zee_brdh's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
Reads more like a history book rather than fiction, but it's so so informative and full of lore to understand LOTR and The Hobbit so much better!
mirpanda277's review against another edition
5.0
It's taken me years to finally pick this book up and weeks to finally finish it. Not everything good is easy. This book is a perfect example of sticking with a book, even if it hasn't won you over early-on.
When I began this book, I was not keen on its style of broad historical narrative that read much like the Bible of Middle-earth. Although I consider myself a lover of language and world-building, The Silmarillion is a lot to take in and can be difficult to keep everyone, every thing, and every where sorted in my head. The index, appendices, and maps were a God-sent, but even after I've finished the book, the geography (of the Elder Days and Dark Days) is a mystery to me, in general.
Nevertheless, my confusion doesn't diminish my love for Tolkien's work(s), but challenges and humbles me.
I'd recommend this book to any lover of the LOTR series (and The Hobbit) and wants to take full advantage of Tolkien's gifts to readers. But don't count me among those that say they prefer The Silmarillion to LOTR!
When I began this book, I was not keen on its style of broad historical narrative that read much like the Bible of Middle-earth. Although I consider myself a lover of language and world-building, The Silmarillion is a lot to take in and can be difficult to keep everyone, every thing, and every where sorted in my head. The index, appendices, and maps were a God-sent, but even after I've finished the book, the geography (of the Elder Days and Dark Days) is a mystery to me, in general.
Nevertheless, my confusion doesn't diminish my love for Tolkien's work(s), but challenges and humbles me.
I'd recommend this book to any lover of the LOTR series (and The Hobbit) and wants to take full advantage of Tolkien's gifts to readers. But don't count me among those that say they prefer The Silmarillion to LOTR!
mightysparks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
inkdrinker13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
collinmcclutchy's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a struggle, and they aren’t kidding when they say it reads like the Old Testament. That said, the payoff was grand, and there were parts f that were good were REALLY good. Lots of interesting bits related to LOTR.
This one definitely deserves a re-read, especially before or during a LOTR reread.
This one definitely deserves a re-read, especially before or during a LOTR reread.
lhatcher's review against another edition
It is proving difficult to find myself caring enough to want to discern what is actually happening in this book.
bijant's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
adrianna0313's review against another edition
4.0
I have to give Tolkien credit for being so brilliant. He created this whole world just so he could incorporate a language he also created. The only thing is I wish I read the lord of the ring series before this. After a while all of the origin stories just get jumbled. I was just searching for a familiar name from the movies. However, I did still enjoy reading this. Im excited to start the lord of the rings!
grandpa_chic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
hberg95's review against another edition
4.0
Truly a unique and incredible undertaking to fit this amount of lore and backstory into a novel this size that accomplishes so much world-building. It's difficult to rate my experience of The Silmarillion without mentioning the way it lead to a larger investigation and appreciation for Tolkien as an author and thinker. Through friends and The Prancing Pony Podcast, I learned a lot about Tolkien's worldview and the way it colored the world of Eä. The idea of human beings as sub-creators, regardless of one's religious or non-religious background, is really compelling to me. I like the idea that one of the most powerful things we can do is create art and beautiful things and share them with other people.
I loved the creation out of music in the Ainulindalë. It feels so Nietzschean to have all creation begin in music and it, again, emphasizes the importance of music and art. I'm stealing this from the aforementioned podcast, but one theme that came through to be a lot was harmony. When people work together and transcend boundaries, they succeed.
The Valar pantheon was fun. I especially liked Tulkas whose first battle with Melkor was won purely through laughter. I loved some of the smaller stories that gave background and added world-building to the story like the creation of the Dwarves and Ents. I also really enjoyed the Flight of the Noldor storyline and everything leading up to it as well as the story of Beren and Luthien. There were a handful of chapters that I wasn't as interested in throughout, but there was such a depth of history and narrative at work that I've got to respect it.
The final two sections : the Akallabeth and Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age were also very great and made me eager to revisit the stories of the Lord of the Rings (whether I do so by re-reading or re-watching them).
I remember trying to read The Silmarillion years ago when I was a child and my Tolkien-obsessed uncle told me it was like reading the bible, but harder. It feels good to have read it now, to have explored the history and cosmogony of Middle-Earth, and I may revisit it (or at least selected stories) again in the future.
I loved the creation out of music in the Ainulindalë. It feels so Nietzschean to have all creation begin in music and it, again, emphasizes the importance of music and art. I'm stealing this from the aforementioned podcast, but one theme that came through to be a lot was harmony. When people work together and transcend boundaries, they succeed.
The Valar pantheon was fun. I especially liked Tulkas whose first battle with Melkor was won purely through laughter. I loved some of the smaller stories that gave background and added world-building to the story like the creation of the Dwarves and Ents. I also really enjoyed the Flight of the Noldor storyline and everything leading up to it as well as the story of Beren and Luthien. There were a handful of chapters that I wasn't as interested in throughout, but there was such a depth of history and narrative at work that I've got to respect it.
The final two sections : the Akallabeth and Of The Rings of Power and the Third Age were also very great and made me eager to revisit the stories of the Lord of the Rings (whether I do so by re-reading or re-watching them).
I remember trying to read The Silmarillion years ago when I was a child and my Tolkien-obsessed uncle told me it was like reading the bible, but harder. It feels good to have read it now, to have explored the history and cosmogony of Middle-Earth, and I may revisit it (or at least selected stories) again in the future.