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The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Book Summary InformationAuthor: J.R.R. Tolkien Editor: Christopher Tolkien Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2001-04 ISBN: 0618126988 Number of pages: 365 Publisher: Mariner Books Product features: - ISBN13: 9780618126989
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of The SilmarillionBook Review: Eclipses the wonder of The Lord of the Rings Summary: 5 Stars
There are several chapters in the Bible consisting solely of genealogies, lists of who beget who, used mostly to establish bloodlines. The last being in Matthew in which the lineage of Jesus is established through the bloodline of King David. I have always found these fascinating because of what they don't say. You look at the names on the lists and wonder just who these people were and what they did. What big or small things did they do in their lives that may have wrought monumental changes on the world for future generations. There is an unwritten history there that fascinates.
The same can be said for J.R.R. Tolkien's saga The Lord of the Rings. Whether reading the books or watching the films you come across names of individuals and of peoples that give historical depth to the work but also make you wonder who they were and what part they had to play in the development of the Middle-earth of the Third Age. Thankfully Tolkien didn't just mention these people and pass on, he spent his lifetime developing the creation of his world. The culmination of these efforts can be found in The Silmarillion.
The Silmarillion was never published in Tolkien's lifetime. It was a work that in essence started in the trenches of WWI and was not completed at the time of his death. Thankfully much of it was completed and his son, Christopher Tolkien, was able to take the large body of work left by J.R.R. Tolkien and edit it together into a complete narrative. The Silmarillion is essentially the history of Middle-earth, from the creation of the world and the First Age through the Third Age up until the time seen in The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings.
Let me stop here to say that I was completely enraptured by this book. The Silmarillion is not something that one can pick up for light reading. It is a history book and reads as such. However if you are in a LOTR frame of mind I believe you would find the book amazing as well. Tolkien was a scholar of language, of the history and mythology of Europe, and of religion as well. These things heavily influenced his life's work and can be seen in the creation of the world in which his characters lived.
It has been said that Tolkien was disappointed in the lack of a true mythology for England and that part of what he set out to do was to create one. The Silmarillion then is Tolkien's description of the creation of the world and ages that existed in a time long before our time. The opening chapters in which Eru or Iluvatar, the One creates the Ainur (or Holy Ones) and teaches them to create the world through song is beautiful, especially in comparison to the creation accounts of the book of Genesis. One of the things it does quite well is establish the importance of music as a tool of communication and storytelling, something that not only was true in the `real' history of our world but in Middle-earth as well.
The Silmarillion goes on to tell the story of the Silmarils, three jewels created by Feanor, the most gifted of the Elves. Within each jewel was captured the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the trees were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. These jewels were eventually stolen by Morgoth and set in his crown. The Silmarillion then becomes the "history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy". It goes on to tell the tale of the rise of Sauron and his battles with the peoples of Middle-earth, the creation of the rings of power and the One Ring, and the battle in which Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand, eventually losing it in the river to one day become the possession of Smeagol.
Although The Silmarillion was begun long before Tolkien ever intended to write The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings it turned out to be the ultimate Tolkien fan bible. It answers so many questions about the people who came before those we loved in The Lord of the Rings. It was so fascinating to learn about the Elves and the Dwarves, about the Numenoreans who are referenced often in LOTR, about the first Dark Lord and the creation of evil in Middle-earth.
Well-written history is wonderful to read. Two of the most interesting historical books I have read are the the books I, Claudius and Claudius, the God by Robert Graves. They are the stories of the Roman Emperors told through fiction and they are amazing. Despite being the history of a fictional world, The Silmarillion is equally amazing. The depth of the many historical and literary influences in Tolkien's life as well as scholarly command of language makes this history feel real. Reading The Silmarillion does not feel like reading a work of fantasy. It feels like reading a history of our world describing a time that has passed out of all recollection of men. The fact that it gives so much back story and dimension to the world that so many have fallen in love with via the LOTR novels and films is just a bonus. Like any `true' history, the peoples who populate The Silmarillion are far from perfect. They are very real, full of virtues and faults and the actions of individuals and groups have far reaching consequences in the world they leave for future generations. Reading The Silmarillion was an amazing experience and one I am likely to repeat. The last chapter alone, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, is something everyone should read at least once before watching the movies again.
I was talking with my brother-in-law the other day mentioning the fact that Tolkien's work is so interesting because his grasp of language allowed him to create a universe in which the many and varied names of peoples and of places and of cultures do not feel made up or silly. The Silmarillion is full of names one hasn't heard before but never does it feel like Tolkien was just making things up. It reads like a history that has been passed down from generation to generation and for that Tolkien has to be acknowledged as a literary master.
I guess it goes without saying (then why have you wrote so much???) that I highly recommend The Silmarillion. It is the work of Tolkien's lifetime and is a remarkable legacy. Tolkien would no doubt consider The Silmarillion to be his important work. The stories in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were just moments out of the vast timeline he created. Read it, it is the ultimate LOTR geek's dream. It is also a book that I believe would appeal to anyone who is interested in mythology and history. Reading it one finds it hard to believe that this isn't actually a true history of an age long before our own which I think is the ultimate compliment for what Tolkien set out to do. By far the best book I have read this year.
Summary of The SilmarillionA number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, THE SILMARILLION is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before THE HOBBIT. Tolkien considered THE SILMARILLION his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. The story of the creation of the world and of the the First Age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in THE LORD OF THE RINGS look back and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor lived on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown, which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. THE SILMARILLION is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy. This second edition features a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien describing his intentions for the book, which serves as a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages of Middle-earth. The Silmarillion is J.R.R. Tolkien's tragic, operatic history of the First Age of Middle-Earth, essential background material for serious readers of the classic Lord of the Rings saga. Tolkien's work sets the standard for fantasy, and this audio version of the "Bible of Middle-Earth" does The Silmarillion justice. Martin Shaw's reading is grave and resonant, conveying all the powerful events and emotions that shaped elven and human history long before Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf and all the rest embarked on their quests. Beginning with the Music of the Ainur, The Silmarillion tells a tale of the Elder Days, when Elves and Men became estranged by the Dark Lord Morgoth's lust for the Silmarils, pure and powerful magic jewels. Even the love between a human warrior and the daughter of the Elven king cannot defeat Morgoth, but the War of Wrath finally brings down the Dark Lord. Peace reigns until the evil Sauron recovers the Rings of Power and sets the stage for the events told in the Lord of the Rings. This is epic fantasy at its finest, thrillingly read and gloriously unabridged. (Running time: 14 hours, 6 CDs)
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