The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Book Reviews of The Silmarillion
Book Review: One of the best books I have ever read
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a teenage girl who recently discovered Tolkien, and in the past year I have read The Lord of the Rings, Unfinished Tales, and finally The Silmarillion. I loved the first two, but reading the last left me completely blown away.
It's definitely not for everyone, though. There probably aren't that many people my age who would enjoy it, and the beginning was a little bit slow. But once I got past the creation stories and the first couple of chapters (which you shouldn't skip over, no matter how boring you might find them) I was completely sucked in.
I have to say that I enjoyed this book more than the Lord of the Rings. I still love LOTR, but there are some differences that make the Silmarillion better, in my opinion. The main one has to do with elves. After reading LOTR, I liked elves well enough, but I thought they were rather boring and disliked the way they all seemed so perfect and good.
Then I read the Silmarillion, and my whole perspective on the entire race changed completely. The book is chock full of brave elves, heroic elves, wise elves, rebellious elves, angry elves, flawed elves, suicidal elves, insane elves, greedy elves, elves who kill each other, the list goes on and on. What makes it even better is that plenty of them have more than one of these qualities. I admire some of them, and feel sorry for some, and others I just hate their guts. It makes for a very interesting book.
The other difference is that Lord of the Rings lacks female characters. The only ones that come to mind right now are Arwen, Eowyn, and Goldberry, one of whom has practically nothing to do with the plot. But the Silmarillion is full of fascinating and resourceful (as well as determined) female characters - Idril, Haleth, Yavanna, Emeldir, Luthien, and others.
The one tale that I didn't enjoy (the creation stories were interesting, just a little slow) was the tale of the Children of Hurin. I just wasn't interested in it at all. The fact that I really dislike the main character probably has something to do with this. But this by no means dimishishess the awesomeness of the book. The tale of Beren and Luthien was one of the best, as well as the story (which continues throughout the book) of the Sons of Feanor, who are some of the least boring and perfect elves ever.
You probably shouldn't read this if you prefer books with plenty of dialogue (something the Silmarillion is rather short on) or if you have a really hard time keeping lots of names (some of which are only used a few times, or are very similar to others) straight. The name thing does become less confusing once you read things over a few times. The family trees in the back are also helpful.
This is certainly one of the best things I have ever read, and I reccomend it to everyone, even though not everyone will like it.
Book Review: Unparalleled imagination...
Summary: 5 Stars
At the core of The Silmarillion, as well as LOTR is a very simple plot, but the characters, environment, and drama Tolkien weaves is truly mind boggling. Tolkien considered The Silmarillion his finest achievement, and I can't agree more. The Silmarillion was released posthumously by his son, Christopher Tolkien. The scope and grandeur of the story behind The Silmarillion is hard to describe. If you're familiar with LOTR, let's just say that the Sauron is a mere sidekick of the big bad guy in The Silmarillion. In fact, Sauron gets his butt kicked big time by a human King, who unfortunately gets brainwashed by him later and invokes the wrath of god-like beings called the Valar. You learn how Sauron was able to escape with his deceits, to come back to Middle Earth. With this book, you come to learn the background on Elves, Dwarves, and Humans. You'll learn about the Undying Lands in the west where the Elves sail to. You will learn Gandalf's past, Sauron's past, how Orcs were once Elves. The tragedy of the love between Beren and Luthien is enough to make a grown man cry. The Silmarillion is biblical and mythical in breadth and really takes your breath away. It can therefore be intimidating to a casual LOTR reader. What I can say is that if you really, really loved LOTR, you will absolutely love The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion can be hard to follow because there are so many different characters with unusual, hard-to-pronounce names. But if you can get over this "difficulty", the reward is great. It truly is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read in my life. As an aid to reading this book, I used "The Complete Guide to Middle Earth" by Robert Foster and also read along with an unabridged reading on CD by Martin Shaw (Bantam Double Day). Martin Shaw has a great voice reading along with him was extremely helpful. The CD helped me get past the difficult names of the characters and places, and the Guide was a fantastic reference book. The Silmarillion is by no means casual reading for most people, but if you don't mind putting a little mental effort with remembering names, you will find it extremely enjoyable and rewarding. Recommended to "hard-core" LOTR fans.Book Review: Mythology of Middle-Earth
Summary: 5 Stars
You really have to be in the right mood for The Silmarillion. I love it, but I realize it's not for everyone. This is the "big story" J.R.R. Tolkien worked on all his life, but never completed. His son, Christopher Tolkien, does an admirable job of assembling this collection of myths into a coherent whole. What is Middle-Earth? Where did it come from? Where did the Elves come from? What happened in the First Age? How did Númenor fall? There are so many questions answered in this book, as well as basic questions, like how the world was created (by music! awesome!), that are just fun to read. However, the early part of The Silmarillion is a tragedy. Imagine, if you will, two glorious trees, one with silver leaves and one with gold, that shine with their own inner light and illuminate the city of the gods. An elf, Feanor, uses the skills he has learned from the Valar (gods) to enshrine some of the light of these two trees into three brilliant jewels called the Silmarils. The dark lord (Morgoth) steals the jewels and heads off to Middle-Earth. The rest of the book entails the wars and tragedies that result as the Elves try to recover the Silmarils by force. This is high mythology, with heavy, dark content. At the time I read it, The Silmarillion was unlike anything I had ever read. Quite frankly, I haven't found any other fantasy series nearly so captivating (I am a science fiction fan, by disposition). This is not just swords and sorcery fare; Tolkien has some serious moral points to make, and he makes them subtly while telling you a grand tale, akin to the Odyssey.
