The Silmarillion

Rating:
Summary: A little boring at times, but a good book.
Review: The Silmarillion was J. R. R. Tolkien's life work. It wasn't your average story. It was more of a history, that served as a background for nearly all his other stories. Despite this, it wasn't published until after Professor Tolkien died. If you haven't read anything by J. R. R. Tolkien, I would suggest The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion is something to read after you're already a fan. I recall one section that's maybe five or six pages long that was only a description of what a particular place looked like, but some of the stories in here are great (for example, "Of Beren and Luthien").

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: This book is an excellent read. It is, however, unlike the Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit. It reads more like a brief history. The style could almost be considered biblical. It is not as fast paced as the two afore mentioned titles, but I feel that it is a must read simply because it fills in all of the gaps from Lord of the Rings, and answers a lot of questions that the reader may have about the history of Middle Earth.

Rating:
Summary: Silmarillion...
Review: I got interested in Tolkien awhile ago, and my Algebra teacher is a big Tolkien fan, and he lent me his copy of The Silmarillion, even before I had read anything about The Hobbit, or The Lord of the Rings. When I started reading this book, it was amazing. It seems so real, and the way it was written, words cannot describe it. Beautiful chapters are written in there even if you haven't read anything from Tolkien before. Yes, it is hard to read if you haven't read Tolkien before, but the words are stunning. If you have, this is a must. The stories in here are wonderful. Wonderful isn't even the right word, its better than that.

If you have read Tolkien before, and especially if you've read The Lord of the Rings, it makes for great reading.

This is one of the best books I've ever read, and once I get finished reading The Lord of the Rings, I'm going to read it again. This book easily became my favorite. The things written in here surpass anything else that I have ever read before. I highly recommend reading this!

Rating:
Summary: A Work of Art
Review: I have read the entire series, inluding this book, several times, and each time I am nearly brought to tears not only by the beauty and terrible tragedy of the stories, the depth of feeling that Tolkien was able to portray, and breadth of the world he created, but also by the sheer majesty of his writing. The Silmarilion in particular is truly a work of art -- a masterpiece of the English language equal in every sense to the other great classics of literature. This does not use canned and recycled techniques of evoking emotions. There is very little dialogue, and most of the stories are told in a much broader historical manner than the traditional novel. And yet, through Tolkien's language the reader truly feels the pain, the sorror, the triumph and ultimate tragedy of so many of his heroes. I am a great fan, and perhaps I am biased, but I find myself in a near worshipful state of awe each time I read these magical works. And I feel a great sense of humility as well. Tolkien was a true master of the art of language like very few before or since, and though at times I almost feel competent, he still can, with but a few words, make me bow in joy to his creation.

Rating:
Summary: For Fanatics
Review: This book was in-depth, interesting, intriguing, and all out great book. But i suppose i am just saying that becuase i am a Tolkien Fanatic and i have always wanted to know more about the world he designed. This book gives the full background and recounting of the beginning and designing of Middle Earth, and deals also mainly with the First age--Morgoth, Luthien and Beren, The Silmarils, the Palantir, Numenor,--and all the other things that most people have ever wanted to know about if the have even the slightest interest in the books and their lore. This book is a definite must for anyone wanting to know more. Dont become bored and disappointed with some of the chapters, such as "of Men" and boring stuff like that, because, believe me, it is captivating once you hit the good spots, and there are plenty of those. Great book--buy ASAP!

Rating:
Summary: Martin Shaw Bring This Book LIFE!
Review: For years I've tried to read The Silmarillion and failed. Oh sure I would read sections dealing with Balrogs, Galadriel, the Istari, Sauron, and the like but as many who've read this book know, it's hard to read. Therefor may I suggest to those of you who want to know what lies within The Silmarillion but have a hard time reading it, GET THIS UNABRIDGED AUDIO VERSION!

Martin Shaw reads this book and he does an outstanding job! Not only does he have an excellent reading voice, but his narrating style flows so well that Tolkien's work springs to life within the mind's eye! Of course anyone who can breeze through all of the elvish and drarfish names as easily as Martin does deserves some praise! Whether you get this on CD or cassette, you can't go wrong with this reading of The Silmarillion!

