The Silmarillion

Rating:
Summary: The best Tolkien book and the most beautiful illustrations.
Review: I loved Lord of the Rings, but I thought the Silmarillion was even better, and finally it's being published with illustrations to match the grandeur of the saga. The vibrant colors and detail of the Nasmith illustrations make this the edition of the Silmarillion I want most to own.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written! Nothing else can be said
Review: Tolkien will take you into a world that you will pray to be your own. The beauty he describes in the people and the places can only be matched by the horrific creatures he created. This book does not move very fast,though, so for those who bore quickly this is not for you. For those that have ever read LoTR and are willing to delve into his writting and completly immerse themselves, this will be your favorite Tolkien book of all time

Rating:
Summary: This book is a must read for any fantasy fan.
Review: The greatest tragedy of the literary world in the last 100 years is that Tolkien never finished The Silmarillion. Had he done so, it would have eclipsed the Lord of the Rings as his masterpiece. As it is, the book has very little character development and omits large amounts of many of the tales in the book. Nevertheless, it is a gripping story of Wagnerian scope and grandeur and is one of the definitive works of fantasy/fiction of this century. If you enjoy this book, the full versions of many of the tales can be found in the Lost Tales/Unfinished Tales books. I would highly recommend reading these to fill out the characters and plots in the Silmarillion.

Rating:
Summary: Great (not perfect, but great)
Review: This book is one of the best books I've ever read. The characters are memorable, the story is poignant to say the least, and it will haunt your dreams.

Morgoth.

Feanor.

Beren.

Each word brings an instant picture to the mind's eye. Readers of Tolkien's world that yearn for more, people who aren't satisfied with the Lord of the Rings should read The Silmarillion.

A word of caution: If you like action, lots of action right up front, this book is not for you. There are so many names in the first few chapters that you will quickly get lost or even bored. It even happened to me. The first time I read this book, I ended up thinking that Melian married Finwe and Gil-galad was somehow Finrod. If you are too confused, put the book down and get a snack, sleep on it and return with a clear mind. Believe me, it's worth it.

Rating:
Summary: Pure mythology
Review: The Silmarillion can be likened to the lighthouse in my private sea of fiction. I may roam far and wide, visit strange shores; I sometimes stay in one place for a while, savoring the local flavors, before moving on to new experiences. Through it all, I somehow always return to Tolkien's books and to the Silmarillion. I think I know no piece of storytelling quite like it.

Oh, there are writers with better characterizations, more intricate plots, more clever dialogue, more originality, and so on. Yet, I have never been so moved by the feel of a fictional world, by the reality of it, by the momentous feeling of greatness lost, of sadness for beauty and glory no longer around us.

Somehow, Tolkien conjures up in Silmarillion a world which should have been. He does it with barely any dialogue, and surprisingly few words. The book is not short, it is rather that the enormous sweep of the story told leaves you puzzled that it can somehow be kept within the covers of one book.

The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit are really necessary to get full value from The Silmarillion. The book is the Bible of Middle Earth, detailing as it does, the beginning of the world, the creation of the races, and the long, glorious, and immensely sad story of the Firstborn - the elves - and their rise and fall.

Like our Bible, it is filled with names and stories concentrated to such an extent that you are unlikely to fully appreciate it the first or second time you read it. Tolkien has stolen ideas with arms and legs from various mythologies (the Tale of Turin Turambar is really the Finnish story of Kullervo), but breathes such life into his world that I have, frankly, never been exposed to its like. It is pure storytelling, a diamond of such nostalgia and sadness it can break your heart, if you let it.

Soren Rasmussen

Rating:
Summary: Incredible . . .
Review: The first and last book ever to show such beauty and sadness. It is so inspiring and shows such vision that it deserves to be true, and that is what you will find yourself believing. Read it.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, although it's also very different
Review: This book more or less compresses hundreds of years of history into twenty-four chapters, but that description hardly does it justice. The prose is polished to the point of shimmering and the tales are complex and beautiful. The Silmarillion clears up a lot of mysteries hinted at in the Lord of the Rings as well. It's not an average novel in style or content, but something more. I have read it several times.

Definitely an impressive feat of literature, but still it's best to read Tolkien's other books (LOTR, the Hobbit) first.

Rating:
Summary: Masterly, resonant reading of Tolkien's mythology
Review: Martin Shaw, in a rich and resonant reading brings Tolkien's history of the Elder Days to life as if it were part of a long oral tradition. The vast canvas of the Silmarillion is vividly brought to life from the grandeur of the Music of the Ainur to the horror of the treason and fall of Numenor. Most of all, the sense of tragic beauty is fully brought out. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The best book I've ever read or will read.
Review: The Silmarillion is the greatest book ever written. The wonderful achievment of constructing a world in much depth, and then giving life that only Tolkien could achieve. Anyone who enjoyed the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit should read this book, not only for the pleasure it brings but as a guide which clears up many of the questions stumbled upon in the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest book I've ever read, and ever will read
Review: As many people have said J.J.R. Tolkien's Silmarillion is one of the most creative and imaginative book ever written. The one thing that Tolkien has done that makes the Silmarillion the greatest book ever written is his ability to create an actual world which he supplies with hundreds of characters. Basically he developed a whole history over a world he has created in his mind and has smashed it all into one book. It is the greatest book ever written and the greatest that will ever be written. Everyone should read it.