This is not a happy book. There is much sorrow in it and many tales of loss. But you cannot have loss without having gained something first, and Tolkien conjures up amazing images of faerie cities and uncountable riches. When those riches are lost, it is only through the moral weakness of those who possess them. You won't get much of that in Conan. The success of modern fantasy is owed in no small part to the success of "The Lord of the Rings," but before LOTR, in Tolkien's mind, there was The Silmarillion; and this is the real story he wanted to tell. Read and enjoy.
Book Review: A beautiful, grand, and epic mythology
Summary: 5 Stars
Although it was indeed a post-humous publication, the Silmarillion is truly the work of J.R.R. Tolkien (with a little organization by his son) and as such, it is probably his crowning achievement as a writer. Embodying everything that he desired to acomplish linguistically as well as creatively, the Silmarillion stands as the greatest volume by the accomplished philologist.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of this work is its grand scope, covering the earliest years in the history of Middle Earth. Written in an extremely mythic style, the story begins telling the tale of creation. Due to his devotion to Roman Catholicism, Tolkien indirectly imbues these early myths with Judeo-Christian sentiments, leaving room for other northern-European influences as well. Because of this basis in true-world mythology, the early tales of the Silmarillion stand out as more than isolated tales of a fictional world. Indeed, they inspire the reader to imagine beauty which is beyond the confines of Middle Earth, renewing awe in the nature of the world and Man's place in there.
The main body of the work, the tale of the Silmarils and the events surrounding them is a story which is once again mythic but yet is a most excellent heuristic for looking at hubris as well as the corruption of evil. Indeed, this is an ongoing theme in the work, linking, in many ways, to Judeo-Christian teachings and myth. The overall theme of the work approaches the idea of subcreation and the beauty AND responsibility that come with it. The development of all the characters reflects the ramifications of free choice and the temptations that can stem from the abilities granted to individuals.
Because of its wholistic nature and thorough integration, the Silmarillion is a superb work which stands on its own as a fantasy mythology. However, this development lets the work to refresh the reader's view of the world and also grants insight and reflection on the responsibilities of mankind. Because of this, I highly recommend the Silmarillion for all who are willing to take the time to make through its elegant prose.
Book Review: Exciting, Beautiful History of Middle Earth
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been reading this tome aloud to my wife, and I'm surprised I love it so much. Having enjoyed The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit since I was a boy, I thought the history of the Silmarils, which is the meaning of the word Silmarillion, would be interesting, if not overly tedious. I confess after the first four chapters, the text bogs down; I skipped ch. 14 all together. But the stories I now understand, the history of certain characters, the doom of the elves, and the full tale of their songs, I wouldn't want to have missed.I love the Ainulindale, the story of creation, where Eru, whom the elves call Iluvatar, sings through the voices of angelic beings to create the world and foretell its history. It's a beautiful spin on the Genesis story. Once the official history of the Simarils begins, the details begin to pile up; but worthy is the reader who perseveres for the tales that follow build in excitement. For Lord of the Rings fans, are you curious about the doom that plagues Elrond and his family? Did you know that Galadriel was hundreds of years older than Elrond and was born in Valinor, the western haven to which the elves go in their white ships? Do you want to know how Sauron become the Dark Lord, and what Gandalf meant by covering the land in a _second_ darkness? All of those answers are in this book.
Tolkien gives us a powerfully beautiful world in Middle Earth, and this book magnifies the wonder seen in the Lord of the Rings. Why do Dwarves and Elves distrust each other? It stems from the bloodshed over the Silmarils, jewels crafted by Feanor, the most gifted and most headstrong of any elf who made by God. The jewels captured and radiated the light of the two trees Yavanna planted to give light to the world. They captivated the heart of anyone who saw them, and when one of them was set amid the Dwarf-cut gems of a spectacular necklace and worn by Luthien, the most beautiful elf to ever live, the light of heaven shone radiantly on earth for a short while. That and many more stories await you in this exciting history of elves and men in Middle Earth.