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Summary: Epic historical myth
Review: The central work of his life. Nobody has ever managed anything like it. So sad that he never lived to properly complete it or see it published.
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Summary: A Unique World View
Review: This is the Old Testament to Middle Earth. Read this book, then reread The Lord of the Rings. You'll find the trilogy has become a new work and much broader in scope than you first imagined. The stories of Feanor, Beren and Luthien, and the rest will haunt your imaginings the rest of your life.
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Summary: Fantasy Writ Large
Review: This book stands alone. No other author offers the reader the scope, depth, fierce beauty and tragic character flaws like Tolkien. You must however be prepared to reread this book multiple times in order to appreciate all the subtle interelations of the characters. I have studied his work for nearly twenty years and continue to be inpired each time I pick it up. If you only read one book in your lifetime, this should be it.
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Summary: Best book Tolkien ever written.
Review: It does start out kind of slow in the beginning but then you relize that you are reading the Creation of Middle-earth. It was amazing. You learn even more about it in book 1 of the Book Of Lost Tales. After you finish LotR read this book. A great read.
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Summary: My all-time favorite book
Review: Although it lacks the beginning to end continuity of LOR, perhaps due to being edited by Christopher Tolkien, the scope and depth of the stories and the ability to truly capture the imagination of the reader is unmatched by any book I've read. I first read it when I was 11 years old and 20 years later and about 20 readings later it still makes my heart soar. When the pressures of everyday life get too great this is a great place to be transported to, and even a cynical person like myself can find it believeable. To me, the LOR is a primer for the greater tale of the 1st age of Middle-Earth, and Tolkien's vast mastery of the English language is put to wonderful use in the Silmarillion. No matter how many times I read it, it still brings me to every realm of my emotions each time. It has a strange way of seeming more real than even the best novels that are set in the world as we know it. As a lover of Greek mythology, I particularly like the early sections of the book. I think that in this day and age the idealisms in this book are sorely missed, and there many parallels to our modern day problems and the stories in this book. It reallly is so well done that it seems more like a history than a work of fiction. Although chronologically it precedes LOR it seems that it should be read 3rd, after the Hobbit and LOR, due to it's increasing scale. I've read most of the classics but to me this is the greatest literary gift that I've received.
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Summary: Confusing for a minute then fresh, clear, and exciting
Review: Wow, it was confusing for a bit but then it became really good. It made the lord of the rings much more clear and with the information that was found ( in an interesting way ) the story of the lord of the rings is made better. Way to go Tolkien
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Summary: The most awe inspiring book I have ever read!
Review: I think what makes the book so incredible, is that it is not a story or one person, or several people. Rather it is the story of a peoples. It is a whole world essentially created by Tolkien. It is a very difficult book to read, and I had to read it almost three times before I knew who everybody was and how they were related to the other guy. It is a world that is so like our own that we can see the similarities, yet on the other side it is so unlike our own world that it gives it a mysterious air. I would recommend this book to anybody that has any interest in the works of Tolkien. I have tried to convince friends to read it, but it is so complex that some people don't like to put that much effort into their reading, so they get put off by it's complexity.
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Summary: The Silmarillion: Tolkien's jewel.
Review: If the number of books I have read could be considered as a proper set of credentials to rate books, I would quote it. If my academic accomplishments were to give me any credit whatsoever as far as proper cultural background is concerned I would list them. But that is not the point of this or any other review, I think. I will tell you why I, a reader like you considers this book to be the best, even when compared to my other favorites, like "Paradise Lost", "The Hero with a Thousand Faces", "The Prince and "The Tempest". Yes, it's that good. It's not just the prose, which reads like the chanting of a gregorian choir, nor the characters that are true archetypes, of the kind that the human psyche is made of. It's the tales. They are hauntingly familiar, for the simple reason that Tolkien took them right out of human folklore and tradition. Yes, you could call them rip-offs, and I would not argue with you, but tell me, if someone presents an old message with a truly new and vibrant voice, isn't he or she entitled to at least a degree of originality? And if the new message verion touches you more deeply than the original did, would you not take the new one as your own? That's what is brilliant about this book. You've read about battles of good versus evil all your life. You've heard about heroes with swords and mail forever. But this ones sound like the original. They act like the original. And they touch you like the original. You've always known them by other names. But when you first read about Fingolfin's fight with Morgoth, you will think of him instead of Arthur battling with Mordred or Saul struggling against the Angel or Cyrano duelling with Death whenever you think of desperate battles in which victory is impossible. And you will come to believe, at least for a moment, that all of Creation is really only a chorus, with each voice bearing a unique and invisible importance in the grand scheme. At least for a moment. That is what this book is about. The greatest of topics discussed and presented by one of the greatest of storytellers. None of his other books has such a breathtaking scope. None can touch you so deeply. This is where all modern fantasy writing began. With Eru in the void giving thought to the Powers. If you would take advice from a fellow reader, take this much: Don't hesitate in picking this book up and reading it. At least once. Then you will know just how good Tolkien was. And you will understand that the day must surely come again. Thank you for your time and patience.
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Summary: Silmarillion is storytelling at it's best
Review: I first read this book when I was 10. I didn't get it at all. Confused and bewildered. I reread it two years later and fell in love with it. Simply the greatest book I have ever read. Many people consider the beginning dull, I won't argue against that. But who has not cried at the death of Beleg? Or felt excitement and dread at the battle of Fingolfin and Morgoth? Or wish that the Sons of Feanor would relent in their Oath? If you loved reading tales of King Arthur as a kid, I think this book is right up your alley. Each tale is grand in scope and importance. Each warrior the greatest, each love the truest, every loyalty the strongest, and the last betrayal the most heartbreaking. The Silmarillion is about the tragedy which we call life, and how beautiful it is. Though I don't believe that Good needs Evil in order to exist. I do believe that tragedy is bittersweet and a lot of good comes out of the bad. The Silmarillion shows that in every story. This is the book I love to surprise on my friends who think they have found the ultimate novel.
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Summary: Slow start, but fun to read
Review: This book starts slow, but once you get past the first section the action begins to pick up and the story becomes one of the better ones that Tolkien has ever written.
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