Reviews tagging 'War'

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

29 reviews

karlin0336's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is five stars, but that means something completely different than when I rate other books five stars.
  I was not engrossed in it the whole time (I really had to push through parts of it).  I did not love many of the characters (there were so many names, that it was really hard to keep track of everyone).  It was confusing and very, VERY slow (thank goodness for the audiobook).
  No, the reason this book is five stars is because of what it accomplishes.  It sets the groundwork for the fantasy epic that is arguably the greatest cornerstone of its genre.  It gives us a comprehensive history for perhaps the most well-crafted fantasy universe of all time (and it's one of the reasons that universe is so well developed).  The Silmarillion was confusing, yes, but that's because it is a story on such a large scale that a single readthrough just isn't enough.  I fully expect to discover something new each and every time I reread it.  What this book manages to accomplish is pure genius.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Torture

Minor: Incest, Suicide, and Grief

bone_dry's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Genocide, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Incest, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

josisteacup's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Given that it's basically a "history book" that chronicals the events from the creation of Middle-earth up until the end of Lord of the Rings its expected to be quite dense. Therefore its best to approach it like a collection of myths or folktales and read one chapter at a time. Otherwise it might be overwhelming. Especially the first chapters about the creation of Middle-earth can be a bit boring because there isn't much plot.

All in all its interesting and I'm thinking about getting the standalone stories of Beren and Luthien, The Fall of Gondolin and The Children of Hurin.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Incest, Slavery, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation

pretzemilia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Torture, War, and Injury/Injury detail

vikingschism's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is not a traditional novel however the entire thing forms a single cohesive narrative of the conflict over the silmarils and leads into the War of the Ring described in The Lord of the Rings. It contains a multitude of tales. Many have described it as dry but I personally found it incredibly engaging outside of one chapter (Of Beleriand and its Realms). In fact, in many ways it is a lynchpin that underlies both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, painting a rich tapestry of myth and history that informs the other works 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence and War

Minor: Incest

aseel_reads's review against another edition

Unfortunately I just keep zoning out and not taking anything in. Also, all the elvish names being read aloud make it hard for me to know the difference (seeing them on paper would help)

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Violence, and War

ayamawa's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

• Strong character development? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence and War

hollewade's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is a gem and I flew through it. So many stories so rich and lovely. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Minor: Incest

caelfind's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and War

seanml's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The Silmarillion is a majestic, winding journey through imagination. Tolkien's visions come to life in a fully realized world filled with grace, beauty, and an encroaching sadness. It is the time of the elves, and though immortal, their time rises and wanes with elegance. 9/10.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, and War