Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT BOOK ON MIDDLE EARTH
Review: THE SILMARILLION IS ONE FINE PIECE OF LITERATURE. WRITTEN AS A NARRATIVE, THE SILMARILLION TELLS ABOUT THE CREATION OF MIDDLE EARTH, ITS PEOPLE AND OF GOOD AND EVIL AND NEVER RUNS OUT OF GAS AFTER THAT. THE TITLE REFERS TO AN ANCIENT JEWEL CALLED THE SILMARILLION THAT WAS MADE IN THE BEGINNING OF TIME AND HAS THE LIGHT OF 2 TREES. THE TREES EVENTUALLY ARE ERADICATED AND THEIR LIGHT EXTINGUISHED. PROMPTING AN EPIC BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL THAT SPANS THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND INVOLVES MANY PEOPLE. WHEW!!! NOW THATS OVER I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE BOOK IS NOT AS BORING AS IT SOUNDS. IT IS A REALLY THOUGHT PROVOKING PIECE OF LITERATURE AND SHOULD NOT BE MISSED BY FANS WHO ARE INTO THAT STUFF OR ARE FANS OF TOLKIEN. BUT BE FOREWARNED THAT IT IS NOT LIKE LORD OF THE RINGS,IT IS WRITTEN IN A NARRATIVE FORM AND IT INVOLVES VERY FEW CHARACTERS IN LORD OF THE RINGS. BUT THAT SHOULD NOT DETER YOU FROM BUYING THAT. AS A MATTER OF FACT I RECCOMEND IT.
Rating: 
Summary: Tolkiens use of literary devices
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien's use of symbolism in The Silmarillion is exquisite. His use of symbolism really enhanced the book. Because of the added layers of action that the symbolism provided I enjoyed the book much more because of it.
The symbolism of The Ring being the source of the problem and also being the source of all evil made the action that more provocative. Also the whole book is a work of symbolism of our very lives. Tolkien being a catholic fashions his work as a symbolic portrayal of our fallen human world. All these things made me enjoy this book allot more than if there hadn't been any type of symbolism to consider.
Concerning imagery what Tolkien wrote gave us a beautiful mental picture of his fantasy world. However, sometimes all the descriptions became overwhelming and sometimes confusing. Also when it became overbearing all the clutter took away from the rest of the book.
In conclusion The Silmarillion was a fantastic book and I would recommend it to anyone who like to read epic fantasy.
Rating:
Summary: natural follow-up for lotr fans
Review: This book probably seems a terrible bore to those who haven't read lotr. However, this book is meant for those who sigh regretfully after flipping the last page of lotr. Tolkien keeps the magic of his world alive and delves into places which make middle-earth look mundane. A must-read for anyone who professes themselves a Tolkien fan
Rating:
Summary: for the serious LOTR fan
Review: I think that many of the people who gave this book a bad review had a real mis-understanding of what type of book it was suppose to be...It is NOT a novel like The Hobbit or the LOTR trilogy!! It is more of a history book. It's a compilation of different legends and lore from the first ages of Middle Earth. Parts of it are rather "dry" (boring) to read, but many parts are very interesting! For instance, I loved the long chapter about the romance between Beren and Luthien. By reading The Silmarillion, you gain a much deeper understanding of the LOTR trilogy. There are many names in the book - so many that I could not keep them all straight. I frequently had to look up names in the dictionary in the back of the book - in order to remember who someone was...
Approach this book with the right perspective: It is a history book for the serious LOTR fan. If you are someone who just has a surface or temporary interest in LOTR because of the movies...then you will likely not enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: For Rings fans looking for the roots
Review: This book started out as the "first" tales of the tales of Middle Earth, but was never published during his lift time. At points, he took it out and worried with it, redid it, polishing it. I think as his other tales came to life the saw the need for adjustments in the roots of his tales. Still when he died it remained unpublished. His son, Christopher, picked up the threads and edited the book tells a tale of the Elder Days, when Elves and Men became estranged by the Dark Lord and it was finally published, but to the thrill of Tolkien fans, four years after his death. Many new fans of his thrilling works have come to know his tales through the Ring Movies, but will have questions, want to know more. So I recommend this for all Tolkien fans, old and new wanting to have more depth to the Beginning. A super gift for your Tolkien friend!
Rating:
Summary: Very hard to put down
Review: ... but then again, it was suspended from the ceiling by a string.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific...
