British stage actor Rob Inglis does an excellent job of bringing the many characters to life, in this case Bilbo and Thorin and Company, not to mention the many characters they meet o their quest to recover the Dwarves' treasure. And unlike most narrators, Mr. Inglis actually sings the many songs sprinkled throughout the story and, while he doesn't always choose what I would consider the right tune for all the given songs, he does have a good tenor. His regular narration style is also extremely pleasant on the ears, and his pronunciation of the names of characters and places is also excellent. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed when Audible removed these recordings from their site some years back and extremely delighted a few days ago when I discovered they'd made them available once again. I used this month's two credits to buy The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring and plan to use next month's two to buy the remainder of the story. If you're a fan of the Lord of the Rings and were disappointed or at least not completely satisfied by the other adaptations out there, you may just be in for a pleasant surprise if you give these unabridged productions a listen. It's much more convenient having them available in digital format since you won't have to worry about tapes or discs wearing out, which they inevitably do eventually. I just need to get myself a bigger IPod.
187 people found this helpful
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- Sher from Provo
- 2013-04-08
Quite a journey
I read this book the first time many years ago. I was hooked instantly, and went on to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I have loved these books ever since.
It was great this time 'round to have it read to me by a fabulous narrator. As I have read other reviews, I was struck by how many people were lucky enough to have a parent read this to them as children, or to read it along with a parent. I did not have that experience and am envious of it. So having Mr. Inglis read it to me is second best. That is not to say his reading is anything but amazing! and I also loved his singing of the songs. I want to believe he made the melodies up himself.
All in all, I was charmed again by this book, by the characters, the journey, the deep meaning, and the flow of Tolkein's writing. I rarely reread fiction, but this one is, and will be in the future, and exception to my rule.
96 people found this helpful
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- 🌸DARA
- 2013-06-06
Classic
I read this as a child and wanted to revisit it now as an adult and I'm so glad I did. I had forgotten a lot of the details and the depth of the story. It was nice to listen to it this time because it gave it a different perspective. What a classic what a treasure.
79 people found this helpful
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- Darwin8u
- 2012-10-09
Victory after all, I suppose!
There are a rare handful of children's books and fantasy novels that definitely deserve to be experienced in different ways (books, movies, audio) and at different times (youth, middle age, etc). I remember my first exposure to this wonderful piece of high fantasy as a child. I loved the world Tolkien created and the way he was able to balance fantasy, poetry, humor and drama. I read it again during the whole 'Lord of the Rings' (LOTR) movie period, and now I've just listened to it on Audible with my own kids in anticipation of taking them to the movie. Wow!
When judging 'the Hobbit', it is tempting to grade it straight against the LOTR trilogy. There is a trap, however, in reading 'the Hobbit' AFTER reading the LOTR. While these works by Tolkien are obviously related, they are very, very different. Tolkien's approach, tone, style and intended audience was a different. If you separate LOTR from 'the Hobbit', gently, it is easier to see the greatness of 'the Hobbit' on its own.
As an adult, I now view 'the Hobbit' more as a Bildungsroman rather than a traditional quest novel. Listening and reading this with my kids, I found myself once more transported not just to middle-earth, but back to my own youth and innocence.
155 people found this helpful
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- Candace
- 2012-10-09
Absolutely Amazing.
I am so glad that this is finally available on Audible! The book is one of my favorites, great all ages. Full of elves, dwarfs, dragons, wizards, goblins, giant spiders... Absolutely fun and engrossing.
I love the narrator as well. He brings the characters to life and his voice is very pleasant to listen to.
Anyone can, and should, enjoy this book. It was written for everyone! As another reviewer said, this is a book (and series) that defined the genre of fantasy. I can't wait to listen to all of them.
And THANK YOU Audible for, when finally releasing the series, and knowing it would be popular, having each book only 1 credit. Certainly worth more, but it means that people who haven't read these amazing books are more likely to take the leap and find themselves enchanted.
I plan on fully enjoying the next 65 hours and 17 minutes of my listening.
106 people found this helpful
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- Devin
- 2015-07-06
Everything is great...except the songs!!
Where does The Hobbit rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The Hobbit is an all time favorite. Great narrating too...except for the singing!! Dear God, I've never heard such tone-deaf, tuneless singing. Tolkien's songs have such beautiful lyrics, and can be read as poetry. I wish the narrator would have taken that approach.
128 people found this helpful
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- KAG Stuff
- 2019-06-02
Seeking A Better Voice over Person
The reader was TRASH! I tried listening bit his voice was just GARBAGE. I was so DISAPPOINTED. I was soooooooo looking forward to a GOOD listen😟😥😥😥
5 people found this helpful
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- kbreezy
- 2012-11-08
Almost perfect
What can I say? The story's almost incomparable, so let me switch to commending Rob Inglis' performance. I tend to shy away from dramatizations, but Inglis' delivery is mostly narration. He does just enough variation in delivery to make the characters distinctive without resorting to silly vocal tics. It's masterfully done and a great example of how a good narrator can enhance a book just as easily as a poor one can ruin it.
52 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2017-02-10
slow to like
Not too keen on Inglis' narration, and when he sings songs from the text I have to cringe... but even so this was a pleasurable audio text.
34 people found this helpful
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- B.
- 2012-10-09
Absolutely the BEST
Rob Inglis's narration is clear and crisp with characters finely enunciated--from the individual dwarfs to Bilbo, from Gandalf to the spiders and the dragon! This reading is better than any dramatization (although there are some good ones) because it combines the best of narration with the value of the unabridged text. Inglis also sings the poetry--haunting and stirring melodies performed beautifully. In a way, Inglis paints the text vocally in the manner that Alan Lee painted the text visually. I am thrilled that audible has made the recordings of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series available in the US. Worth every penny/credit!!
67 people found this helpful