The Silmarillion

This is crack for any history fan. A true masterpiece of fictional worldbuilding.

Although definitely noticed this time that possibly the most old fashioned British influence over this whole mythos is the complete avoidance of anything overtly sexual in Tolkiens stories. When you compare his myths to their obvious forebear, the Greek Gods, you realise how much sex has been left out.

This isn't in itself a bad thing, but you'd be hardpressed to find any genuine historical myth from around the world that so thoroughly ignored one of the biggest features of human nature.

Third time is the charm for this one, apparently (at least for me). If you loved The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and are looking for more of the same, this is not that book. It's very much a history, that reads a lot like a textbook, albeit of a fantasy world. I would suggest, if you're struggling, listening along with Corey Olsen's podcast of the book (tolkienprofessor.com). It's a group discussion/lecture that goes chapter by chapter. The best advice was not to worry too much about remembering everyone's many names, but just pay attention to what they mean at the time they're given/taken. Also, the trees and index of names in the back are incredibly helpful when you're trying to keep Feanor, Fingolfin, Finrod, and Finwe separate (to give just one example). Still it's a masterwork and well worth reading if you love Tolkien's writing and the middle-earth mythos he created.

No tengo duda alguna de que Tolkien era un genio, escribía con magnificencia y arte, y su mundo interior era riquísimo y muy bello. Pero yo soy incapaz de leer más de 100 páginas de semejante tostón de libro. Tal vez en otro momento de mi vida sea capaz de tomarme el libro de otro modo y de saber apreciarlo mejor pero ahora mismo me ha parecido aburrisídimo, insoportable y que no había por dónde coger el hilo argumental. Así que, por mucho que el autor sea maravilloso y la gente que ha logrado leerlo entero suele amar el libro con pasión, no, no puedo darle más estrellas que eso.

I was able to get through the first 100 or so pages of the book before I had to let it go. The story is very rough, as is noted in the forward. There are so many characters, places and terms that it's extremely difficult to follow. You'll have to be really dedicated to get through this one.

It's kind of weird listening to this book as an audiobook. Going from the sort of “Literary agent” structure that the Lord of the Rings was born from (J.R.R. Tolkien translating a book that he found in some archive somewhere), the Silmarillion feels like it should be structured in the form of something like Beowulf or the Odyssey - a legend originally told orally, transcribed into a more written form. Thus, this should be something that would be perfect for an audiobook.

However, rather than using any of the meters or rhyming verses that those earlier works (which clearly inspired Tolkien) used, instead the book is structured in a form that's probably closer to the Bible, particularly the King James version, with a mix of events told in the abstract, combined with individual moments told with more specific details, in a very floral style.

Having the book read as an audiobook does make it less dry, and easier to get through. However, there are moments where, as a reader, I have to basically stop the book after the book summarizes a big moment (such as an epic battle between two armies), and picture that battle in my mind's eye, before continuing with the book, whereas in the more specific moments, the story in the narration plays out at about the same pace that it does in my imagination.

I am glad I've finally read the Silmarillion, but it's not something I'm going to re-read again for a while, and even then, I'll probably stick to specific passages.

As a standalone book, I don't know why anyone would want to read this. Now, I love Tolkien's world – I've read LOR multiple times, same with the hobbit. Seen the movies more times than I can count, including midnight releases for each of them. But even armed with this background, and other information gleaned from videos, Tolkien encyclopedias and other sources I couldn't get into this. It's amazing in what it is – a reference about the world – but it is not a compelling story. I think of this more as a glossary that goes at the end of LOR to help give background to the world.

As a standalone book, I don't know why anyone would want to read this. Now, I love Tolkien's world – I've read LOR multiple times, same with the hobbit. Seen the movies more times than I can count, including midnight releases for each of them. But even armed with this background, and other information gleaned from videos, Tolkien encyclopedias and other sources I couldn't get into this. It's amazing in what it is – a reference about the world – but it is not a compelling story. I think of this more as a glossary that goes at the end of LOR to help give background to the world.

reviews.metaphorosis.com

4 stars

The story of the creation of the world of Middle Earth, its development, and the development of the various races that inhabit it.

My spouse and I decided to watch The Fellowship of the Ring again, and as usual, I waxed slightly pedantic about Gandalf, and she had questions about technicalities. Age begins to tell, however, and I found I couldn't remember exactly how Gandalf got one of the rings of power. In any case, I decided to take another look at The Silmarillion as a refresher.

