The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien

Advantages: Very detailed; fills in many gaps.
Disadvantages: Hard to read

The power and beauty of the recent Peter Jackson adaptation of the classic J R R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the ring has bought a renewed interest in Tolkien’s work. Not only is the interest focusing on the classic ‘Trilogy’ but also there is a certain amount of interest in ‘The Silmarillion’. The importance of this book isn’t really evident unless you take a deep look at both books together. ...
...of the Rings (LOTR), and the story telling that accounts for all that happened earlier in this imaginary land of dwarves, elves, orcs and men serve to propel LOTR into a different level, making it become even more important and complete. The Silmarillion was edited by Tolkien’s son Christopher . Piecing together over sixty years of work, Christopher has tried to meld together a tapestry that often does not fit. Many parts of the original stories ... Read review

Advantages: Breathtaking work of imagination
Disadvantages: Rather hard to get into

'The Silmarillion' is the black sheep of the Middle Earth family. Millions have read Tolkien's stories 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings', but the Silmarillion is overlooked, ignored or despised even by some Tolkien fans. In March, when I said I planned to read it, responses included 'Good luck' and 'Why?', from people who had either tried to read it (and failed) or people who thought it was the dullest thing imaginable. And yet, I found it ...
...an imaginary world created by the academic J.R.R. Tolkien, developed in part through his fascination with linguistics, and in part from his desire to create an English mythology to rival that of other cultures. 'The Hobbit' is a children's tale set in this world, featuring a halfling and his adventures with dwarves, goblins, eagles, wolves, spiders, elves, a wizard and sundry other beings. 'The Lord of the Rings' expands on one element of 'The Hobbit' ... Read review

Advantages: Fast paced | Fills In Details Missing In Other Books |
Disadvantages: Some Readers May Find The Language Difficult | Style Is A Bit Of An Acquired Taste

I read The Hobbit as a child, and then quickly moved onto The Lord Of The Rings (LOTR), both of which I enjoyed, but for some reason I never actually explored any of Tolkien's other works that are based on the fantasy world that is Middle Earth. To be honest, I probably didn't realise there were any other books, after all although it was an epic, LOTR did have a form of natural closure. It's only been recently that I've found myself inclined to discover ...
...lands that feature in both The Hobbit and LOTR, and so I was advised to read The Silmarillion. ---A Short History Lesson--- Although The Silmarillion was published after The Hobbit and LOTR in 1977, the mythology that it contains dates from much earlier than either book. In fact the writings on which this book was based began in 1917, while The Hobbit was not published until 1937, while LOTR did not appear until 1954-55. Unfortunately J.R.R.Tolkien ... Read review

Advantages: Detailed mythology, fast-moving
Disadvantages: Too many characters for any to be truly memorable, a bit on the heavy side for many

The Story The Silmarillion deals with the first 2 ages of Middle Earth (that is, the time before the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings LOTR). It goes right back to the beginning, dealing with the Middle Earth myth of creation, to the emergence of evil, the retaliation of good, the birth of the various races, and the legendary characters that you might remember in passing being mentioned in LOTR. In the beginning Eru, the Supreme One, created ...
...song, which formed into reality. The Valar sang in harmony with him, and all was good. But Melkor (also sometimes called "Morgoth") began to sing his own song out of harmony with Eru's. Eru sang more powerfully, drowning our Melkor's song. But a rift was formed in Middle Earth. Eru sent The Valar (including Melkor) to live on Middle Earth so see how the song worked itself out. Melkor was tolerated for a time, sometimes apparently reformed, and other ... Read review

Advantages: Supplements beautifully Tolkien's other works
Disadvantages: Very difficult to get into. Lengthy and complex use of description

The majesty of Tolkien's writing is really brought forth in the Silmarillion. It is a story of the creation of Tolkien's magical land. The book is not so much of a story as with the more famous "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" It is a history of Middle Earth and a narration of the legends which inspired many aspects of later books. The book starts with a story of creation. About how the world started with a song, which became real because of ...
...coming to the Earth (Ea) of Elves, Dwarves and eventually mortal Men It tells of the battles, troubles and exoduses of the native people and the forming of the early kingdoms and the pervasion of evil through the world in the form of Morgoth. In a way this book is like a Bible for Tolkien's Middle Earth. Many of the stories told by characters in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit are drawn from the more elaborated stories found here. I enjoyed this ... Read review