10 audiobooks for fans of The Return of the King
- 1
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings • Book 1
Narrated by Rob Inglis
★ 4.79 ABR Score (3.2M ratings)★ 4.41 Goodreads (3.2M) ★ 4.83 Audible (67.2K)More about this pick
Rob Inglis transforms Tolkien's dense mythology into an immersive journey, handling everything from hobbit dialects to elvish songs. His decades of experience with this material shows in every character voice.
- 2
The Silmarillion
The Lord of the Rings
Narrated by Martin Shaw
★ 4.41 ABR Score (354.4K ratings)★ 4.04 Goodreads (339.2K) ★ 4.7 Audible (15.3K)More about this pick
Middle-earth's origin story chronicles the Elder Days when Morgoth waged war against elves and the Valar themselves, enhanced by Martin Shaw's mythic delivery.
- 3
The Silmarillion - Of the Fall of Númenor and the Rings of Power
Narrated by Samuel West
★ 4.23 ABR Score (341.2K ratings)★ 4.04 Goodreads (340.7K) ★ 4.68 Audible (552)More about this pick
Tolkien's creation mythology unfolds from the Silmarils' forging through Middle-earth's Elder Days, with Samuel West lending gravitas to these foundational legends.
- 4
Beren and Lúthien
Tales of Middle Earth
by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, Alan Lee
Narrated by Timothy West, Samuel West
★ 4.22 ABR Score (26.4K ratings)★ 4.06 Goodreads (25.3K) ★ 4.69 Audible (1.2K)More about this pick
Father-and-son narrators Timothy and Samuel West lend gravitas to Tolkien's tragic love story between mortal man and immortal elf-maiden, shaped by his WWI experiences.
- 5
The Children of Húrin
Tales of Middle Earth
by J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, Alan Lee
Narrated by Christopher Lee
★ 4.17 ABR Score (102.1K ratings)★ 4.06 Goodreads (94.6K) ★ 4.48 Audible (7.5K)More about this pick
Tolkien's darkest tale follows Túrin's cursed life as Morgoth's malice destroys everything he loves, including his sister Niënor. Christopher Lee's commanding presence brings gravitas to this tragic First Age epic of doomed heroism and sibling love.
- 6
Tales from the Perilous Realm
Narrated by Derek Jacobi
★ 4.05 ABR Score (12.8K ratings)★ 4.07 Goodreads (12.0K) ★ 4.48 Audible (775)More about this pick
Tolkien's standalone fairy tales feature reluctant dragon-slayer Farmer Giles, painter Niggle seeking the perfect tree, and Smith's journey to Faery through magical cake. Derek Jacobi's storytelling captures the whimsical wisdom perfectly.
- 7
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J. R
Narrated by Derek Jacobi
★ 3.93 ABR Score (12.4K ratings)★ 3.81 Goodreads (11.7K) ★ 4.46 Audible (710)More about this pick
Derek Jacobi's theatrical delivery perfect suits these whimsical Middle-earth verses about Tom's encounters with River-daughters and Barrow-wights. Pure Tolkien charm in 82 minutes.
- 8
The Emperor's Soul
Elantris • Book 2
Narrated by Angela Lin
★ 4.38 ABR Score (142.3K ratings)★ 4.37 Goodreads (133.7K) ★ 4.56 Audible (8.6K)More about this pick
Master Forger Shai must rewrite the soul of a brain-damaged emperor in 100 days or face execution. Lin's precise narration matches Sanderson's tight plotting in this Hugo-winning novella about art, identity, and magical craftsmanship.
- 9
Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
Narrated by Neil Gaiman
★ 4.43 ABR Score (798.2K ratings)★ 4.13 Goodreads (788.4K) ★ 4.68 Audible (9.8K)More about this pick
A girl finds a parallel world through a locked door, where her Other Mother has button eyes and sinister plans. Gaiman's own reading adds perfect theatrical flair to this creepy children's classic.
- 10
Penric and the Bandit
Penric and Desdemona (Chronological) • Book 14
Narrated by Grover Gardner
★ 4.25 ABR Score (3.4K ratings)★ 4.52 Goodreads (3.2K) ★ 4.81 Audible (167)More about this pick
Road-weary bandit thinks he's found an easy mark in young Penric, but this demon-touched sorcerer's 'I never travel alone' proves ominous.
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How We Rank Audiobooks
Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.
Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.
We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.
Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.