Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Two Towers (Dramatized)  By  cover art

The Two Towers (Dramatized)

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: An Ensemble Cast
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $12.01

Buy for $12.01

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Here is the original American full dramatization, as broadcast on National Public Radio.

The Fellowship is broken; the quest to destroy the Ring seems already shrouded in disaster. But as the evil lord Sauron readies his armies for war, Frodo and Sam continue their lonely journey toward Mordor, guided only by Gollum, a deceitful and tortured creature, helplessly in thrall to the Ring's dark power.

They're precious! Listen to all of our classic NPR dramatizations of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series:

  • The Hobbit (Dramatized)
  • The Fellowship of the Ring (Dramatized)
  • The Return of the King (Dramatized)
  • ©Christopher R. Tolkien, Michael H.R. Tolkien, John F.R. Tolkien, and Priscilla M.A.R. Tolkien (P)1979, 1994 HighBridge Company

    Critic reviews

    "The best available." ( Booklist)
    "This collection...is a masterpiece." ( The Courier)
    "Spirited productions...stirring music." ( Washington Post)

    Featured Article: Sauron—A Lord of the Rings Character Guide


    Mairon, Annatar, the Necromancer—the evil Dark Lord Sauron has gone by many names. But who is he, really, and what is his impact on J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth? Sauron is the trilogy's primary antagonist and the one who forged the One Ring to Rule Them All in the fires of Mount Doom. Sauron is storied throughout Tolkien’s lore and mythos. Here's what we know about the powerful and evil Sauron—his character, his history, his powers, and more.

    Continue Your Journey Through Middle earth

    Continue Your Journey
    Through Middle-earth

    What listeners say about The Two Towers (Dramatized)

    Average customer ratings
    Overall
    • 4 out of 5 stars
    • 5 Stars
      191
    • 4 Stars
      60
    • 3 Stars
      29
    • 2 Stars
      16
    • 1 Stars
      21
    Performance
    • 4 out of 5 stars
    • 5 Stars
      143
    • 4 Stars
      44
    • 3 Stars
      19
    • 2 Stars
      9
    • 1 Stars
      19
    Story
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • 5 Stars
      184
    • 4 Stars
      26
    • 3 Stars
      10
    • 2 Stars
      4
    • 1 Stars
      6

    Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

    Sort by:
    Filter by:
    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    An excellent rendition!

    "The Hobbit (Dramatized)" and "the Lord of the Rings (Dramatized)" were the first books I bought through Audible. I'd heard this recounting on the radio and owned cassettes of them back in the 70's and was eager to rehear them in this format - which I have done several times.
    I've been a fan of the good Professor's books since the mid 60's and account this rendition to be a VERY close "second" to the books, themselves, and the unabridged rendition now available!
    They are an excellent telling and well worth purchasing!

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    3 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      2 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      1 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      2 out of 5 stars

    Weak cast for a hacked up version

    With a story that has such a rabid fan base, you have to be careful not to tick people off. Sadly I did not notice that it said "Abridged" until I had already purchased it. I listened to it with the hope I would not notice what was missing. This was not the case. The cast came off sounding cartoonish and goofy like a 1920's radio drama instead of maintaining the more mature feeling this epic tale deserves. Maybe it was recorded several decades ago back when audio books were done with 20 cassette tapes? It sure sounded like it. This story deserves better.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    3 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      1 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Poor Recording

    Is there anything you would change about this book?

    It's a classic story and a great book. The recording is from an old radio broadcast with many of the author's insights and emotional descriptions removed and replaced with sound effects. Some may find it a welcome change, but I felt let down and unattached to the story.

    Would you be willing to try another one of An Ensemble Cast’s performances?

    No

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    3 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      4 out of 5 stars

    Hard to hear what some of the narrators are saying

    I love that there is a dramatized version of this book! It makes it so much more entertaining. The 70's sound effects are especially fun. My main issue is that you have to keep turning the volume up and down so often because someone will be screaming one scene and then be whispering the next so you can barely hear them a lot of the time. It's also not completely clear who is speaking a lot of the time since they are acting it out instead of saying "then Legolas said...". I was also disappointed with how short it is but it is understandable.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    2 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      1 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      1 out of 5 stars

    The worst performance ever.

    the worst performance ever. It would be comical if I had not paid for it.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    1 person found this helpful

    • Overall
      2 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      1 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Sometimes annoying performance

    Tolkien's epic story is a favorite but this performance is not. The background noise is sometimes so loud that it is difficult to make out what the characters are saying. Many of the sound effects used border on the ridiculous. The sound of Gandalf's magic and the ring wraiths are particularly bad. All of the hobbit voices seem out of character. They are performed to sound like whiney children instead of young men. The narrator and the voices of the men are just fine.

    One especially annoying and off-putting point on this performance is the mispronounciation of the names of major characters and places....hearing Legolas called Le-goal-us or Gloin as Go-lynn was disheartening early on.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    1 person found this helpful

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Not the reading of the book....

    Is there anything you would change about this book?

    Was on a long road trip with my son; it was a nice diversion - but it was NOT the book as written. It is a radio show version of the book and there is some diversion from the original. If what you are looking it the actual reading of same (which we were) this is not the right download.

    Who was your favorite character and why?

    Aragorn - the King...

    Have you listened to any of An Ensemble Cast’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

    no

    Do you think The Two Towers (Dramatized) needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

    no; but needs a straight forward version reading of the unabridged book

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    1 person found this helpful

    • Overall
      2 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      2 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Mind boggling casting of Frodo and Sam

    The Lord of the Rings is my favorite book (series)--I have read and reread them numerous times. I really enjoyed the dramatized The Fellowship of the Ring, and was excited to continue with the series, but was surprised to discover that all the voices had been recast. The first half of the book, which follows the Walkers towards Gondor wasn't too bad--not as good as the first book, but after a little adjustment I was able to settle in and enjoy it. The second half, however, was JARRING in its casting. Frodo speaks with a 1950s America broadcaster's Atlantic accent, and sounds 6 ft tall. Sam, meanwhile, has a high, piping voice that I found supremely irritating. After only a couple of chapters I quit listening.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Character voices are difficult to hear

    Narrator was good, character voices were not always easy to hear, sound effects were horrid.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!

    • Overall
      1 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      1 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      3 out of 5 stars

    Sounds like a bad Rankin Bass production

    Sounds more lile 1977 instead of 2007,
    the miss pronunciations are absolutely absurd
    The Fellowship dramatization was ok but this one was unbelievable, one reviewer said they sound like spooks and that was dead on!
    Even old time radio sounds better

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

    You voted on this review!

    You reported this review!