Silmarillion, The by J.R.R. Tolkien

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Submitted by devilgirl27@msn.com 
(Jun 04, 2002)

The Silmarillion is a very good book if you have a lot of patience and time on your hands to sit down and read it. This book would be suited for people who like to read things that seem like the bible or if they are just looking for something to help them understand how the elve and man came to be in the Lord of the Rings series. I rated this book a 4 because it is rather hard to just sit down and read it all at one time. You need a lot of time to be able to do this

The Silmarillion is a demanding book, mainly because it requires regular reference to its index. There are dozens of names, some similarly spelled, some changing, all in a made up language. A close read is necessary just for the story to be understood.
Don't expect a conventional novel; The Silmarillion is more like a scholarly history book. It is not about a person or group but the history of a civilization. So there is no Bilbo or Frodo to follow through the narrative, just a series of historical figures.
This is not dry reading, though. The language is mythological, and the setting is Middle Earth. Elves are at their peak, and so is Middle Earth.
The are plenty of amuzing links between The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. We see Sauron is his early form. Elrond, Galadriel, Balrogs and the grandmother of all giant spiders(i.e. Shelob and the spiders in Mirkwood) make appearances. Ever wonder where Frodo went after his adventure was over? After The Silmarillion, there is far less mystery behind The Lord of the Rings, which may be its only flaw.

The Silmarillion is the beginner's guide into the fantastic mythology behind Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Everyone, who is fascinated by the great world and story in LOTR should read The Silmarillion. It allowes a first glance at the answers to questions like "Why looks middleearth that way? Why are the Eldars fading? Who are the Valar? Where did the Istari, the wizards like Gandalf come from?" and so on. There is also a rough discription of the languages Q(u)enya and Sindarin. It is not written like LOTR but in a more "ancient" way of storytelling, a bit like the greek mythologies. If LOTR could fascinate you and you want to know more about the story, read it!

Beautiful. All those who love Tolkiens Work will enjoy this. It is beautifully sculpted story of the Time of the Elves. Of there splendor, and beauty before their downfall and the rise of the Man.