I first read The Silmarillion a very long time ago, and probably only once. While I recalled key nuggets from it about the Maia and the Valar, I also recalled that the interesting bits were few and far between, hidden among long dry passages with constantly changing names. Quite a lot of that is true, but overall, the book proved lighter and more readable than I recalled.

The Silmarillion and many of J. R. R. Tolkien's posthumously published works were collected and edited by his son Christopher, who admits up front that he's done the best he can to piece together disparate fragments into one relatively fluid whole. So, there are inconsistencies and gaps built in. The book is really a collection of several different stories, dealing with the creation of the world, the role of the god's servants (angel equivalents), the development of the Firstborn (elves), of the Followers (men), and of the rings of power (that tie in to Lord of the Rings). It's expansive, to say the least, with a larger scope even than a James Michener book. If ever an author was thorough in his worldbuilding, it was Tolkien. If you ever wanted to know more about Middle Earth, this is the place to start.

The Silmarillion has two major flaws. It's written in very dry, distant, academic language. Perhaps unsurprising in a creation myth by a Christian author, it has a biblical feel, full of ‘begats'. It's hard to feel very close to any of the subjects (they don't really qualify as characters), and they don't generate much sympathy. It's a very different tone from that of The Hobbit, Smitth of Wootton Major, or Tolkien's more public-oriented works. The second problem is that, perhaps in a nod to verisimilitude in a book covering millenia, everyone and everything has multiple names - not just across languages, but among them. The book is full of phrases like “X, once called Y, and later called Z”. The important land of Numenor is also called Westernesse, Westland, Anadune, Andor, Elenna, the Land of the Fallen Star, Akallabeth, Atalante, and Mar-Nu-Falmar. Ten different names may not be a lot for a long-enduring kingdom in real life, but it's quite a lot in a 300 page book. One at a time, the names are interesting and well considered, but overall, the effect is mind-numbing and confusing. Christopher Tolkien has done his best to provide a thorough index, and you'll likely need it to keep track of everything. Sadly, the two maps (in my old version) cover only a portion of the world (flooded before Lord of the Rings).

If you can get past the tone and the sheer flood of information, the story is fascinating. While the creation story has very decided parallels in Christian mythology, it soon wanders a little farther afield. It does answer some key questions from Lord of the Rings (who was Gandalf?), and if it doesn't answer them all, it's because that wasn't Tolkien's intent. He was creating a world, and Lord of the Rings is a very, very small part of it. The Silmarillion offers scope for dozens of stories just as interesting, or more so.

When I read this as a child, I found the book a slow, dry slog. As an adult, I found it much easier to get into - and much shorter than I remembered. The dry tone is certainly not a positive, but if you're interested in Middle Earth, there's a lot here to like. If you're interested in Tolkien's world, or in his famously thorough worldbuilding, set by a little patience, and give this a try.

Christopher Tolkien published over a dozen other (sometimes contradictory) fragments of his father's work on Middle Earth. Most will be satisfied with The Silmarillion, but for those that want more, there's plenty out there.

Il m'a fallu plusieurs tentatives à plusieurs années d'intervalle pour enfin lire en entier ce monument de la littérature dite de “fantasy”, sorte de préquelle du célèbre “Seigneur des Anneaux”. Je suis heureux d'avoir enfin trouvé le courage de le lire du début à la fin car c'est véritablement passionnant, avec un souffle épique d'un niveau rarement atteint par ailleurs.

Not really a novel, may be ok for hardcore fans. This is Tolkien's huge Elvish name dictionary, strung together with other words in between.

I really wanted to like this, and it's very pleasant to hear the almost of a story of the inception of the world of LotR. Every region, mountain, river, forest and every single being that ever existed is named in this book.

Frankly this is not a book. Its more like an encyclopedia on everything Tolkien has written. And its primarily meant for the people who live the Tolkienverse. So if you are one of those you have probably read and disagree with my rating. If you are not then do avoid!

(26/08/22) On a whim, I decided to do a re-read before I see Rings of Power on Wednesday. A prologue of sorts!

One aspect that has stood out to me more and more over the last few years is how words have an inherent power in Tolkien's legendarium. The entire world is sang into existence, lasting echoes of which can be heard in the waters of the world and guides the elves home westward. An oath undertaken in fury by Fëanor and his seven sons shapes the First Age and the fate of the elves. Thousands of years later, a certain timid but resolute halfling raises his “small voice” and speaks before the greatest powers of the Third Age: “I will take the ring [to Mordor], though I do not know the way.” Curses, spells and oaths are very real, the most ancient of magic, and the most powerful.

