Interestingly there were no 'in-between' reviews, either 'superb' or 'awful'. Thank you, Mr Inglis.! (Out of curiosity I checked listener reviews of this production on Amazon's website and was astonished to find that some thought it dreadful. He never lost my interest, seeming to command a completely convincing and extensive repertoire of character voices which managed to carry the narrative along with complete authority. Given that, his rendition is a delight, a tour de force in fact. In a sense, Inglis is in competition with the BBC radio dramatisation (which I thought excellent and still return to)and more recently the three-film version (which I thought equally brilliant). Other long stories have been ruined for me by a monotonous or weak reading. What impressed me most, after buying and listening to the complete work (over 52 hours) was the mastery of the reader, Rob Inglis. Those are purely subjective responses though others may well enjoy those very aspects. In such a sweeping and varied epic there will inevitably be elements you respond to less than others for me these would include characters such as Tom Bombadil, many of the songs, the master-servant relationship between some of the Hobbits and the rather stilted, pseudo-Biblical prose style of some of the later sections of The Return of the King. If you admire it without reservation you're possibly unusual. It's unlikely you'd consider buying the whole set if you don't already know and enjoy the story. Reviewing these books (the whole trilogy, not just the first volume), a classic work of the twentieth century, would be an impertinence I think. And having just listened to The Hobbit, the many references make the world feel so alive and real.Īs someone who watched the films before listening/reading the books, I can appreciate the care that both writer and director put in in creating this world in print and in film.
The scale of the story is so epic yet personal. The format of the book also suits a voiced narrator as Tolkein writes in the format of a story teller telling you a tale of a world bigger than the books. These suit an audio version, where the listener can just sit back and soak in the atmosphere created by the vivid descriptions, or enjoy the songs actually sung by the narrator. Many people have a problem reading the print version because Tolkein loves to use very long descriptions and histories along with a very liberal use of songs and poems. Would you consider the audio edition of The Lord of the Rings to be better than the print version? Amazing Story Matched by an Amazing Performance!
0 kommentar(er)
