What do you think?
Rate this book
Tales from the Perilous Realm
Michael Hordern stars as J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, in four BBC Radio full-cast dramatizations available for the first time in the U.S.
Tolkien's tales of myth, mystery, and rumbustious exploits have been specially adapted for radio by Brian Sibley, one of the dramatists of the highly acclaimed BBC radio production of The Lord of the Rings.
In Farmer Giles of Ham, having accidentally shot a giant, Farmer Giles finds his brave reputation being tested by Chrysophylax the dragon.
In Smith of Wootton Major, when young Smith eats a piece of cake containing a silver star, he is granted access to the magical land of Faerie.
In Leaf by Niggle, a thought-provoking allegory on the theme of creativity, the painter Niggle embarks on a fateful search for perfection.
In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, join Tom and the Hobbits in scenes from The Lord of the Rings which were not included in the BBC Radio 4 dramatization.
Dramatized by Brian Sibley
Music by Peter Howell of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Produced by John Taylor
Tolkien's tales of myth, mystery, and rumbustious exploits have been specially adapted for radio by Brian Sibley, one of the dramatists of the highly acclaimed BBC radio production of The Lord of the Rings.
In Farmer Giles of Ham, having accidentally shot a giant, Farmer Giles finds his brave reputation being tested by Chrysophylax the dragon.
In Smith of Wootton Major, when young Smith eats a piece of cake containing a silver star, he is granted access to the magical land of Faerie.
In Leaf by Niggle, a thought-provoking allegory on the theme of creativity, the painter Niggle embarks on a fateful search for perfection.
In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, join Tom and the Hobbits in scenes from The Lord of the Rings which were not included in the BBC Radio 4 dramatization.
Dramatized by Brian Sibley
Music by Peter Howell of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Produced by John Taylor
3 pages, Audio CD
Published October 8, 2008
2 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Brian Sibley
89books94followersBrian Sibley is an English author who has written over 100 hours of radio drama and has written and presented hundreds of radio documentaries, features and weekly programmes.
In 1981, he co-wrote BBC Radio 4's adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings with Michael Bakewell, and has also adapted C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast for Radio 4, for which he received a Sony Radio Award in 1985.
As a broadcaster, he was a contributor to and then regular presenter of the former BBC Radio 4 arts programme Kaleidoscope and the BBC World Service arts magazine, Meridian. He also presented the Radio 4 film programme, Talking Pictures and chaired the radio panel games Break A Leg and Screen Test, and presented several seasons of the BBC television programme, First Light.
The Daily Telegraph radio critic, Gillian Reynolds gave him the accolade "magician of the airwaves".
In 1981, he co-wrote BBC Radio 4's adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings with Michael Bakewell, and has also adapted C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast for Radio 4, for which he received a Sony Radio Award in 1985.
As a broadcaster, he was a contributor to and then regular presenter of the former BBC Radio 4 arts programme Kaleidoscope and the BBC World Service arts magazine, Meridian. He also presented the Radio 4 film programme, Talking Pictures and chaired the radio panel games Break A Leg and Screen Test, and presented several seasons of the BBC television programme, First Light.
The Daily Telegraph radio critic, Gillian Reynolds gave him the accolade "magician of the airwaves".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 27, 2018
I really liked this audiobook. These stories are slightly altered for the dramatization. Here are my ratings for individual stories:
"Farmer Giles of Ham" - I've read this one before. This is a humorous story about the meeting of Farmer Giles and a dragon named Chrysophylax, set in the countryside near Oxford. Farmer Giles eventually becomes Lord of Worminghall (a real place; part of inspiration for the story came from Tolkien's speculation that the name meant "hall of the Wormings" [aka dragons.]). The fictional 'Ham' of the title is meant to be the real village of Thame.
"Smith of Wootton Major" - At the local festival known as the Feast of Good Children, the young boy Smith eats a piece of cake with a silver star in it, granting him access to the land of Faerie. The story goes on to tell how he met the Queen and, eventually, the King of Faery, before he had to pass on the star for the next child to find in a piece of cake. This one is new to me, but I'm sure I'll read it again some time.
"Leaf by Niggle" *** The tale of a painter who is trying to finish an enormous canvas of a tree before he packs for the long journey. A story about the creative process. It's good but I don't like it quite as much as the first two stories.
The 3rd CD has a dramatization of the Tom Bombadil scenes from FotR. I enjoyed hearing it acted out but the best part of this collection is definitely the first and second tales.
"Farmer Giles of Ham" - I've read this one before. This is a humorous story about the meeting of Farmer Giles and a dragon named Chrysophylax, set in the countryside near Oxford. Farmer Giles eventually becomes Lord of Worminghall (a real place; part of inspiration for the story came from Tolkien's speculation that the name meant "hall of the Wormings" [aka dragons.]). The fictional 'Ham' of the title is meant to be the real village of Thame.
