Rating: 
Summary: A must-read for all Tolkien fans
Review: My husband and I enjoy Tolkien's work and this book is no exception. The background information provides a great insight into other Tolkien books.
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Summary: read, [Please]!!!
Review: If it was fleshed out more, The Silmarillion would have been the greatest epic tale told, in the history of literature. Unfortunately for us, Tolkein never actually sat down and wrote it like he did with his other books. In the History of Middle Earth series you can find portions of it, like the endless attempts at The Tale of the Children of Hurin and The Escape from Bondage. Instead, Christopher Tolkein gave us the best that was available in a continuous form. It can be frustrating, and sometimes immensly dull (whatever you do, skip past the chapter on the geography of Belieriand). But it is worth it. In terms of sheer story, it is simply amazing. There are also some moments of great writing, but nothing like what is in Lord of the Rings. However, the trilogy just looks like an epilogue or an afterward compared with this volume. Oh, and whenever you start a chapter, be sure to finish it before you put the book down. Makes it a [heckuva] lot easier.
Rating: 
Summary: Dry but Informative
Review: So vast is the history of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy realm of Middle-Earth, that it spawned over a dozen offshoot volumes editted by Christopher Tolkien from his father's notes. The largest and most acclaimed of these is "The Silmarillion." It is most defineately complete... the scope and detail is utterly astonishing. However, to date I have not been able to complete it. After "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", I had expected perhaps a more personal tale with "The Silmarillion." Not so. Unlike the previous two, this is written more like a history novel... entire wars pass by in a few pages, characters come and go in the blink of an eye. This makes for incredibly dry reading... only the devoted Tolkien fan would be able to really enjoy.Still, the scope is perhaps the greatest of all the Tolkien literature, and the detail and richness of his world is really expanded here, fleshing out references made in 'Hobbit' and 'Rings.' If you enjoyed those, you should give this a try.
Rating:
Summary: Laborious, but great
Review: This book was a hard read, but well worth it, especially if you liked the Lord of The Rings. For instance, did you know that Elves have a homeland? Did you know that Gandalf is a Demi-god, not a wizard? Did you know that he was sent into the land to stop Sauron and nothing else? I bet you didn't. But if you read the Silmarillion you will learn this and everything else.
The story in LOTR was about one inch of a story that is a foot long.
Rating:
Summary: challenging but rewarding
Review: I've heard many people say they envy those who are reading "The Lord of the Rings" for the first time, because the excitement of that first discovery is unique. That's how I feel about "The Silmarillion". I like LotR, but I love "The Silmarillion". Every time I dip into it, I discover something new. It never loses its freshness. Do be aware that "The Silmarillion" is NOT "Lord of the Rings". It reads more like the Old Testament, with stories that are fully described without being fully fleshed in the way a novel might treat them. It is the mythological underpinning of Middle-earth, and the style will not be to everyone's taste. You don't need a Masters in Education to appreciate it, mind you, but it remains a challenging read... and vastly rewarding. (The excerpt available here would not have been my first choice. It's from what is essentially the Silmarillion's Book of Genesis, to continue the comparison to the Old Testament. I'd judge it more daunting than the balance of the book, where the Elves and Men and Dwarves take center stage.) Anyone entranced by "The Silmarillion" would do well to read "Unfinished Tales", which includes expanded portions of the stories of Tuor and of the Children of Hurin, as well as other short pieces that complement the mythology pre-dating LotR.
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Summary: Silmarillion is disappointing at best.
Review: A one star rating is too high for this travesty. I do not believe Tolkien actually wrote it. He is too great an author to have written such disjointed and meaningless drivel. When a book runs 377 pages and then has to have nearly 100 pages to explain what was said is unacceptable. There are 73 pages of names and explanations of those name. The book is hard to read (and I do have an Masters degree in education) for most people just because of the excessive names and places to be remembered and connected.