The Silmarillion is split into multiple parts. There is the Ainulindalë, detailing the creation of the world through music. The Valaquenta explores the roles and relationships of the Valar, the (small g) gods of this land when it was so young the sun and the moon did not yet exist. Akallabêth takes readers to the tumultuous Second Age and reveals the growing shadow of Sauron and the rise and fall of the island nation of Númenor, the greatest kingdom of men the world has ever seen (and will be part of the upcoming Rings of Power TV series). The final section titled Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age covers, as you might expect, those infamous three rings for elves, nine for mortal men, seven for dwarves and the One to rule them all, and the downfall of The Lord of the Rings.

The main chunk, and for many the main draw, is dedicated to the Quenta Silmarillion proper, the story of the struggle of the firstborn Elves and men against the first Dark Lord, Morgoth. It sits between the Valaquenta and Akallabêth, and tells of the awakening of the elves under the stars, their journey west to Valinor, and the crafting of the Silmarils, three beautiful jewels that have captured inside them the most radiant source of light within the world. When the Silmarils are stolen by the Morgoth, Fëanor, the jewels' creator, and his sons swear a terrible oath to pursue and take them back at any lengths.

Exiled by the Valar, Tolkien relays an account of the terrible consequences of that oath, from the initial rebellion against the gods and the first acts of bloodshed between elves, to the downfall of Morgoth, the doom of the House of Fëanor and the blood soaked end to the First Age. It features the tales of Lúthien, the elf maiden who fell in love with a mortal man and had a voice so beautiful she moved the Lord of the Dead to pity, and the tragic tale of Túrin Turambar, the child of Húrin who is unable to escape the curse spoken upon his family by Morgoth. All the while, the war for the Silmarils rages on. We know from the start how it will end. Fëanor and his children can never undo the oath they swore, nor undo the damage they wreak in fulfilling it.

“Tears unnumbered ye shall shed; and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains. On the House of Fëanor the wrath of the Valar lieth from the West unto the uttermost East, and upon all that will follow them it shall be laid also. Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass. [...] The Valar have spoken.”

Yes, this novel is extremely dense. It is, however, nowhere near as difficult as people have likely led you to believe. It is also incredibly beautiful. Tolkien spent his entire life working on it (first drafts written in the First World War) and never finished it in a way that satisfied him before he died. This edition was put together by his son Christopher, though other drafts and versions can be found in the 12 volume History of Middle-earth series, as well as each of the ‘Great Tales' getting their own book: The Children of Húrin (2007), Beren and Lúthien (2017) and The Fall of Gondolin (2018), also all edited by Christopher.

The Silmarillion is the only place the narrative of the First Age can be read in the format of a full novel. And despite the fact it is technically unfinished, it is truly Tolkien's magnum opus. A dazzling work of imagination, a tragedy, an adventure story and a world mythology all rolled into one. It is a book that leaves me in awe.

I was torn while reading this. On one hand, it's a fascinating accomplishment, telling the story of the history of Middle-Earth and filling out a lot of the backstory for Tolkien's other works. It's also fascinating from a stylistic perspective - Tolkien wanted to really stress the concept of the Silmarillion as myth, so he presented it in a style similar to the King James bible, which is a subtle yet masterful way of giving the tale the presentation it deserves.

The unfortunate part of it is that Tolkien died before the book could be finished, and it shows in some points - it takes the Silmarillion around 100 pages to really find its gear, and the other stories in the book (the Ainulindale, the Valaquenta, and Akallabeth) are all much stronger stories than the main one. It's a shame that they get a bit of a short shrift in terms of the narrative of the book.

it would be a magnificent one save that the death of the author then gave way to some of its incoherent nature, hence more like a book of several stories that do not have a single frame; on second thought, it is. yet the incompleteness is also a part that enrich The Silmarillion.

aside from that, The Silmarillion provides an introduction for those who are not content with the appendix in the back of LotR: RotK and describe more of what's happening before the Third Age of Middle-Earth, all i can say is all the waiting i had for the book was worthwhile.

For casual fantasy readers, it's 1 star. For Tolkien fans, they can add about 1 to 3 stars, depending on the level of enthusiasm I guess. Non-fantasy readers should not read this at all. I doubt J. R. R. Tolkien would have endorsed this publication. Sure, the notes were all his, but the way Christopher Tolkien presented them were poorly done. Most of the book were disjointed, especially the early parts, making for a very confusing and boring read. It reads like a history - actually, it IS a history book. For fans who want to know the details of the early days of Middle Earth, this book would contain a wealth of information. But the way it was strung together made for a bad read.