The Silmarillion - J.R.R.Tolkien

The Lord Of The Rings and the Hobbit are books that have become ingrained into the very fabric of British culture, with the former being named as the nations favourite book of all time, a feat that I doubt Tolkein would have predicted when he was writing it. But from these books, many things are suggested about the world of Middle Earth, from its histories, to its literature and races, but little can be said within the realms of the fiction itself. The in-depth appendixes at the end of the Lord Of The Rings go some way in describing some of the events, but it is really within The Silmarillion that we gain a greater understanding of how the world that Tolkein created came ...  Read the complete review

The power and beauty of the recent Peter Jackson adaptation of the classic J R R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the ring has bought a renewed interest in Tolkien’s work. Not only is the interest focusing on the classic ‘Trilogy’ but also there is a certain amount of interest in ‘The Silmarillion’. Aside from the Hobbit, and the Lost Tales, Tolkien devoted much of his life to creating a ‘real’ world; to ensure this came to fruition he continually amended and updated legends, myths and tales that make up the lore of Middle Earth. The importance of this book isn’t really evident unless you take a ...  Read the complete review

First and foremost this is not an easy read. The prose is stilted and often difficult. This is for many reasons, adequately described by some of the other reviewers. JRR Tolkien started this book, however it was finished, to a point, by Christopher Tolkien. It is readable but lacks the literary genius of JRR. Basically, this a collection of stories from the elder days of Middle Earth. For me the book lacks the beauty and depth of the Lord of the Rings (LotR) but remains an absolute must for any Tolkien fan looking to explore some of the folk lore and myth that pervades the LotR. Certain stories and threads are woven throughout the LotR such as the history of ...  Read the complete review

*** This review (or at least, a very close simulcrum) was originally published by myself at http://www.epinions.com/content_112261828228 *** The Story The Silmarillion deals with the first 2 ages of Middle Earth (that is, the time before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings LOTR). It goes right back to the beginning, dealing with the Middle Earth myth of creation, to the emergence of evil, the retaliation of good, the birth of the various races, and the legendary characters that you might remember in passing being mentioned in LOTR. In the beginning Eru, the Supreme One, created other beings like himself (“The Valar”). ...  Read the complete review

I read The Hobbit as a child, and then quickly moved onto The Lord Of The Rings (LOTR), both of which I enjoyed, but for some reason I never actually explored any of Tolkien's other works that are based on the fantasy world that is Middle Earth. To be honest, I probably didn't realise there were any other books, after all although it was an epic, LOTR did have a form of natural closure. It's only been recently that I've found myself inclined to discover more of the mythology that concerns the many people and lands that feature in both The Hobbit and LOTR, and so I was advised to read The Silmarillion. ---A Short History Lesson--- Although The ...  Read the complete review