"Smith of Wootton Major" - At the local festival known as the Feast of Good Children, the young boy Smith eats a piece of cake with a silver star in it, granting him access to the land of Faerie. The story goes on to tell how he met the Queen and, eventually, the King of Faery, before he had to pass on the star for the next child to find in a piece of cake. This one is new to me, but I'm sure I'll read it again some time.
"Leaf by Niggle" *** The tale of a painter who is trying to finish an enormous canvas of a tree before he packs for the long journey. A story about the creative process. It's good but I don't like it quite as much as the first two stories.
The 3rd CD has a dramatization of the Tom Bombadil scenes from FotR. I enjoyed hearing it acted out but the best part of this collection is definitely the first and second tales.
January 5, 2022
Some of this adaptation grated in places the stories otherwise don't for me (Farmer Giles' dog, for example, is unbearable here), and in others I didn't love the story (Leaf by Niggle) and can't tell if it's adaptation or the text that I responded to � but I loved hearing Smith of Wooten Major for the first time, and hearing old familiar tales in a new way too.
September 15, 2019
Loved the quality of the production! Spot on voice acting, music, sound effects--everything. Highly recommend to any Tolkien fan.
September 29, 2019
This excellent BBC Radio dramatization of four of Tolkien’s tales features Michael Hornden as narrator. Included: Farmer Giles of Ham/Smith of Wootton Major/Leaf by Niggle/The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.
April 14, 2023
A sure 4 star possibly as high as 4.5 (I can't decide) audiobook from J.R.R. Tolkien. Read by a whole cast of readers, 'Tales from the Perilous Realm' are four short stories from the mind of Tolkien. Three of the four were new to me ("Farmer Giles of Ham," "Smith of Wooton Major," and "Leaf by Niggle.") and I thoroughly enjoyed these unique tales. The fourth, "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", was a rereading of the excerpt from the "The Fellowship of the Ring" where Ol' Tom appears. While I have heard and read the part of that story before and was quite familiar with it, it was a new experience with the reading from the cast. My real complaint is that there were only four stories, the book version of this has five! More, more, more, please! I guess the other complaint (I mean, it is not really complaining, but more like the lowing of a cow...) is that the Bombadil story was just a retelling of the old tale. Kind of a been there done that feeling when it first stared. But I really did enjoy it all, readers were great, stories were new (to me) and fresh and quick, none of them were very long at all. Just had a real good time listening to it. I would recommend to any and everyone who has read and has an interest in Tolkien, and for those that would like quick, fantastical stories to listen to or read.
February 15, 2020
The stories themselves were an interesting look into Tolkien's other works, the recording was a bit challenging to listen to as the volume wasn't steady.
January 7, 2021
Mostly enjoyed the stories, but I was disappointed that "The Tales of Tom Bombadil" was basically just an excerpt from Fellowship of the Ring.
April 21, 2024
This was a BBC full-cast radio dramatization and so well done! I’m off to find other BBC radio plays. I’ve heard Neverwhere is excellent.
September 5, 2024
It was not my style.
November 15, 2024
Some stories were better than others.
January 1, 2025
I know I have tried to read Farmer Giles of Ham but didn't really get into it. But listening to the audio version was delightful.
April 1, 2017
RE: AUDIO BOOK...To begin with, I will admit that this is the first audio book that I've listened to since I was a small child. Although I am an avid reader & a fan of Tolkien, my experience is limited to The Hobbit, LOTR, & The Silmarillion. I have been wanting to read his short stories and other works, so I jumped at this volume, when I saw it.
I will not bother with summaries of the stories, since that has been done in other revies. I will focus on the production quality.
Disc 1 contains the Farmer Giles tale. This story is entertaining & suitable for all ages. The voices seem to be well-cast & the sound effects were believable.
Disc 2 contains Smith Of Wootton Major, an interesting story with a hint of magic & mystery. This is also suitable for all ages. The voices, again were enjoyable & well done.
Also on disc 2 is Leaf By Niggle. I think children would have trouble understanding this story & there may be content that's not appropriate for them, anyway.
Disc 3 features The Adventures Of Tom Bombadil, a title which was somewhat misleading, at least for me. I was hoping for & expecting a little history or backstory on the interesting character of Tom Bombadil. This production is not really about Tom, at all, it merely recounts the chapters in The Fellowship Of The Ring where the Hobbits meet Tom Bombadil & their experiences with him. Having read this story before, I had some preconcieved ideas about the voices of Tom & his wife & did not care for their portrayal in this volume. The voices of the hobbits were well-done, however.