Review: This book is really helpful in decribing how things came to be and what caused many of the things in The Lord of the Rings to happen. My personal favorite in the story is the Tale of Beren and Lúthien, which is a tale similar to that of Aragorn and Arwen. Overall, this book was beautifully written and exellent for any Lord of the Rings fan.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful, Unique Work- A Summary of Tolkien's Mythology
Review: This is, basically, the summary of Tolkien's mythology, his life's work. It is the story of the cosmology and shaping of the world and its origins in the First Age, the tragic story of the Second Age, and a summary of the Third Age, in which the Lord of the Rings takes place. It is done from a completely Elvish perspective, with men taking something of a secondary role, and with Hobbits being briefly mentioned- that rights, virtually NO HOBBITS. That's right. This is very different in nature from LOTR. This story is generally meant to give the higher level of myth in his world- the stories of the great powers and summaries of ages past by their great events- in addition to some of the lower level stories. Something along the lines of this book is what Tolkien had in mind to compliment stories like the LOTR when he began writing his mythology, as he puts it in his letter to Milton Waldman (prefacing the book, very illuminating in itself), "I had in mind to make a body of... connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic, to the level of romantic fairy-story... which I could dedicate simply to: to England..." As for the quality, it is achingly beautiful and piercingly poignant in its greatest moments in a way akin to that of the LOTR, but different, probably because of the Elvish manner, and also because of its larger, cosmological scope. Finally, I think that anyone who is searching for the beauty of the LOTR and the Hobbit but can stand a lack of hobbits or who REALLY wants to understand LOTR (thanks not only to the myth but the handy language reference in the back of the book, since another one of Tolkien's motivations to write it was linguistical) should definitely get this book. (One more thing. The Silmarillion was compiled after J.R.R. Tolkien by his son, Christopher Tolkien, from his J.R.R. Tolkien's incredibly extensive writings on Middle-Earth, and some elements that J.R.R. Tolkien had intended for the included stories, such as the frame-story for the Ainulindale, have been removed, so if you are absolutley in love with Tolkien and can't get enough, you should look into getting the 12 or so big volumes of Tolkien's many writings called the Book of Lost Tales, also complied after J.R.R.'s death.)
Rating:
Summary: The Middle-Earth Bible
Review: If you love J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth saga of "The Hobbit" & "The Lord Of The Rings," then you absolutely MUST read "The Silmarillion." This book is the Middle-Earth bible, telling the stories of the First Age of Tolkien's mystical land, including the history of the Elves, long before Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf & company came along at the end of the Third Age. "The Silmarillion" tells of the creation of the world, followed by the story of the Silmarills, three magic jewels of power that are stolen by the evil lord Morgoth, who was Sauron's predecessor and master, and the attempts by the Elves (and certain Men) to retrieve them. This is then briefly followed by a plot synopsis for "The Lord Of The Rings," so "The Silmarillion" really does contain all of Middle-Earth's history in a single volume. Also, quite happily, three characters from "The Lord Of The Rings" play major roles here: the evil Sauron, and the high-esteemed Elves Elrond and Galadriel, and it's quite fascinating to read how they all got their starts. Written off & on during his lifetime, but left unedited into a final form at the time of his death, Tolkien's son Christopher bravely took up the task of editing his father's unpublished work into a finished book, and he did an excellent job. Admittedly, "The Silmarillion" is a very challenging read---no Hobbits anywhere, and LOTS of names of people & places scattered all over, many of them similar-sounding (Turin son of Hurin, Elros brother of Elrond, etc., etc.), which can cause confusion for the reader at first and was one of the reasons why Tolkien was reluctant to have the work published. Fortunately, the book comes with a glossary of all these names and who's who, how to pronounce them, as well as maps of the various lands. But more than that, the book is wonderfully written, containing many great stories of drama & adventure as only Tolkien could write them (a great highlight for me is the story of Beren and Luthien, a marvelous love story AND adventure rolled into one, but there are many other examples).Thoroughly engrossing from beginning to end, "The Silmarillion" is essential reading for any Tolkien fan who wants to know how all of Middle-Earth began, and what the backstory and history is to the saga of "The Hobbit" & "The Lord Of The Rings." A marvelous book, and highly recommended to the Tolkien enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book for the diehard Tolkien fan
Review: If you are a serious fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's other books and you want to learn more about the history of middle earth, then you will find this book fascinating. One word of warning however; It is not a story in the sense that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is. Yes, it does explain many of the myths and stories from the past hinted in LOTR, but it a series of stories rather, that all happen to be a part of the history of middle earth. It is also easy to get lost with all of the strange names and unfamiliar places, but it is rich in detail and well worth reading if you want to delve into the events that led up to those in LOTR.
|
