The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings

The third volume in J.R.R. Tolkien's classic epic fantasy, The Lord of the Rings. This edition of The Return Of The King includes the complete appendices and index for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

As the shadow of Mordor grows across the land, the War of the Ring enters its final stage and the Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, has joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard and takes part in the desperate battle of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escape into Fangorn Forest and there encounter the Ents.

Gandalf has miraculously returned and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman. Sam has left his master for dead after a battle with the giant spider, Shelob; but Frodo is still alive—a pivotal moment in this story of good vs evil, now in the foul hands of the Orcs.

Meanwhile, the armies of the Dark Lord Sauron are massing as the One Ring draws ever nearer to the Cracks of Doom.

“A triumphant close ... a grand piece of work, grand in both conception and execution. An astonishing imaginative tour de force.”—Daily Telegraph

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Published Sep 18, 2012

432 pages

Average rating: 9.34

102 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

abookwanderer
Oct 09, 2025
8/10 stars
It's been almost ten years since I finished reading The Two Towers but I was determined to finally finish this series. When one of the prompts on my reading challenge this year was to read the book on your TBR the longest, I knew this is the book I needed to finally read. While I'm a fan of the story, the actual reading of this series can be tedious for those who don't often read fantasy. I accomplished it this time with a combination of print and audiobook, which helped. I enjoyed listening to the tale more than reading it, but I can read more quickly than I can listen. I'm happy to finally cross this one off my list. It's worth the read just for the friendship between Frodo and Sam, and I did find myself teary-eyed at the end.

#popsugarreadingchallenge2021 (advanced prompt #5 - The book that's been on your TBR list for the longest amount of time)
Zillah
May 20, 2023
10/10 stars
Re-read (4th time). Certainly the most beautiful ending to the most beautiful story ever told. Character that the movie portrays unjustly: Denethor
E Clou
May 10, 2023
8/10 stars
Because this is part of the trilogy, the conflict was pretty much resolved about 60% of the way through the book. I actually really enjoyed that. The rest of the book was just about the things that mattered to the characters and their relationships. Solidly good.
JonMoss
Mar 18, 2023
10/10 stars
Listened in July 2020 in addition to reading The Lord of the Rings ebook. It includes the Prologue and Appendix A.
NolaGrace
Jan 16, 2022
10/10 stars
Absolutely obsessed with it. And entirely necessary right after you finish reading Two Towers. That cliffhanger is killer!

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