Overall, the dramatizations were well-done. The 3 discs come packaged in a box. The front of the box is pictured on the product page & the back contains a summary of each story with a very small list of credits. I would like to see a booklet added to the packaging that includes the cast list for each story & perhaps a "chapter list" to make skipping ahead a little easier, when necessary. I listened to these before bed, so I often fell asleep during the tales. A chapter list would have been helpful when I went back to finish the stories.
I will not bother with summaries of the stories, since that has been done in other revies. I will focus on the production quality.
Disc 1 contains the Farmer Giles tale. This story is entertaining & suitable for all ages. The voices seem to be well-cast & the sound effects were believable.
Disc 2 contains Smith Of Wootton Major, an interesting story with a hint of magic & mystery. This is also suitable for all ages. The voices, again were enjoyable & well done.
Also on disc 2 is Leaf By Niggle. I think children would have trouble understanding this story & there may be content that's not appropriate for them, anyway.
Disc 3 features The Adventures Of Tom Bombadil, a title which was somewhat misleading, at least for me. I was hoping for & expecting a little history or backstory on the interesting character of Tom Bombadil. This production is not really about Tom, at all, it merely recounts the chapters in The Fellowship Of The Ring where the Hobbits meet Tom Bombadil & their experiences with him. Having read this story before, I had some preconcieved ideas about the voices of Tom & his wife & did not care for their portrayal in this volume. The voices of the hobbits were well-done, however.
Overall, the dramatizations were well-done. The 3 discs come packaged in a box. The front of the box is pictured on the product page & the back contains a summary of each story with a very small list of credits. I would like to see a booklet added to the packaging that includes the cast list for each story & perhaps a "chapter list" to make skipping ahead a little easier, when necessary. I listened to these before bed, so I often fell asleep during the tales. A chapter list would have been helpful when I went back to finish the stories.
April 1, 2013
The Perilous Realm is that of the realm of fairies, which includes being like dragons, giants, faeries themselves (in particular the faery king and queen), hobbits and other mythical beings. This audiobook contains four short stories written by Tolkien, which I had all heard of minus Leaf by Niggle (which was the most bizarre in my opinion and the least liked). "Farmer Giles of Ham" is about a Roman farmer who through sheer luck "conquers" a giant and later a dragon, and becomes ridiculously wealthy as a result, eventually owning the kingdom in which he lives. "Smith of Wootton Major" is about a smith who is exposed to the world of the faeries through a giant cake which is baked every 7 years for children in his village. He swallows a magic star, which later sprouts out the middle of his forehead and goes on many adventures until he turns it over to the Faery King to give to different child. "Leaf by Niggle" is about a man who imagines this great tree to be put in his painting masterpiece, but never manages to complete it, until one day he goes on a journey, ends up in a hospital and somehow ends up in the painting with his neighbor. They spend the rest of their days there in this magical realm. It is hard to explain and follow, which kind of makes me think that maybe Tolkien was smoking something when he wrote it. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, at least the part in this BBC adaptation, is taken from "The Fellowship of the Ring" where Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin first set off on their adventure to get rid of the one Ring and end up in a scary forest, where they are nearly smothered by evil tree roots, until the mysterious Tom Bombadil comes to save them. He stays with them for awhile, before saving them again later on, this time from barrow wights. The actual book of verse entitled "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" (which I have but not yet read) is a collection of 16 poems, though only two are actually about the man/god himself. This audiobook version was filed under adult fiction/fantasy, but I would recommend it for ages 12+, 3 stars.
November 25, 2016
Middle Earth enthusiasts hoping for high sorcery and eleven magic may be a bit disappointed by J.R.R. Tolkien's Tales from the Perilous Realm. This collection is essentially a book of fairy tales, including:
Farmer Giles of Ham - Reminiscent of The Brave Little Tailor, Farmer Giles of Ham chronicles the adventures of a curmudgeonly farmer (and his faithful dog) as a chance encounter with a giant leads to a most unwanted charge to rid the realm of a deadly dragon.
Smith of Wootton Major - A fairy tale in the best sense of the term, and one that shows how a person's life can be forever altered by seemingly insignificant events.
Leaf by Niggle - This tale is widely considered an allegory of Tolkien's life, and shows how profound the creative process can be on a person.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil - Lord of the Rings fans will rejoice at the inclusion of this tale, which was unfortunately omitted from the movie trilogy.
AudioBook Details - Tales from the Perilous Realm audiobook spans 3 CDs, with one major story per disc (the second disc includes both Smith and Leaf). The dramatization was produced for BBC radio, so the quality level of the performances is quite high. I could listen to BBC types read the phone book. I normally don't go for audiobooks, but in this case I'm glad I did. The readers brought these tales to life in a very memorable and very appropriate way.
