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Summary: Audio CD set a must for lovers of Tolkien's use of language
Review: The audio CD boxed set of The Silmarillion, which contains the entire, unabridged text of the book over thirteen discs, is a real treat to listen to. Martin Shaw's narration captures Tolkien's vatic voice flawlessly, with excellent pacing, tone, and the correct pronunciation of those tricky Elvish words. Shaw is, however, less effective when he changes his voice to speak as specific characters like Eönwë, Morgoth, Thingol, or various female characters. Tolkien's use of language is such that it rewards repeated listening, which makes this boxed set an excellent investment, even if, like me, you own a copy of The Silmarillion that has been just about read to pieces, and know the words a little too well for your own good.
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Summary: The Silmarillion
Review: This book, while rather confusing (especially with all the names sounding alike, ie: Manwe, Ingwe, Elwe, Olwe, Finwe, Aule), is a very good look at the history of Middle-Earth. It helps you find out who the people are when they are referred to in LOTR, such as Earendil and Varda. However, as my friend puts it, it is the Bible of Middle-Earth. I like it, but then again, I'm odd.
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Summary: silmarillion
Review: I believe that the silmarillion was tokien's best work.I'm still trying to finish The Return of the King but I find that so far
much has happened but wasn't expressed in the best way to make it more appealing to other people.Before i read The Two TOwers though I read the silmarillion, at first it seemed really slow and I had difficulty reading the first couple of chapters.Then it got really interesting for he finally brought the elves into the story who were my favorite race in the series.Even though the story was told like a history lesson, I find it to still be one of my favorite books because i am very fond of history, and the stories telling of all the deeds whether good or bad that the elves had done was just fascinating.
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Summary: You Must Know Your Stuff
Review: This book was a fantastic guide and a fantastic story involving the beggining and early ages of Tolkien's magnificant universe. I have read this after completing the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and couldn't possibly imagine reading this before finishing those. You must familiarize yourself with Tolkien's diverse languages and races of Arda and Middle-Earth. To someone who doesn't know what Arda is, please READ LOTR FIRST. This was all in all an EXCELLENT book.
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Summary: shortest Tolkien review ever
Review: The Silmarillion (and the Lord of the Rings, for that matter) is a collection of stories about fighting over jewelry and the resultant hand injuries. Brilliant.
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Summary: Read this after LOTR, but don't compare it to LOTR
Review: The Silmarillion is the king's road to all of the lore alluded to in Lord of the Rings. Many of the songs of LOTR, especially, retell the mythology and history of Arda (the world), and it's too bad those songs aren't so great... they attempt to capture some immense, rich stories.
This book isn't for all tastes. If you came away from LOTR yearning to learn more about the folklore, background, and language of the elves, this textbook is what you're looking for. But if you're looking for a good novel, look elsewhere. The elves, as in LOTR, seem more to be carved in stained glass than flesh and blood... but they are also portrayed as being far less perfect. I've knocked off one star because The Silmarillion didn't really have to be such a forbidding, scholarly volume. It could have been a children's book to knock the socks off of D'aullaire's Greek Myths or any book of stories from the Bible.
The Silmarillion is where Tolkien and son showcase J.R.R.'s godlike gift for inventing an entirely different world, and seeing all of it with omniscient splendor. Thingol, Feanor, Beren, and Luthien are mythological heros every bit as much as Heracles and Theseus.
You will spend a lot of time looking at the lineages in the back, and checking the index of names and especially places. But I for one came away from this with a full appreciation for the rich tapestry of Tolkien's invention, of which LOTR is only the most care-worn and tattered end. And I look forward to telling all of my friends the stories from the Silmarillion... I know they won't read it, but these stories must be told anyway.
