Andy Serkis reads The Hobbit like a story told by the fire

Serkis takes the narrator's voice slow and conversational, which suits Tolkien's habit of addressing the reader directly. The songs are sung, not recited, and they are short enough that they never stall the journey.

Riddles in the Dark is the obvious highlight. What surprises is how distinct the thirteen dwarves become, each with a small vocal habit you can track across scenes.

The recording is clean and dry. A little more room sound might have helped the cave chapters, but this is a minor note.