The Silmarillion

ByJ. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien

Release Date: 2012-02-15
Genre: Fiction & Literature

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 329 Ratings

Description

The #1 New York Times Bestseller

The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before The Hobbit. This mythopoetic masterpiece is a must-read before you watch The Lord of the Rings on Amazon.

“Majestic! ... Readers of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings will find in The Silmarillion a cosmology to call their own, medieval romances, fierce fairy tales, and fiercer wars that ring with heraldic fury... It overwhelms the reader.”—Time

The story of the creation of the world and of the First Age of Middle-earth, this foundational epic fantasy is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Fëanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor lived on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown, which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth.

The Silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of Fëanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy. As a cornerstone of the fantasy genre, this work is the bedrock of Tolkien’s entire legendarium.

“A creation of singular beauty ... magnificent in its best moments.”—The Washington Post

“Heart-lifting ... a work of power, eloquence and noble vision... Superb!”—The Wall Street Journal

Reviews

Take your time…
5
By Ian Minton
Take your time and allow JRRT to unravel his magic with this history of middle earth and the universe he created.

These stories are a gift the world needs.
Hard Read
1
By Whitecrow911
Hard to read and just basically put me to sleep. I read it through because I love the entire series, a bit long winded at times though it was. But this one…? Daaaang! Took some doing. Would recommend the cliff notes.
Fantastic read for tolkien fans
5
By Shrek from the swamp
Had to give it 5 stars after that one “racist” review. Great book!
Amazing story!
5
By tbomb+++
Decided to buy the book after reading the review accusing Tolkien of being a racist. Thanks for the motivation!
Nice story
4
By archilny
Great if you are a Tolkien fan and this book will help you understand the context of what is happening in later books.
With that being said, the writing style is tedious and too many characters appear- this is part of creating a whole mythology
I’m buying this
5
By Geduld148
Buying this to read along with the audio book
صلاح
5
By Eefe6phohgh
كتاب رائع
Uncomfortably racist
1
By nicknam00000000
Mentions of a superior race of elves. Then uncomfortably mentions that they’re fair skinned, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Two thumbs down. Do not buy!!!!
Bhakti
5
By JP Lans
Bbjnb

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