The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.95 You Save: $7.05 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Silmarillion
Book Review: Simply One of Tolkien's Best
Summary: 5 Stars
At first glance, one may seemed overwhelmed with the Silmarillion thinking that it is simply too deep/confusing for them, and not what they were looking for. They might have been interested in Tolkien books like The Lord of The Rings, and The Hobbit, but may decide that The Silmarillion is a book of a different sort; not what they were looking for, or one might decide that it was just down right boring. This would be a big mistake!!!! The Silmarillion was an EXCELLENT book, one which will not fail to please any Tolkien fan. It gives a lot of insight into the Elder Days, or the very early stages of Middle-earth (1st Age). The tales are simply very enjoyable, and are put together very well. John Tolkien made no mistake appointing Christopher, his son, as his editorial heir. I can guarantee 99.9% of Tolkien fans would enjoy this book very much, and it would make a great birthday present too (that is, if the Tolkien fan you're thinking of hasn't already bought himself a copy of his own).Book Review: Either you get it or you don't
Summary: 5 Stars
For years I was afraid to read The Silmarillion (a brief glance through some of these reviews will explain the idea that this book is hard-going). Having just re-read The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings, I felt inspired to give it a go.... and I am so glad that I did. If, like me, you devoured the myths & legends of the world as a child, you will feel like you've "come home" at last. Tolkien's language is so beautiful it makes you want to cry - some place inside you simply resonates at the sheer poetry of the writing. This is such an overwhelmingly sad & haunting book. As in all true myths, there is a strong sense of doom - characters are magnificent but flawed, heroic yet doomed. If you expect fully-fleshed-out 3D characters, forget it. This is not written like a modern novel. If you love stories that are timeless & that will stay with you forever, read The Silmarillion. I cannot yet decide whether I prefer it to LOTR, but it doesn't matter - we have both!Book Review: The Holy Grail of Fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
The Silmarillion is the ultimate in world creation. In order to write his other novels, Tolkien first created his background and started from scratch. Literally, this is "In the beginning..." kind of stuff!
Now I read the reviews by those who feel it's too complex or involved and I can see how that could be. I read the Silmarillion on a several day bus trip when I was 12 or so. It was pretty heavy reading and I think I missed some bits. It was definitely a good read, but it wasn't until some time later, after a second and third re-reading that I felt I understood what was going on well enough to be comfortable discussing the stories with other afficionados.
So, if you don't "get it" the first time and yet you love the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, I suggest you give it some time and read the Silmarillion again. It's as good as there is when it comes to fantasy.
Book Review: Tough read but well worth it
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is tough to read and is more suited to an older audience. I wouldn't hesitate to get it for someone in high school if they have already read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But the book is probably more suited to college age and above due to some of the vocabulary and themes the Tolkien presents. There are also a lot of names used by Tolkien, so at times it can be a little cumbersome to keep track of who is who, where they are from, what they did, etc. but if you can keep attention to detail it is worth the effort. For me, this book is the clearest "Catholic work" of the works of Tolkien on Middle Earth. The introduction almost feels as if it were taken straight from the Bible. But all in all this is a fantastic book and a must-have for anyone who is a fan of the Lord of the Rings.Book Review: silmarillion
Summary: 5 Stars
I believe that the silmarillion was tokien's best work.I'm still trying to finish The Return of the King but I find that so farmuch has happened but wasn't expressed in the best way to make it more appealing to other people.Before i read The Two TOwers though I read the silmarillion, at first it seemed really slow and I had difficulty reading the first couple of chapters.Then it got really interesting for he finally brought the elves into the story who were my favorite race in the series.Even though the story was told like a history lesson, I find it to still be one of my favorite books because i am very fond of history, and the stories telling of all the deeds whether good or bad that the elves had done was just fascinating.