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Tales from the Perilous Realm
Tales from the Perilous Realm
Nov 23, 2025 1:14 PM

Author:J. R. R. Tolkien,Brian Sibley,Full Cast,Michael Hordern,Brian Blessed,Brian Sibley,Alfred Molina,James Grout,Nigel Planer

Tales from the Perilous Realm

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

Reviews

Banville is one of the writers I admire the most - few people can create an image as beautifully or precisely

—— Hanya Yanagihara, author of the Booker-shortlisted 'A Little Life'

This engrossing and often beautiful novel is a true work of art that rewards careful reading

—— Daily Telegraph on 'Blue Guitar'

The Booker prize winning author - widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in English today - has produced what many already consider a literary masterpiece

—— Sunday Independent on 'Ancient Light'

Cemented his reputation as a cultural seer ... Notes of a Native Son endures as his defining work, and his greatest

—— Time

A classic ... In a divided America, James Baldwin's fiery critiques reverberate anew

—— Washington Post

A triumph of insight and concision, brilliant both as a psychological study and as the portrayal of a community

—— Blake Morrison , Independent on Sunday

A masterpiece... It's a level of moral discomfort almost without equal in literature

—— New York Times

Savagely intense and utterly compelling... This is his paciest and cleanest-cut book...few books could better deserve a second chance to find new readers

—— Sunday Times

The Adversary is exactly the idea I have of a modern novel: struggling deftly with facts and with itself

—— Laurent Binet, author of HHhH

An absolutely stunning piece of work, totally involving and unforgettable

—— Evening Standard

This is the sort of story I dreamed of covering when I was a journalist. The sort of story for which the phrase You couldn’t make it up was invented. The Adversary takes a deep, mesmerising dive into the darkness of a human soul. There were moments when I truly could not believe what I was reading. But unlike other serial killer noirs sitting on my shelves, this horror is real. And so much more chilling for that.

—— Fiona Barton, author of The Widow

[A] book that fairly struck me over the head was The Adversary… it’s the coexistence of almost unimaginably variant realities within a family that haunts you.

—— Megan Nolan , New Statesman, *Books of the Year*

A remarkably thoughtful and unnerving book...mesmerising

—— Sunday Telegraph

Profoundly disturbing...a remarkable and undoubtedly important book - perhaps even a necessary one

—— Daily Express

A fascinating meditation on Jean-Claude Romand and what his bizarre life might mean... Carrère's inquiry is highly personal, written in lucid prose...the narrative is often mesmerizing, and revealing about the fragility of human relationships

—— New York Times

As a writer, Carrère is straight berserk; as a storyteller he is so freakishly talented, so unassuming in grace and power that you only realize the hold he's got on you when you attempt to pull away... You say: True crime and Literature? I don't believe it. I say: Believe it

—— Junot Díaz

Justifiably considered the French In Cold Blood

—— Paris Review

The sense of dread he conveys is authentic – it is a loss of self, of connection to the world...dystopian

—— London Review of Books

It’s fascinating, watching Carrere dig around in Romand’s inner life… By the end you feel this clever, intriguing book is too good for its banal human subject.

—— Robbie Millen , The Times

Dark, strange, astonishing.

—— Marcel Theroux , Big Issue

A jaw-dropping tale of murder and deception that goes right to the heart of what it means to be human... The perfect antidote to an excess of sunshine

—— Paul Murray, author of THE BEE STING , Observer, *Summer Reads of 2023*

Tremendous...spectacular...[Homegoing is] essential reading from a young writer whose stellar instincts, sturdy craftsmanship and penetrating wisdom seem likely to continue apace - much to our good fortune as readers

—— San Francisco Chronicle

[A] sprawling epic... brims with compassion... In Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi has given rare and heroic voice to the missing and suppressed

—— NPR

A bold tale of slavery for a new 'Roots' generation

—— Washington Post

Rich, epic. . . Each chapter is tightly plotted, and there are suspenseful, even spectacular climaxes

—— New York Magazine

Rarely does a grand, sweeping epic plumb interior lives so thoroughly. Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing is a marvel

—— Shelf Awareness

Terrific

—— Ann Patchett

Spectacular

—— Taiye Selasi

Homegoing is stunning - a truly heartbreaking work of literary genius

—— Bustle

This is, hand on heart, a completely brilliant novel...a brilliant debut. If this isn't shortlisted for some prizes next year, I'll be disappointed