Rating:
Summary: The Epic Tale of Middle Earth - On CD!
Review: The Silmarillion is a epic tale of the first three ages of Middle Earth, before the domination of men. It lays the groundwork for the Lord of the Rings trilogy with an intricate series of tales of love, betrayal, and magic. Chief among these stories is the rise and fall of Melkor and curse of the Silmarils, the priceless jewels that cause nothing but woe to all who wish to possess them. However, the most memorable story is probably the love story of Beren and Luthian, in which love tries to conquer insurmountable odds to survive.

The CD version is an excellent way to become acquainted with the Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is not an easy book to read; the prose is sometimes terse, the names of characters confusing, and the story occasionally at odds with itself. The narrator, Martin Shaw, does an admirable job pronouncing all of the names of beings and places consistently.

If you you've enjoyed the other Tolkien tales, and craved more about the worlds hinted about in the songs of their heros, the Silmarillion is the place to begin. If you've already read the Silmarillion, and want another approach, the CD version is a viable option.

Rating:
Summary: The Life-work of a Great Man
Review:

In 1917, with WWI howling about him, JRR Tolkien began to conceive of several stories which later came to form the backbone of Middle-earth. These stories he worked on, developed, and edited again and again throughout his life; he never finished them -- not to his satisfaction.

The stories in 'The Silmarillion' tell mostly of the First Age of Middle-earth: of its creation, of the coming of the Elves and the forging of the Silmarili, of the theft of those jewels and the bitter, doomed war waged to win them back.

Here we see, more clearly than in any of his other writings, the enduring themes of loss, redemption, beauty, and folly. But loss most of all: the loss of the purity of Arda (Earth), the loss of the Silmarili, the enstrangement of Elves and Men, and much else. We see the pride and folly of Feanor, who thought that he, or even the whole of the Eldar, could vie successfully against Morgoth. We are told of the wonderous cities and fortresses of the Elves in Middle-earth, and the great works the Elves wrought there, only to see them, one by one, fall through pride or folly or treachery to Morgoth. Each song, each battle, each glorious stand is made more poignant and magnificent precisely because it was doomed, and, often enough, those making these gestures knew it was doomed but did it anyway.

Yes, this book a thick and difficult, with many names of people and places thrown at you without much letup. There is little dialog, and not everything is explained to the reader. This is not a flaw, but a source of strength, because once the reader masters the names, once he or she has gained a sufficient understanding of the whole scope of events, then everything seems changed and the real beauty and wonderment comes out. Read the book a second time -- even a third -- and the subtlties and greatness of the work will come out and shine for you like a Silmaril.

Rating:
Summary: Love it or hate it
Review: Silmarillion is a book you can either love or hate. If you are patient, do not mind making notes about a book and have a lot of perserverence then this is the book for you. It will push you mentally and you will be richly rewarded with a fine storyline with an overall sense of doom that is unescapable. If however you are easily bored and put down a book almost before you have started reading it or want a quite relaxing read then do not buy it as you will be disappointed. Great book.

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone, but truly wonderful for a diehard fan
Review: When I first started reading this book, I had already read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I was really curious about the references that were made about the glorious battles and heroic deeds that were 'history' when mentioned in the Lord of the Rings. Well, I found everything I ever wanted to know about Middle Earth's history in The Silmarillion. The book gives an account of the creation of Middle Earth, and all the history that happened in the first, second, and the third age. The Silmarillion really helped me understand the Lord of the Rings A LOT better, and now that I've re-read the Lord of the Rings, the story seems a lot richer to me because I know the history behind it. The book starts out a little slow because it has to first explain the creation of Middle Earth and how the elves, dwarves, and man came into existence. But after you stick with the book for the first part, the book becomes soooo interesting and I just couldn't put it down! I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy read because 90% of the book is told like an account of history that you would find in a textbook and there isn't very much dialogue like there was in Tolkien's other works. But the stories are so rich with emotion and tragedy that it makes it truly a wonderful book! If you've ever wondered what those poems and songs that are in The Lord of the Rings are about, this is the book to read!