If you like Tolkien, stay away from this discouraging example of prose. Read his other very fine books instead -- The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: A Great book to read after The Hobbit and LOTR
Review: This book starts out with pretty much how the High Elves made Middle-Earth. The book goes on to tell all the history of the Elves and the role they played thru out the ages of Middle-Earth.
Silmarllion goes on to tell you how the Elves delt with Morgoth the Enemy. It then tells of the One Ring and of Sauron and the coming of men into middle-earth. This book starts out very slow for about 30 or so pages then becomes very interesting. I recomend this book for anyone that has seen the movie The Fellowship of the Ring or has read any works by J.R.R. Tolkien (the best author out there).
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Summary: The folly of youth...
Review: I must've been about 16 when I first picked this book up. I'd read The Hobbit a few times, just finished The Lord of the Rings and added Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wootton Major to my portfolio for good measure. Tolkien had well and truly won me over.
Then I launched myself into The Silmarillion, assuming it to be a work not unlike the Rings trilogy, only perhaps with a less formal "adventure"-style storyline. I think I got about 10 pages in before I shook my head with disappointment and confusion, shut the covers and returned it to my school library. It had been nothing like I'd expected, and just trying to remember all the names of the gods and their vassals was difficult enough, let alone trying to wade through an epic narration of the creation of the Earth that somehow reminded me of the more tedious Sunday school lessons I'd yawned through as a kid.
So, 14 years on, and having re-read the Lord of the Rings twice more, marvelled at the movie and delved into Humphrey Carpenter's biography of the world's greatest author, I decided that it was time to try and gain a wider understanding of Tolkien's mind. My taste in literature had matured, and I figured what may have been dull as ditchwater to me over a decade ago might have an entirely different effect on me now. I bought a second-hand copy of The Silmarillion and went for it.
Having just finished reading it, I am deeply and infuriatingly appalled at myself for having scorned this amazing book as a teenager. My only excuse for having tossed aside this rich tapestry of mind-bending myth in my younger years is that I was bloated on the flippant impatience of youth and just didn't give it enough of a chance.
I now repent. The Silmarillion is too grand to be described in a few paragraphs, and there aren't enough superlatives in the English language to bestow upon it. True, the first few pages relating to the music of the Ainur and the creation of the universe may be a tad dry, but these scenes provide the platform for the story that unfolds, and they fit into the greater whole of the story of the First Age beautifully and vitally. By the time you're halfway through this book you'll be lost in a world that only Tolkien could embellish. To say it made everything in The Lord of the Rings so much clearer, and gave every character, location and event so much more depth, is only the most basic legacy it left on me. I now understand the Elven race and their feisty relationship with Men and Dwarves; creatures like the Balrogs and Dragons, mentioned so briefly in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, exist in a wider, richer context; and most of all, I understand why the events in these books took place.
Moreover, it's the way this book is written that impressed me so much. Like most Tolkien admirers, I consider his ability to transport the reader into his world using a skilful, unique manipulation of the English language his greatest strength. His descriptive talents and the wordplay between characters is what made The Lord of the Rings so enrapturing for me. But here we have a narration in the true myth style; an epic unfolding in the words of a storyteller, his diction ancient and formal. It's nothing short of brilliant; it vies for accolade with Homer and Herodotus.
Don't be put off as I was all those years back. Persevere, and you will find this book incredibly rewarding, empowering and enlightening.
Rating:
Summary: Astonishing
Review: If you are a fan of Tolkien's work - DO NOT miss this!
It's a necessity. And for all newcomers to Tolkien's world, it is recommended to read the Silmarillion first.
With it, I also recommend the Unfinished Tales, which is a nice companion and can further expand the tales (especially Narn I Hin Hurin - tale of Turin Turambar).
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Summary: Meant to be read aloud
Review: I had already read the Silmarillion before but I never really appreciated how beautifully Tolkien wrote until I heard this book read aloud as an audio book. I usualy don't buy audio books also. It is still dense, bt when you listen to the reading by Martin Shaw, you realize that this is beautiful prose. It is the Old Testament of Middle-earth.
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