The Silmarillion

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Summary: Tolkien's Masterpiece, and Our Great Good Fortune
Review: Yes, this book is hard to read. Anything is hard to read when your eyes are red and puffy and flowing with tears. Early in his life, JRR Tolkien delved out of his mind and experience a literary jewel of unsurpassed brilliance. He faceted and polished it with genius for the rest of his long life. The Silmarillion has the scope and substance of the Old Testament, combined with the glory and tragedy of the Illiad, the Odyssey and the works of the Bard.

Neither Feanor, nor Dante, nor the inspirited recounters of our own Story ever created something more beautiful or enduring. And yet, this epic tale of the history of a World, and of its many peoples, is told in language so spare that not a single word could be excised without grievous harm.

O! to have heard the Music. O! to have gazed upon the Light of the Trees. O! to have seen the Silmarils. O! to have been in the company of Fingolfin when he contested the might of debased Morgoth. O! to have witnessed the beauty and constancy in love of Luthien.

My heart breaks for something that never was.

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Summary: Not as accessible as LOR but worth the effort
Review: If you want to explore the legends and lore behind the Lord of the Rings, this is the place to start. Christopher Tolkien has collected here several of his father's more myth-like (as opposed to story-like) works. Never finished by J.R.R.T. (but intended as its own work), it is not as accessible as LOR. It takes more time and patience. Still, one can see his genius and dedication. This one isn't easy, but is nonetheless worthwhile.

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Summary: Resounding, brilliant imagery but can't stomach the prose
Review: I recall reading at least 3/4 of the way through this book and giving up at some point. I can't really recall why I gave up reading the book with less than half to go. I tried again and I think I got a bit farther and then, just as mysteriously stopped, probably interrupted by some event or something and then just not picking it up again. I guess what made me not want to resume reading was the Bible-esque prose. While reading it, I found I sorely missed the more down to earth prose of his more popular works, i.e. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I realize that Tolkein's intent was to pattern the history of Middle Earth somewhat on the Bible and that the structure actually seems to make sense that way, but that doesn't make reading it all that much easier. Still, there's a lot of stuff in this book and despite being smaller than The Hobbit and LotR (all told), paints a much broader picture and tells the story of the struggle of the Gods, Elves and Man against the true Dark Lord, Morgoth, who makes Sauron, (Morgoth's "lieutenant" in the Silmarillion), look like a piker. It also explains how Sauron came to take Morgoth's place as the Dark Lord and what the story is with all those rings, particularly the One Ring. So, all in all, a good read. If you can slog past the slow bits, you'll find some real meat in this book and that it will deepen your appreciation of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

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Summary: The greatest book ever written...period.
Review: At the end of time all of humanity will be devided into 2 groups: those who have read the Silmarillion and those who have not. For the sake of your soul, read this book.

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Summary: Must Read Now
Review: There is a reason I have read this book 8 times. it is the best ever. Do yourself a favor and read it now before it's too late!

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Summary: Fantastic book
Review: This book is a must have if you liked the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The only problem with JRR Tolkien is that his books were too short.

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Summary: Slow? I think not.
Review: I have both read the Silmarillion and listened to the latest audio version. I must categorically disagree with all the things that have been said by some of the other reviewers. This is possibly Tolkien's greatest work. It is a novel in which the full scope of Middle Earth and Tolkien's imagination comes to full fruition and is revealed in all its splendour. The beginning of the world, brought forth by a song, is written with such grace that it could only be the work of a master author such as Tolkien. The history of the elves' struggle against Morgoth is told in high epic style. If any part is a little slow, it would be the last pages regarding the Third Age. The audio version only heightens the sense of majesty as it reminds me of a gathering of a community, waiting to hear the story-teller pass on the history of the world.

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Summary: An epic story definitely worth buying.
Review: I think the Silmarillion is far more the satisfying book than The Lord of the Rings. It is a story of the first ages of Middle Earth and gets it's name from the jewels called Silmarils. It is not only the earlier story but although it wasn't published til after Tolkiens death it is the earlier work as well. If you have read the Lord of the Rings and have wondered what Tolkien means when he talks about the Western kings and the Valinor read the Silmarillion. Those answers as well as almost any other inferential writing done by Tolkien is contained in The Silmarillion.

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Summary: Slow beginning but this is a very good book.
Review: I agree that the beginning is slow. The first time I read it it was difficult to get through. I've read the book 7 times, it seems to get easier with each reading. If you like/love elves, which I do, you'll enjoy the creation of the elves. I love Tolkien`s version of elves. It is a great shame that he didn`t write more than he did.

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Summary: Tolkien at his best!
Review: Out of all of Proffesor Tolkien's works this is my absolute favorite. It may take a little hard reading at first, but when you read it a few times you will use it as an important rescource for any one of the middle-earth books.