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Summary: A must read for Lord of the Rings fans
Review: In anticipation of the upcoming LOR film trilogy I recently reread the Silmarillion after a gap of at least 10 years. I found it immensely satisfying. Don't expect an epic narrative a la Lord of the Rings; the Silmarillion is more a series of related short stories that relate the origins and early history of middle earth, and especially of the elves whose descendants populate the world of the Lord of the Rings. The language is beautiful, and many of the stories are moving and compelling in their own right. Tolkien's use of the English language is masterful, in an entirely different league from the vast majority of fantasy on the market today. And the world he created holds together better than virtually all of the many writers who have followed in his footsteps. If you enjoyed LOR, and want to understand the history that got middle earth to where it is in the trilogy, this is truly essential reading. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic book, but not for all booklovers!
Review: I like J.R.R. Tolkien's nearly everybook. He writes wonderful fantasy books but I was a little dissapointed when I opened the book and started reading--The beginning was very boring! The language that Tolkien used was very different than the one that he used when he was writing the Lord of Rings triology. But then(suddenly) something changed. I felt something strange--I was in the book, I could hear every whisper the characters make. As you can see when you read this book, you take something from it,something that the characters have. The story begins with a "MUSIC" that the souls and the One make together. It is the story of the Elves and the humans and the Earth. Every single sound has its own character. The One made these characters alive. The Earth formed and Valar started to prepeare it for the Elves and Humans. U know everybook has a bad guy... This guy is a Vala in this book and called MELKOR. He tries everything to destroy the world. Can he do that? Just read and see!!! Don't get dissapointed with the beginning just go on reading... You can like this book. BUT NOT FOR ALL TASTES!!!
Rating:
Summary: An amazing work...
Review: The Silmarillion is a wonderful work, but it requires effort on the reader's part to follow what is essentially a book of Middle-Earth lore & legends. It took me a few tries before I really was able to enjoy the book and soak up the beautiful use of language and the broad-brushstrokes of the fleshing out of Middle-Earth. The text is moving and tragic and heroic and a treasured fleshing out of Middle-Earth. Not every reader will have the courage to stick it out or immerse themselves in it, but I was glad I made the effort and was so richly rewarded.
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Summary: Confusion is cleared up!
Review: When I first read the Hobbit and the Rings, I frequently came across references to events and characters that were all prior to the trilogy's time period. I felt more like I had dropped in on the middle of a movie and who then had to piece together the events to understand the story as a whole. I didn't do so well so I almost gave up hope on Tolkien. I decided to give him one last try and I delved into The Silmarillion and thank the Valar I did. I couldn't put it down. The beauty and sadness began with the first page. Tolkien's mind is absolutely colossal. It so cleared up who the elves were, the wizards, the Valar, the dark lords, etc. Most readers find The Silmarillion too difficult to follow but I never understood why. It had quite the opposite effect on me - it was the Rings that I couldn't follow the first time around. The Silmarillion was so chock full of history that it inspired me to go back and read The Hobbit through The Return Of The King all over again with much greater comprehension and appreciation for his work.
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Summary: All hail the mighty Tolkien
Review: This book tells us the story of middle-earth ,in the times before the "lord of the rings" saga. the great march of the elves to the land of the valar reminds me a bit of the bible's great crossing of sinai desert. The whole book is a kind of simile to the old testament, beginning with the creation of the world by Eru and the ainur reveling to his creations like the angels who praised God. Not forgetting the Fallen morgoth, most powerful of the ainur, who can safely be assimilated to you-know-who. i think what Tolkien did here is a fantasy masterpiece that refers openly to the Bible without being a pathetic copy of it. The silmarillion drips with epic wars, heroic deeds and an undescribable atmosphere ,that guarantees you'll always be finding the necessary time to plunge back into the story, forgetting everything else happening around you. And just like me you won't want the book to finish. This work is a must-have for every fan of the fantastic.Period.
