From the Bookshelf of J.R.R. Tolkien…

The Silmarillion

J.R.R. Tolkien,

Christopher Tolkien (Editor)

Start date: January 1, 2015

Finish date: March 31, 2015

Discussion: Group Reads

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Group Reads

* Group Read September 2021-January 2022 (No Spoilers)
By Michael · 21 posts · 118 views

last updated Jan 31, 2022 11:38AM

Group Read January-March 2015: The Silmarillion
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last updated Apr 18, 2023 01:00PM

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What Members Thought

Feb 16, 2019 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What Tolkien accomplishes here is mind-boggling. In terms of reading enjoyment I would perhaps rate this lower, as it sometimes reads as a history book, but this gives you so much more context for LOTR and even The Hobbit.

The Silmarillion spans from the moment of creation to just after the end of LOTR. The attention to detail is amazing. It was great to see (well-)known characters, such as Beren and Lúthien, Húrin and Túrin, Gandalf and Aragorn. I especially loved the little bits about Galadrie ...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Joshua rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, world-building, mythology, invented-language, j-r-r-tolkien-2012-reading-challen

This book is probably best read by someone who is really interested in the world of Middle Earth or finds sparsely written mythologies entertaining. It is epic in scope, covering thousands of years from the creation of the Universe to the events in Lord of The Rings. It's written in an old fashioned style, like a prose translation of an Old English manuscript found in a deranged professor’s library. The invented languages sound evocative. There's a glossary at the back which gives the meaning of ...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Therese Deppe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

An amazing creation story of Middle Earth steeped in all the juicy details you wondered about when reading LOTR and The Hobbit. I have yet to finish Unfinished Tales 1 and 2 and I have also not read Children of Hurin but I will shortly after I catch up a bit, but this book I highly recommend as "extra" reading for the Middle Earth Scholar. It reads like an ancient history novel, as well as some classical mythologies so it's not what I would call a typical narrative. ...more

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