The Silmarillion

Rating:
Summary: Read it!
Review: This book deserves to be read for so many reasons, the beauty of the language alone being enough for all five stars. The Silmarillion is professor Tolkiens masterpiece and his main work. Not the Hobbit, nor the Lord of the Rings, but the Silmarillion. In a style reminiscent of (and probably inspired by) the powerful prose of the ancient Norse sagas, but more beautiful by far, Tolkien tells the tales of the creation of the World and of the eldest days.

This book is THE central piece of fiction in all of the fantasy genre, filled with love and hatred, hope and despair, glory and tragedy. The phrase "epic" is used way too often in connection with works of fiction, but this is truly an ephos, unequalled and unsurpassed. Oh, and by the way, get "Unfinished Tales" as well for the entire story of Túrin Túrambar and Glaurung, and of Túor and his coming to Gondolin!

Rating:
Summary: About as good as it gets
Review: I've read this about five times over the last two decades, but I wanted to point a few things out for prospective readers.

First, this is one the finest English books ever written. The stories of the Silmarillion are the archetypes of every other story you have read, but done better. As a matter of fact, get this book and read it repeatedly - you won't need another after this.

Second point for the one and two star 'boring' people: this book was not intended for you. The tales are epic, so there's a lot of names. The writing is sophisticated (though accessible), so there's some tough paragraphs. The Hobbit was written for one class of reader, the LOTR for another, the Silmarillion for yet another.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful piece of literature
Review: So, you've finished the Lord of the Rings and you're looking for more. Well have I got a treat for you: The Silmarillion. This is one of those books that you read for the beauty of the English language. The fact, for me anyway, that the story of the Quenta Silmarillion is wonderful is merely an added bonus. Just thinking of Beren and Luthien makes me want to pick this book up and read it again.

I love the Lord of the Rings, but I love this book almost as much, so if you are a Tolkien fan, read the Silmarillion.

But as a side note, if you are just getting started with Tolkien, make sure that you read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings first. Even though the Silmarillion is chronologically before Tolkien's other works, it requires someone with a true passion for Middle-Earth to appreciate this book. The best way to develop this passion is to read the trilogy first.

Rating:
Summary: this book...
Review: yes my name is adam and i think that the whole trilogy is the greatest work of fantasy and all i need now is the unfinished tales

Rating:
Summary: A prequel is always a prequel
Review: I just picked up the Silmarillion again a couple days ago, and devoured every page of it and finished it in the wee hours of the morning. Immediately after, I took out my collection of the LOTR, and started reading them again.

I read my first Tolkien book when I was 10. It was called the Fellowship of the Ring. Ever since, I was hooked and became a fan. A few years later, I discovered the Silmarillion and read it. In fact, I dropped it after the first couple of pages, since it was dead boring and full of high elven names that frankly didn't stick to my head. What? Feanor son of what? Fingolfin? You get the idea. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the better of me, and I re-read the LOTR trilogy again. Straight off the bat, with the memory of Lorien, Rivendell, Moria still fresh in my mind, I started reading the SSilmarillion and this time, I enjoyed every single bit of it.

What does this show? That this book is an excellent addition to The Hobbit and the LOTR and answers many questions that were left hanging in the mystical world, but, can hardly stand alone by itself. I highly recommend this only if you have read and enjoyed the LOTR.

Rating:
Summary: Stunningly dull
Review: Disclaimer: I only read 1/6 of this book before I gave up. It may get incredibly interesting after that, but I'll never know.

I'm surprised that so many people have rated this book so highly. I've never met anyone who attempted to read this book that didn't find it astoundingly dull. "As boring as the old testament" put one friend and I have to concur. Here's some sample text:

"Lo! And it came to pass that back in the ancient mists of time that Volan began Doonman who begat Hrygus. And Hrygus dwelt in the fortress Zapner which was in the valley Illytnil. And in Zapner dwelt too Hrygus' servant Foonfadle. And Foonfadle wore sneakers. And the left sneaker was called Lymar, and the right was called Damus. And Damus had a shoelace call Prylia. And the plastic nubby bits on either end of Prylia were call Foonus and Clenus. And Prylia was tied in a knot called Wengal. This is how it was when the universe was young."

The book is nothing but exposition. If you're looking to learn all about JRR's fantasy world without being entertained, I suppose this might be a good book, but why would you want to? IMO, books should either entertain or inform you about the real world. This book does neither.

Rating:
Summary: Silmarillion
Review: Hi! I'm Sea Eagle. My E-mail is [e-mail] Tolkien ist the best.

Rating:
Summary: Never read better.
Review: After having read lots of stuff (fantasy and not), I think The Silmarillion to be the best book of the genre and probably one of the best works in literature history. The overall feeling is ephos and drama, no dialogues, no characterization, no plot. This is not a novel, this a cronicle of a world and its history. Moreover, two languages have been designed completely and sounds realer than ever. Read it.

Rating:
Summary: Ah, the cranky old elves
Review: Well, as a Tolkien fan, I of course loved this book. It answers thousands of questions that a _Lord of the Rings_ fan wonders about, and even has a few of the strengths of the Trilogy. But as a person, I found it a little hard to sympathize with any character in this book, except perhaps Fingon, Luthien and Beren, and Tuor. Most of the elves are prideful, greedy, cruel, foolish, violent, unforgiving, and often weak. This book is far inferior to LotR or even The Hobbit, for there is little description and barely any characterization. The fundamental elements of a good book in my opinion include character growth, which I observed in only a few people, like Maedhros and Maglor, Fingolfin, and Fingon. But so many others are despicable and ugly in their actions. It seemed that no one had the courage to actually GIVE AWAY a silmaril. They just couldn't get the concept. Bilbo and Frodo in LotR was far superior to most of the elves in this book, for they were willing to give up the One Ring, which had possibly even more attraction and corrupting power. The style is pretentious at times, in contrast to the Trilogy's more "human" account, given largely by the least enlightened character in the group--a hobbit or dwarf. Very simply, this is a history more than a story, and can't be truly classed with Tolkien's other works as high fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: The Silmarillion
Review: I really enjoyed Tolkien's "Silmarillion." It is true that it is hard to get through the beginning, but once you are past all the names of who is who and what they are important for; you reach the actual story, and it is wonderful. It's beautifully written and has an engulfing plot.

It is a great book. I don't know that I would say it is better than the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings, but they are all on an equal plane of excellency.