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  • Tales from the Perilous Realm

  • By: J. R. R. Tolkien
  • Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
  • Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (164 ratings)

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Tales from the Perilous Realm

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
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Summary

Combined into one volume, this is the definitive collection of Tolkien’s five acclaimed modern classic ‘fairie’ tales in the vein of The Hobbit, read by Derek Jacobi.

The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are finally together in a volume which reaffirms Tolkien's place as a master storyteller for readers young and old.

  • Roverandom is a toy dog who, enchanted by a sand sorcerer, gets to explore the world and encounter strange and fabulous creatures.
  • Farmer Giles of Ham is fat and unheroic, but – having unwittingly managed to scare off a short-sighted giant – is called upon to do battle when a dragon comes to town;
  • The Adventures of Tom Bombadil tells in verse of Tom's many adventures with hobbits, princesses, dwarves and trolls;
  • Leaf by Niggle recounts the strange adventures of the painter Niggle who sets out to paint the perfect tree;
  • Smith of Wootton Major journeys to the Land of Faery thanks to the magical ingredients of the Great Cake of the Feast of Good Children.

Taken together, this rich collection of tales from the author of The Children of Húrin will provide the reader with a fascinating journey into lands as wild and strange as Middle-earth.

©2016 J. R. R. Tolkien (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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What listeners say about Tales from the Perilous Realm

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Tolkien… never what it seems

Delightfully simple almost childlike tales but with subtle insights into Tolkien’s deep spiritual views. In particular Smith of Wooton Major and my favourite Leaf by Niggle. Shame that the essay On Fairy Stories was not narrated as this is in published hardback edition.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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FIX THE CHAPTERS

Other Audible audiobooks consisting of short stories manage named chapters in the app to allow easy navigation so why can’t an important book by a major publisher?

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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No chapter headings

Nicely read, and great for Tolkien fans like myself.

Badly spoiled by the lack of informative chapter headings. A book of short stories would surely benefit from being able to jump to the beginning of any particular story, but the chapter headings are seemingly random with no detail at all.

A real shame to go to all of the effort of reading the book out and then not to quite finish it off

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Dogs, dragons - and the Man in the Moon

Farmer Giles of Ham is the standout story in this collection - tales of the unexpected by the master of fantastical fiction. It’s a kind of parody of dragon-slaying folklore and its eponymous protagonist becomes an unlikely hero after taking on a formidable ‘worm’. It’s brilliantly narrated, as are all the tales, by the wonderful Derek Jacobi. The first story concerns the dog Roverandom and his run-in with the irascible wizard Artaxerxes. The Man in the Moon - the greatest magician of all - makes an appearance. It’s a novella and very charming in its way, but probably outstays its welcome - though it is essentially a children’s story. That goes for most if not all of the stories in this collection, but adults - and in particular Tolkien devotees - will also love them. The Tom Bombadil section is in verse. Again, it drags on a bit, although the verse has great musicality and Jacobi reads it very well. Leaf by Niggle, the final story, is allegorical and even has an arguably Kafka-esque feel, at least thematically. It doesn’t work as well as some of the others - but again it’s charming, and beautifully read. This is a must for Tolkien fans and a good possible introduction to his work for younger listeners.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Just so relaxing

Perfect reading of these stories, brought together in one volume. The only criticism is a technical one. Why when each story, poem or chapter has a name does audible only list them as chapter 1,2,3 ..... etc

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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dogs

I like dogs and fantasy this is perfect for me :3
I keep coming back :D

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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lovely listen

Apart from Tom's story ( personal preference), it's a delightful collection of stories in typical Tolkien's style.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Hmm

I'm not really sure what I think of this odd collection of stories. Tolkien's imagination is clear but I found some of them quite unfathomable. I'm not sure how many children would enjoy them. Brilliantly read.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Tales from a perilous realm.

one of Tolkien's lesser known works,in truth I found it rather tedious but redeemed by the leaf by Niggle story and not without humour in fairness.
Derek Jacobi's voice also seemed absolutely ideal light and more than capable of expressing both the humour & when necessary the odd time of darkness .
I have mr. jacobi's Letters from Father Christmas also by Tolkien which I think is superior and well worth a listen especially at this time of the year.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant stories and it was very well read.

Brilliant stories and it was very well read. I love all these books. Isaac, age 8.

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