Tales from the Perilous Realm

Four BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations

By: J. R. R. Tolkien, Brian Sibley

Narrated by: Full Cast, Michael Hordern, Brian Blessed, Brian Sibley, Alfred Molina, James Grout, Nigel Planer

Four BBC radio dramatisations starring Michael Hordern as Tolkien – plus a special archive compilation exploring Tolkien’s life and work

The tales in this collection all reflect an aspect of what Tolkien himself called ‘the perilous realm of Faerie’. Adapted for radio by Brian Sibley, co-writer of the acclaimed BBC radio production of The Lord of the Rings, they are rich in myth, magic and adventure. Among the supporting cast are Brian Blessed, Nigel Planer, Sorcha Cusack, Paul Copley and James Grout.

In Farmer Giles of Ham, having accidentally shot a giant, Farmer Giles’ brave reputation is tested by Chrysophylax the dragon. In Smith of Wootton Major, a young boy eats a piece of cake containing
a silver star, and is granted access to the magical land of Fäerie. Leaf by Niggle is a thought-provoking allegory of the creative process, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil features Tom and the Hobbits in scenes from The Lord of the Rings which were not included in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation.

Also included is J R R Tolkien: An Audio Portrait, in which Brian Sibley draws together interviews from radio and television programmes featuring the author himself, his original publisher Rayner Unwin, his biographer Humphrey Carpenter and many others torelate the story of both Tolkien the man and the worlds he created.

Duration: 5 hours 50 mins

SO MUCH MORE THAN THE STORIES!

First, you should READ these wonderful stories. These dramatizations are all very well done, I particularly enjoyed Brian Blessed's stentorian performance in Farmer Giles of Ham. However,the documentary that makes up the last two hours is simply wonderful! Listen to Tolkien scholars, excerpts from the fantastic BBC dramatization from the 1980's and to Professor Tolkien himself!!
This is a MUST for Tolkien fans!!

an interesting little book. If you are a Tolkien

Tolkien fans will enjoy this little book. Give it a chance, and take an unexpected journey.

The Lord Of the Middle Earth

The BBC adaptations of J R R Tolkien's classic The Lord Of the Ring is simply brilliant. Middle Earth came alive as did the tale of the man himself.

Cool LOTR extras, but not all stories

I am a pretty big nerd, so this was nerdy enough for me, but I wouldn't start here for any newer fan.

Good?

Tales from the Perilous Realm is a good book, but this dramatization doesn’t really do it justice.

My chief complaint is the voice of Garm. Every “R” is turned into an “Rrruff”.

Bottom line———————————————-
If you want to listen to this story collection, don’t waste your money/credits; get the full one narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi.

That one is worth it.