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Summary: Not another LOTR, but fascinating
Review: THE SILMARILLION was Tolkien's first and last work of fiction. He began writing it during World War I as a way of providing a history for the "fairy languages" he had created. During his life he continued to refine these legends, but it wasn't published until his son Christopher Tolkien put together his notes after JRRT's death. Essentially, the Silm is like a Bible of Middle-Earth, recording its history from its creation through the epic conflicts of its First Age, thousands of years prior to the events in LOTR. Whereas that series was written like a standard close-quarter narrative novel, the Silm is written as though compiled from records and tales handed down over centuries - there is a feeling of distance and a lack of concrete detail. Despite that, many of the stories here are quite moving, including the massive battles of the Elves with the first Dark Lord (Morgoth) and the tale of Beren and Luthien, which is a prototype for the story of Aragorn and Arwen in LOTR. When the Silm is good, it's poetic and larger-than-life; when it's not so good, it reads like a history textbook. But this can definitely be an interesting book so long as one doesn't expect another book exactly like LOTR.
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Summary: The complete back story of "Lord of the Rings"
Review: In another review, I rated LOTR as "simply the finest work of fiction in the English language". One reason for this is the rich and totally credible alternate reality created by Tolkien. Before he could write LOTR, he had to create in his mind and entire alternate Earth, complete with its own mythic history and multiple races, each with its own set of unique characteristics. Each race, therefore, had to have its own language, its own lifestyles and architecture, along with a compatible environment. Hence, he made maps, providing habitats (hobbitats?) for each of his races - from the caves of Moria to the forests of Rivendell.Having created all this, Tolkien picked the most compelling portion to retell with both more depth and breadth as LOTR. As an instantly classic epic, LOTR has resonated with multiple generations. However, it was not until after professor Tolkien's death that his "research notes" were published as "The Silmarillion". Their organization and final form were established by his estate, so this is not 100% Tolkien, although all the ideas and most of the words are his. As such, it provides a panoramic view of Middle Earth before, during, and after the events of LOTR. Note, hoever, that the same caveat applies to "The Silmarillion" as LOTR, only more so - this is not an easy read! Just as engrossing, it is nevertheless much drier than LOTR - reading much like a textbook for a mythology course. It also has the same cast of characters as LOTR, plus other characters and races which have come and gone and play no role in LOTR. In other words, there's a lot more to keep track of! Still, for anyone who loves LOTR, this is indipensible reading.
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Summary: A good book, but no Lord of the Rings
Review: Don't treat the Silmarillion as a novel; treat it as a history book.It is rather dry in places and definitely does not have any of the characterization, description, or adventure of the Lord of the Rings. It took me several months to read, considering that I read both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings in a week, shows that it's really slow. However, I think this is a worthwhile read for anyone really interested in Middle-earth, if only to get the background history to LOTR. It's fascinating and quite informative, but don't attempt unless you really, really want to know the info in it. Or like Elves. There are WAY too many Elves. I have to say I kept wishing a couple of hobbits would turn up to make it interesting...
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Summary: For the serious fan only
Review: I will start by saying that it took me a while to read all of The Silmarillion. Of course part of that is that I was reading it when I was too young. That being said I think that it is a wonderful book. However, because of the way it was written and later edited, it is not a book for casual Tolkien fans.
The stories in the Silmarillion predate the Hobbit by millennia and are like other mythological stories; they add a depth to Middle-Earth, but are rather dry in their telling. Tolkien worked on the Silmarillion off and on from its inception around the time of the First World War to his death. From what I read he never imagined it to be published, yet I think Christopher Tolkien did an admirable job in piecing together his father's notes to show just how much detail, just how rich his father thought Middle-Earth was.
And all of this, from Tolkien's essays on Sir Gawain and the Green Night to the Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings to the Silmarillion all show his love for Language. He created his Middle-EArth to show how Language grows with the telling of stories; good and bad, dry and dynamic. We have what we have and it all must be taken as a whole, not as individual pieces.
Looking at it that way one can truly see the genius of John Ronald Ruel Tolkien.
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