Rating:
Summary: The Silmarillion
Review: Forming the mythological backdrop to the Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion is a different work than the classic Lord of the Rings. It is not a simple novel. It is a epic mythology of creation and tells of the long history prior to the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien, over his long lifetime, created an incredible work, and the Silmarillionis almost indescribable. Easily suprior than anything by the Greeks, Shakespeare, Dante, Dickens, Tolstoy or others masters of literature, it shares some of the greatness of those works. It will move you to tears of sadness and you may shed tears for its beautiful, moving poetry. The deeds are heroic and grand, dark and deadly. Pride and hatred vie with beauty and love. The Tales of Beren and of Turin are heartwrenching to any reader with even an iota of compassion. It has all the elements of a great mythos: the ultimate evil, despairing heroism, epic love, anguish and joy, oaths sworn in anger, doom and despair. It explores all the themes of epic lieterature and does so far far better than any other work of fiction, before or since. Like the Lord of the Rings, it deserves rereading and each time it will demonstrate some new facet that will take you to new heights of literary pleasure. It is incomparable, it has never been surpassed. It simply is the greatest.
Rating: 
Summary: *******DON'T READ FIRST*********
Review: I read this after having only read the Hobbit, and I think that is why I didn't like it as much I think I would now. This book is steep with details. I cannot overstate this fact. I recomend reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy first. You'll have some kind of basis, so you'll kind of know where all this stuff with gods and armies is heading. Otherwise, you'll be reading the index and apendicies so much you won't enjoy the book.
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Summary: I love tolkien
Review: When I read the Hobbit as a boy I had to reread it again and again I even tried to read it to other people and to this day I am urging my children and nieces and nephews and any friends who havent read it to open up the covers and let the magic out. BUT... I can't recommend the Silmarillion, I hve tried to read it many times and rarely do I get past page 200. It reads like the Bible. I am not saying the Bible is a bad thing but it is not an exciting and dynamic read. A fictional Novel should be. It should involve dialogue rather than a recounting of actions of one person or deity and then jump days, years, or centuries ahead to recount others. I love tolkien but I think I will stick to the Lord of The Rings
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Summary: The Nina, the Pinta, and the Silmarillion.
Review: I know that making a reference to Columbus' ships and thusly his discovery is a bold step. BUT, this is a whole new world Tolkien has opened up to us. I love the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, and only wish (Like Tolkien Himself Did) that they were longer. Well, the Silmarillion answered my wish. All the characters and legends I wanted to know more about were here (with the sad exception of Tom Bombadil) and more. I would caution those who are only midly interested in Tolkien that this work is somewhat more difficult to read. For the Tolkien lovers out there, however, what could be better than more of our friend and the world he lets us be a part of.
Rating:
Summary: Great but only under the right circumstances
Review: Most fantasy works can be read by the general populace, especially the genre specific populace and easily enjoyed. This is not true of "The Silmarillion" "The Silmarillion" is one of those books that gains GREATLY from rereading - this cannot be said enough. At first read it is a confusing selection and notes and names with little real story. Later sections (especially Beren and Luthien but also Turin) have a more connected story, are closer to the Tolkien we have all grown to love. This disjointedness is the Silmarillion's greatest weakness and one of the reasons I cannot give it five stars (although I would rate it that way for myself). The other is that only true Tolkien afficando's are going to enjoy it. Anyone who loves Tolkien will probably love this - they will enjoy an opportunity to see the back history of Middle Earth, to some of the legends and Elder Days mentioned in the Lord of the Rings. Thus for those that have read Tolkien, this will be a great book. My other complaint with this book is that I doubt Tolkien would have ever published it. He spent such effort polishing his work, I do not think he would have published something as disjointed as this. And although I am glad to see it, that also detracts from the pleasure. Anyhow, the Silmarillion is an interesting collection of myths and legends of the Elder Days of Middle Earth - of the War of the Jewels. It is tragic and reminiscent of Norse mythology and great for those interested in the Lord of the Rings. For everyone else though I would say don't bother.
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