By J.R.R Tolkein
Narrated by Martin Shaw/ Robert Inglis
Reviewed by Tyler
Get it on Audible here! (Martin Shaw)
Get the Kindle Whispersync version here! (Martin Shaw)
Get the Audio CD here! (Robert Inglis)
The Hobbit Overview:
The story centres around a young hobbits unexpected journey with elves, dwarves and wizards through middle earth. Bilbo Baggins leads a quite life in his hole in the ground in Bag End before he is persuaded on a journey by a mysterious wizard to fulfil an age old prophecy to reunite a dwarf king with his godly inheritance guarded by a foul beast in a far off land.
The Hobbit Audiobook Review:
STORY
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The Good:
The story is set in the same realm as Lord of The Rings, but is definitely for a younger audience. The characters are definitely less complex, but still thoroughly memorable. If you have listened to or read and enjoyed the Lord Of The Rings and somehow missed this, you will definitely appreciate the Hobbit as it gives more insights into Tolkeins world at an earlier time – making clear many aspects of the folklore eluded to in the Lord of the Rings.
If you have seen the Hobbit by Peter Jackson and feel as though it is not worth effort you are wrong. The film isn’t really comparable as it moved away from the book in many aspects, so it feels as though it’s a slightly different story. If you’re like me, and a massive fan you’ll love the extra variety.
The story line is so very impressive, filled with trolls, battles and magic across very large and detailed landscape
[/span6][span6]The Bad:
I can see how someone might see the book as dry, but if you are a fan of any Tolkeins work you will be fine.
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CHARACTERS
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The Good:
The Hobbit is a classic tale filled with rich characters on a journey you will never forget. Theres Bilbo, a hobbit, a little fellow stuck in his ways, nervous and more interested in second breakfasts than any big journeys. There’s Gandalf, an old wise wizard likely older than imaginable full of mystery and magic. They join a company Dwarves lead by Thorin Oakenshield the king under the mountain, there’s; Fili, Kili, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifir, Bofur and Bombur. The dwarves are definitely my favourites adding the much needed comical relief.
[/span6][span6]The Bad:
No real negatives here, however Bilbo can be a little whiny for my taste.
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NARRATOR
[columns] [span6] The Good:
The question isn’t really should i listen to this audiobook, but more which Narrator should i choose, both do a fantastic job but I believe one has definitely done the best job. I have had the pleasure to listen to both Narrators, although it was Robert Inglis for Lord of the Rings, and Martin Shaw for the Hobbit. The general consensus from perusing discussions around this topic was in favour of Robert Inglis, the main arguments for this were in regards to Rob Inglises range (character distinction) being somewhat larger than Martins, however in general most people found that this was lacking in both versions. Rob inglis also sings all the songs (and from what i hear, his rendition is not amazing). I found Martin had enough range for me, and didn’t really have too many complaints in this respect.
[/span6][span6]The Bad:
A number of reviewers also noted Robert was quite monotone in general. I could definitely draw comparisons to LOTR on that front, as i had a similar perspective. However if you love the LOTR, the movies or have reading anything related to Tolkein and enjoyed it, this will be an extremely minor point. After listening to a few extracts on youtube, i definitely wish i did some more research before i listened, as i agree with the general consensus. Check out an excerpt below of Rob Inglis reading the troll scene.
As i said earlier, both Shaw and Inglis character range isn’t flawless and it’s quite hard to tell the Dwarves apart, but for me I view the dwarves as a narrative unit, and i didn’t really mind this. Further to this point, pronunciation is sometimes off, but this is a minor point, and most of the time they nail it. If you haven’t listened to this book, definitely give it ago, and if you’re a fan already, what are you waiting for?
[/span6][/columns] [kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeOVIwEgLBQ&index=4&list=PLi6ikIuN1GWvFVp8ZzK-vMvP3qArogWmE” width=200 height=200 maxwidth=200 ]I hope you enjoyed our ‘The Hobbit’ Audiobook Review, come back soon!