Farmer Giles of Ham - Reminiscent of The Brave Little Tailor, Farmer Giles of Ham chronicles the adventures of a curmudgeonly farmer (and his faithful dog) as a chance encounter with a giant leads to a most unwanted charge to rid the realm of a deadly dragon.
Smith of Wootton Major - A fairy tale in the best sense of the term, and one that shows how a person's life can be forever altered by seemingly insignificant events.
Leaf by Niggle - This tale is widely considered an allegory of Tolkien's life, and shows how profound the creative process can be on a person.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil - Lord of the Rings fans will rejoice at the inclusion of this tale, which was unfortunately omitted from the movie trilogy.
AudioBook Details - Tales from the Perilous Realm audiobook spans 3 CDs, with one major story per disc (the second disc includes both Smith and Leaf). The dramatization was produced for BBC radio, so the quality level of the performances is quite high. I could listen to BBC types read the phone book. I normally don't go for audiobooks, but in this case I'm glad I did. The readers brought these tales to life in a very memorable and very appropriate way.
February 21, 2013
I listened to the BBC audio dramatization. It was abridged and felt like a play, rather than listening/reading a book.
Farmer Giles of Ham was a fun story. Smith of Wooten Major a little less so. Leaf by Niggle started slow, but finished beautifully. It is the reason why I gave this audiobook 4 stars instead of 3. It presents a glorious picture of the physical nature of heaven. There are numerous threads of purely spiritual, non-physical depictions of heaven in American Christianity. This short story shouts the merits of art and our duty as Christians to "do all to the glory of God." The Adventures of Tom Bombadil did not appear to add much detail from the hobbits encounter of him in The Fellowship of the Ring, although it was fun to hear it acted out.
Farmer Giles of Ham was a fun story. Smith of Wooten Major a little less so. Leaf by Niggle started slow, but finished beautifully. It is the reason why I gave this audiobook 4 stars instead of 3. It presents a glorious picture of the physical nature of heaven. There are numerous threads of purely spiritual, non-physical depictions of heaven in American Christianity. This short story shouts the merits of art and our duty as Christians to "do all to the glory of God." The Adventures of Tom Bombadil did not appear to add much detail from the hobbits encounter of him in The Fellowship of the Ring, although it was fun to hear it acted out.
August 7, 2019
Disappointing. This rating is for the dramatization, not for the original book, which I really liked. But this dramatization is very abridged and silly (and for stories that are meant to be silly, this is sillier than the originals). Children may enjoy this version, but I much prefer the original.
This version contains Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wooton Major, Leaf by Niggle, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. But the latter is just a dramatization of Tom Bombadil's interactions with the Hobbits from The Fellowship of the Ring, not the poems from the original.
This version contains Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wooton Major, Leaf by Niggle, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. But the latter is just a dramatization of Tom Bombadil's interactions with the Hobbits from The Fellowship of the Ring, not the poems from the original.
November 24, 2015
What a delightful little production! Sitting right at 3 hours total, this was the perfect accompaniment to my afternoon chores. I had read Tales from the Perilous Realm in early high school when my Tolkien obsession first started to bloom, but hadn't picked them up since. This dramatization was wonderfully done, and really made the stories come alive. I especially loved Farmer Giles of Ham, and the Adventures of Tom Bombadil. In fact, I enjoyed them so much that my next audio book may well be The Lord of the Rings.
July 11, 2018
I liked the tales, and the audio portrait/biographical-ish bit was interesting and enlightening. I feel like the audio quality sort of detracted from the experience for me, because the volumes kept changing and I think I missed some things as a result. However, as a whole, I’m the nerdy girl who does love her Middle Earth.
September 16, 2010
I listened to this with the kids on a car trip and it was ok. It was done as a live performance then read as a book which was not as enjoyable for me. The stories weren't Tolkien's best stories, but they were interesting to listen to overall.
March 31, 2015
I just finished listening to this CD set. For a Tolkien fan this is a real treat. There are three tales, produced by BBC with great voices to bring the tales to life.
Highly recommended for all but especially you Tolkien fans.
Highly recommended for all but especially you Tolkien fans.
March 4, 2010
BBC did a great job of acting these stories out. Plus, Brian Blessed has always been one of my favorite British actors.
November 8, 2011
It was pretty good. I liked the simple and fun stories. The audiobook made it alot better then if I would have just read it.
November 10, 2014
Little bit to much for me, but sometimes its hilarious.
March 26, 2015
The BBC produced tales seem a bit too dramatic, but I did really enjoy the two CDs about
J.R.R. Tolkien.
J.R.R. Tolkien.
April 29, 2015
A couple of the stories I really liked and not so much the other two. A full cast was certainly a point in its favor!
July 30, 2019
We really enjoyed Farmer Giles of Ham.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.