—— Stylist's pick of the best new books for 2017

Encompassing events major and minor, but skilfully skipping the civil war, it humanises big issues by giving us unforgettable characters. It could not be more relevant or needed

—— Damian Barr , Observer Books of the Year

Gyasi imbues indigenous life with richness and dignity, in a style that owes something - though by no means everything - to Chinua Achebe...it serves as the engine for a powerful message

—— Daily Telegraph

A future classic and a novel that you'll want to pass on to everyone you know...the real deal...2017 is set to be the year of Homegoing

—— Stylist

While the issues she wrestles with are heavy, her writing is a joy....Now, more than ever, we need books like this one

—— Red

Hugely courageous and really important

—— Sathnam Sanghera

Homegoing is remarkable...the writing at the end of the book is every bit as vital as that at the start...she has produced a contemporary classic - one you'll actually want to read

—— Daily Mail

An epic debut novel

—— Good Housekeeping

Intriguing debut...a noble enterprise

—— Mail on Sunday

Brilliant

—— Sunday Telegraph

Vivid and ambitious debut

—— Sunday Express

Toni Morrison's Beloved spoke to a generation. Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing will do the same for a new one. In a word, it's brilliant. And not just "for a debut"

—— The Pool

The powerful narrative of Yaa Gyasi's accomplished first novel do more than reveal the history that still troubles the United States. They make that history immediate

—— Harper's Bazaar

A fascinating view of the history of slavery...Gyasi gives voice to suppressed stories, and that feels hugely important....it certainly deserves our attention

—— Sunday Times

A searing indictment of racism and a very impressive debut

—— Sunday Express

Ambitious, superbly written, important - don't miss this one

—— Woman & Home

It is written with such maturity and beauty, that it is hard to believe it is Gyasi's first published work...Gyasi has created a masterpiece which is educational, highly ambitious and extremely touching. Her writing style is raw and intense and leaves one desperate to see what work she will produce in the future

—— Press Association

Extraordinary

—— Glamour

The hype is justified

—— Emerald Street

This unputdownable tale spans three continents and seven generations to tell the story of a family and of America itself

—— Reader's Digest

A bold and ambitious debut...full of fire and youthful confidence

—— Daily Express

Here is a book to help us remember. It is well worth its weight

—— Guardian

Hands down the best book I've read in months...I can't wait to see what Yaa Gyasi does next

—— Grazia

Gyasi has created a masterpiece which is educational, highly ambitious and extremely touching

—— The i

Through her words we come to understand parts of history that are sometimes ignored

—— Pride

An epic saga

—— Scotsman

A wonderfully evocative and compassionate novel - one that shows deftness, depth and maturity. Homegoing is a gift to its readers and a treasure to cherish

—— Petina Gappah , Financial Times

The structure is fantastically strong, but it would have been nothing without Gyasi's ability to bring each character alive. At every turn she resists cliché and dogma ... she deftly weaves in just enough historical information without sacrificing its complexity ... Homegoing has something better than perfection, and that is a touch of magic... [Gyasi is] the right artist at the right time

—— Alice O'Keefe , New Statesman

Gyasi's debut novel has a distinctive strength and courage ... a descendent of Alex Haley's Roots and Toni Morrison's Beloved, an extended response to Joyce Carol Oates's Last Hundred Years trilogy

—— Times Literary Supplement

A confident, vivid, engrossingtale [that] winds towards a moving conclusion

—— Radio Times

Gyasi's widescreen view of history powerfully drives home her view that we are all responsible for ourselves and for each other ... a highly compassionate feat of storytelling

—— Metro

Entwining history, politics and personal events, this is an ambitious novel that is, and will continue to be, highly culturally relevant

—— Big Issue

Astoundingly ambitious

—— New Books

Ambition and talent don't always go hand-in-hand; here they unquestionably do

—— Daily Mail

Tracing the descendants of two women across seven generations, this unflinching debut from Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi examines the lingering effects of slavery from the 18th-century Gold Coast to the US at the turn of the 21st century

—— Financial Times

Ambitious, multi-generational saga of the effects of the slave trade

—— Guardian Books of the Year
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