Reviews for The Silmarillion

The average rating for The Silmarillion based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-03-28 00:00:00 Fred Hernandez I had tried to read J.R.R. Tolkien' The Silamarillion multiple times in the past (and always unsuccessfully) and had basically given up, but I finally did manage to realise that I was attempting to read it the wrong way; I was trying to read The Silmarillion like I have read and with pleasure reread LOTR, as a story, an epic story, of course, but still first and foremost as a story. Now while The Silmarillion is of course also partially a story, it is (at least for me) first and foremost a religious type document, a biblical, mythological account of the Elder Days of Middle Earth. So this time, I read The Silmarillion the way I used to read my Bible and how I have also approached Hesiod's Theogony and other tomes on Greek, Roman and Norse mythology (perusing small bits and pieces as needed and desired and following along via audiobook at the same time if possible). And I do know this might indeed and in fact sound a bit strange, I actually tried singing some of the parts to myself. And yes, I will likely have to reread The Simarillion sometime soon, because there is just no way I am going to be able to keep all of the different names etc. clear in my head (and I kind of also wish I had taken notes). But for a first full and complete read, I can only say, wow. As good as LOTR, but also very very different, and I honestly and strongly do believe that in order to truly appreciate, savour and enjoy what J.R.R. Tolkien has created with and in The Silmarillion a totally different and novel approach and method of reading are necessary and required (for The Silmarillion just does not work as a typical novel, since it is not in any manner a typical novel, and heck, it is not even a typical epic for that matter either).

Review # 2 was written on 2018-03-03 00:00:00 Rick Gyori That´s how worldbuilding has to be done the ultimate overachiever way. The only true one, the writing a life long on it mode, the one narrative style to rule them all. Don´t expect anything similar to Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, this is Tolkiens´s self made manual, the extreme, pedantic, perfected expansion of the wonderful addendums that make general high fantasy with all its maps and sci-fi timelines and tech trees with astronomical maps so amazing. But, as said, be aware, these stories are disguised nerdgasms so full of the language Tolkien adapted from originals and invented himself, such a celebrating of OCD perfectionism, a planning close to no modern nowadays author would invest in her/ his work, the work of a lifetime, that it´s truly no easy read. But some of the best and most successful fantasy and sci-fi writers do it in a similar way, invent extremely detailed universes with cultures, fractions, detailed geography, etc. often inspired by the behemoths that came before them or mythology. It seems to be the necessary and intelligent effort to be able to live in these worlds and thereby describe them in a way impossible for the ones who just write without true passion and obsession. It must be a kind of wonderful fusion of learning the self made theory, internalizing the world, fusing protagonists, worldbuilding, and plot, and in this way intensifying the flow and pleasure of creation. Just as I do it with my deeply disturbing cosmic body horror extreme terror sci fi nightmare fuel visions, sigh. Speech is a mighty tool and how Tolkien used his expertise and knowledge to pimp the old originals, that inspired his work, and created new combinations and own languages, is how it has to be done. Whoever is into linguistics and language in general, or simply wants to know what the deeper meanings and ideological and magical backgrounds of LotR are, can dive deep into the immense detail of this aspect. Tolkienoholics, people with no real life or no interest in one like me, aspiring dark overlords and writers, etc. should watch this in awe and especially remember and appreciate that he used his academic knowledge; not to bore the heck out of poor students in the all perpetrating combination of anachronistic teaching methods still used nowadays everywhere in soft humanities; to create something worthy of being called magic, maybe even holy, because of its positive influence on the world by founding the genre of high fantasy. So one should do research, know the originals, and study the tropes and how they evolve. It´s all about these tropes, humans themselves are a combination of epigenetic memes gone bonkers in their parents, just created like new subgenres out of the old ones. Back to the show: If one is into playing with language, cool names, loads of mythology, and of course LotR backstory, this is the perfect, fine brew to consume in small doses and, for best results, contrast and compare with the original in addition. Might also be a good idea to combine it with a real rereading or first time reading (shame on you) LotR, because it gives the extra info to better fully dive into the world. I will probably do it that way, just as I like to read my sci-fi and fantasy extra, outsourced exposition explanations about characters, chronological timelines, maps, fandom, etc., to get the flow better started. Don´t expect an average short story collection, this is far beyond what one is used to see as a prequel, sequel, extra short story collections, or whatever else is nowaday instrumentalized in the mainstream fantasy sci-fi industrial complex to boost the sales. Might also be handy if one is into LARPG and wants to impress the hot elves with nerdiness so concentrated that it takes control over the brain applying it, whispering to the mind about seductive levels of fandom indistinguishable from complete loss of perception of reality. Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique: