Rating: 
Summary: The Bible of the Tolkien Universe. Marvelous.
Review: The Silmarillion reads like a more penetrable version of the Bible, which only makes its stories all the more breathtaking. It recounts the entire mythological history of Middle Earth, from the beginning in Illuvatar's halls, right onto a summary of the Lord of the Rings novels. About as cool as you can get. It's a wonder if in a thousand years, people won't take this book as holy text and start a new religion.
Rating:
Summary: The best book ever written by any fantasy author.
Review: I liked "The Lord of the Rings," trilogy which is what led me to read this. In my opinion it is like a great opera that keeps you on your seat at all times. No other fantasy author has ever made me feel that. In my opinion, one of the greatest books ever.
Rating:
Summary: A worthy addition to the Tolkien collection
Review: I have recently finished reading "The Silmarillon", and I have to say it is one of the best novels I have read. Perhaps it is not quite as good as the "Rings" trilogy, but that's not putting it down. The care for the detail is amazing, and at times it almost reads like the Bible. It's complicated at times, but it's an ultimately satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read by the best author.
Review: I have read many works by J.R.R. Tolkien, and I think all of them were great. I read The Silmarillion after I read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, and It shed so much light on the War of the Rings and on his Middle-Earth. A great piece of literature for any sophisticated reader or curious Kid.
Rating:
Summary: Transcends fantasy to become a piece of literature.
Review: I first read this book about 12 years ago. Since then, I've read many great fantasy works (Jordan, G. Kay, Feist, Martin, Eddings, Brooks, Zimmer-Bradley). I've also read much mythology and medieval romance (Mallory, Greek/Norse Myths, Dante, Piers Plowman, etc.) The Silmarillion equals or tops anything else without question. This isn't a novel, it's an epic tragedy. Approach it with this in mind and it rewards well. Though the writing is inconsistent, the poetry of the stories and, in many cases, the beauty of the language combine to make the experience deeper than any other fantasy out there. The opening passage of the book, describing the creation of the world in music, is a masterpiece in its own right. The subsequent history of the elves, with the inevitable corruption of the world as the major theme, is a fitting fulfillment to the promise of the opening lines. Technically, Tolkien might not have been as good a writer as many others, but the sheer force of his vision over the course of his life has left us a true piece of literature. Timeless.
Rating:
Summary: MY FAVORITE BOOK.
Review: THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK! MY FAVORITE CHAPTER IS BEREN AND LUTHIEN. I READ IT FIRST LAST SUMMER AND NOW I'M READING IT FOR THE FOURTH TIME. I'M IN FOURTH GRADE.
Rating:
Summary: If you are the story-eater kind, this book will EAT YOU!
Review: This mass of complex and (sometimes) excessive detailed stories, is like a a great passage opening to another dimension: the world, and I mean not only the Middle Earth, but the whole conception of Tolkien's own spiritual world. It is a great story that, by narrating you parts of it, leaves you intrigued and desperate to read the next chapter, (I mean, What happens to...?,)It is one of those stories in which by the end of each page you turn to the next because you simply NEED to know. This book, you have to take it carefully and slowly, and if you don't undrstand something reread it again, because only that way you will be able to savour all the richness that lies hidden in the covers. It make take you a year, but when you finish, your mind will be so full of satisfaction you'll plead for Silmarillion 2. It is a MUST read, but only after you've read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Rating: 
Summary: No where near as good as his other books
Review: I give it two stars because I'm a Tolkien fan, but it's like reading a phonebook.
Rating: 
Summary: like being blind in a maze
Review: This book is so detailed and has too much information to be light reading. Put it to you this way, it has like a 50 page index. When I knew what was going on, I thought it was amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Why did I wait so long to read this?
Review: Okay, I kept putting off reading this book because I thought it would be pretty dull. I figured that after the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, there'd be nothing else worth reading by Tolkien. Boy was I wrong. This is great stuff. Equally as good (perhaps even better) than Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion, with its allusions to both the Bible and classical mythology, is stunning. The tale of Beren and Luthien is both beautiful and tragic; and the Oedipal Turin Turumbar is also magnificent. And to think that what would eventually became Lord of the Rings makes up only the last 5 pages or so of the Silmarillion! Imagine if Tolkien had lived long enough to tell the story of Beren and Luthien in the form of a novel! I must warn people, however, that the Silmarillion requires a bit of an effort on the part of the reader. There are a ton of names (Finwe, Finarfon, Fingon, Fingolfin, Feanor, etc.) Also, the Ballantine paperback version comes with a very hard to read map, and it definitely takes some time to learn the lays of the land. The work involved, though, is more than worth it
|
