Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic, deep, detailed, a classic...
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy The Silmarillion
is a classic in every sense of the word. The
depth and detail of this book is incredible.
Tolkien chronologizes the whole history of Middle Earth,
while making up whole cultures to go with it. These include languages, legends, heroes, and family trees.
The book spans a period of perhaps 40,000 years, explaining
everything that happens in Middle Earth that is in any way relevant to the story. The Silmarillion and Tolkien's other
books represent a life's work, full of devotion and innovation, making them one of the most popular fantasy of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: Long and exhausting..
Review: I was incredibly excited to begin with this book as i'm a pretty big fan of Tolkien. When i got it from a friend i immediately started reading it, hoping that it would enlighten me on the history and creation of Middle Earth.I am amazed at the language and storyline Tolkien has come up with, it was beautifully written and is very complex. However, the thing that i find disappointing in this book, is that, as many have stated, the amount of energy you spend to read it. It eventually wears you out and leaves you quite confused and not to mention, really tired for most of us. But I do give my respect to the master storyteller and I admire and praise him for the book's intricate tapestry of storyline and history.
Rating:
Summary: Splendor of grace and imagination...
Review: Tolkien is one of the few writers with an ability of presenting evil in all of it's wickedness and then shading it with infinite goodness.
Silmarillion is an wonder...
Rating:
Summary: Awe Inspiring
Review: If you are a total Tolkien fan I recommend that you read this book. It is a condensed version of Tolkien's work that was never published, due to the fact of its sheer detail. Luckily we have his son, Mr Cristopher Tolkien, to thank for putting together all of his father's notes. I just kept wondering whether some of his father's scribbles were written on different media (Think table napkin, test sheets, etc.) making Mr C Tolkien's effort at organizing more difficult.
For a Tolkien Neophyte I recommend staying away from this book and reading Mr Tolkien's more famous work's (The Hobbit & LOTR)to provide you a rough idea of what the author is talking about since the book gets confusing at the middle due to the myriad names and plot.
It talks about the entire history of the universe of Tolkien, from the creation story to Frodo's departure in the Grey Havens. The languaged used is archaic similar to the style seen on the bible, very formal and brief. Even if the narative is very simplistic one can still see the humanity in all the characters, proving that this book is extremely well written
Rating:
Summary: THE REVIEW
Review: This book was awesome! I love how Tolkien describes the way that Middle-Earth is formed. But I advise, this book is not for you if you don't know alot about Middle-Earth. YOu should know the Quendi Elves, Dwarves....
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Tolkien is an amazing writer. I enjoyed reading his books, especially The Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and the Silmarillion. If you are a Tolkien fan, then, you should read this at least once. Even though it does not flow and hold your interest like The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, it still is a good read. This book is a collection of short stories as well as some of Tolkien's notes from the Battle of Unnumbered Tears until the destruction of the Ring. True this book is not like his previous novels, but you will certainly love it. You will want to read it more than once.
Also recommended: THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY, THE END OF THE THIRD AGE.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: The Silmarillion is another ingenious work of the great J.R.R. Tolkien. This book has it all; deception, war, greed, jealousy, and all those other real world emotions which most of us can relate to. While the book does have Elves, Dwarves, Magic, Dragons, and the like, it does carry with it an extremely serious tone. One thing that might turn some people off is the length of it. It is a whopping 480 pages! If you have the patience however, it is worth a try.
The beginning of the book starts out with a god-like entity who is referred to as Iluvatar. And from the head of Iluvatar sprang a bunch of angelic creatures known as the Valar. While that sounds like something written by someone who has spent too much time at a Grateful Dead concert, it all fits in with the story. After `creating' the Valar, Iluvatar then makes a world for them to shape any way they see fit. One Valar by the name of Melkor however, doesn't just want to help create this world; he wants to dominate it. So he goes about creating fortresses and causes problems for the others by destroying everything they create. This seriously upsets Iluvatar, because he planned to create new creatures to inhabit the world they were making. So after a long war with Melkor, the Valar finally subdue him and chain him up, only to have him rise again when the new creatures are created and attempt to control them. The rest of the book deals with the struggles the new creatures of the world have with Melkor.
It is a very compelling overall story, however the way it is put together may make most readers shy away from it. It has a very old English style of writing to it, which makes it seem like it was taken from The Bible or a history book. While that adds an authentic feel to the story, it may be tough for normal readers to get in to. I had to constantly re-read sentences that have old phrases and words that we no longer use. For instance when Iluvatar is informing a certain Valar of Melkor's misdoings, it reads "Seest thou not how here in this little realm in the Deeps of Time Melkor hath made war upon thy province?" While this style of writing is interesting, it is a little difficult to comprehend.
For those of you who enjoy finding ways to relate stories to real life, you could relate this book to a real world event that happened around the time Tolkien started writing the Lord of the Rings; WWII. The main evil in this book, Melkor, could easily be related to Hitler, and his orc pawns could be related to the Germans that Hitler had brainwashed. The Elves and other races could represent the Allies: how they had their differences with each other, and yet all came together in the end and united to stop the one thing threatening their freedom. That's of course just my view, and I'm sure you, the reader, could find different ways to relate it to different events.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a big Lord of the Rings fan and insists on knowing every little detail, like me. Also, anyone who is a fan of fantasy in general (and has a lot of patience) would most likely find this book an interesting read. Though it is hard to get into, it is worth the effort. This is, in my opinion, one of Tolkien's greatest works, and answers all those questions left from The Lord of the Rings.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone
Review: This is the grand prehistory of Middle Earth, setting the stage for 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Ring'. It is an amazing work where Tolkien develops the world of Middle Earth. From the creation, the first beings (the Ainuin), the rise of evil, the elves, the War of Wrath, the Fall of Numenor, and the Rings of Power. It covers the First Age, and the Second Age of Middle Earth.
It is amazing and wonderful to think that a writer, scholar took the time to develop the lore behind his stories. It set the standard for all writers to follow.
I first read this book after having read 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings'. I have since reread all of the books in chronological order enjoying them even more.
The Silmarillion is not for everyone. If you are not fan of Middle Earth, some of this book will be dry. It goes through a lot of history, and names that enrich the following stories, but could be tedious. However, I think that the book is well worth reading and helps define the later characters and the struggle they will face.
Rating:
Summary: Good listen of a good read
Review: Several friends warned me that trying to listen to The Silmarillion while driving could be asking to fall asleep at the wheel. On the contrary, I found Martin Shaw's reading of this classic to be a very pleasant way to experience Tolkien's unabridged work. Shaw has a powerful, engaging voice and since there is very little dialogue in The Silmarillion, he doesn't need to adopt many different personalities in his delivery. Many other reviewers have covered this title from the perspective of its greatness in a literary sense so I won't bother adding to that. But as far as the quality of this audio book edition, I give it full marks.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, awe-inspiring work
Review: If you're a true Tolkien fan, this is definetly a book you should read!
To find out about the Valar, how Middle Earth came to be, why Melkor became Morgoth, the story of Luthien, I can keep going, but there are many other amazing stories in this book.
The one thing is, it's a little harder to read for some as it's a blend of stories, not one big one like Lord of the Rings, and not a light as The Hobbit. But I still believe that people, besides Tolkien fans, should read this book.
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