HarperCollins To Release New Unabridged Audiobook For J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Silmarillion’ Read By Andy Serkis

HarperCollins announced they will release a new unabridged audiobook for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion read by Andy Serkis.

HarperCollins 360 announced on Twitter, “We’re thrilled to announce the release of the brand-new audiobook of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, the forerunner to The Lord of the Rings narrated by Andy Serkis.”

They added, “Available to listen on June 22nd!”

HarperCollins UK would share a clip of Serkis reading the novel and teased, “Get ready to hear more about the history of Middle-earth, and have a listen to this first exclusive clip of Andy reading from the text.”

As reported by The Bookseller, Serkis said, “The Silmarillion was always going to be a hard mountain to climb, and therefore perhaps the most rewarding. I was seriously daunted. Whereas the narrative structure and characters of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings provide the narrator with an immense propulsion, The Silmarillion is like reading an extraordinary, ancient bible, with its own creation mythology spanning many ages, written over many years.”

He added, “But once in the flow of Tolkien’s poetic imagination, and limitless authority of his universe, there were passages that I found myself completely mesmerised by as I was reading, and it became a thrillingly wild and magical experience. I can only hope the listener feels the same way.”

HarperCollins’ Publishing Director Chris Smith also said, “HarperCollins is proud to be the official worldwide publisher of the works of J R R  Tolkien, and we consider The Silmarillion, as prepared for publication by Christopher Tolkien, the shining jewel in the crown of Tolkien’s literary achievements.”

“It contains riches, with tales from the First, Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth full of soaring drama, powerful romance and sweeping adventure. It stands at the heart of Tolkien’s invented world yet, for many, remains a vast and wondrous undiscovered country still to be explored. We are delighted that we once again have an actor of the calibre of Andy Serkis who can bring its qualities to life so brilliantly for a whole new audience, and lead them on an exciting new journey into Middle-earth,” he detailed.

Do you plan on checking out this new audiobook of The Silmarillion read by Andy Serkis?

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