Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1979 in Books
• Published on: 1992-01-09
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
JRR Tolkien is best known for The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings but those who thought these two wonderful adventures marked the height of his imagination have many more delights to come. The Silmarillion represents the source of Tolkien's later work and follows the events of the First Age of Middle Earth. For information, The Lord Of The Rings concerns the end of the Third Age.

The Silmarillion is a gloriously realised story of rebellion, exile, war and the heroism of elves and men. But to gain an insight into the staggering complexity of Tolkien's world, however, the shorter works also included are must-reads. Dealing with the myth of creation, the nature of the Gods, the fall of Númenor and the Rings of Power, they paint a vivid picture not only of Middle Earth but also of the author's soaring imagination.

Tolkien was born of English parents in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 and died in England in 1973. He worked on The Silmarillion from as early as 1917 but the work was not published until after his death. This edition, richly illustrated by Ted Nasmith, is both collector's item and source of reference and fascination for every follower of Tolkien. --James Barclay

Synopsis
The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion fills in the background which lies behind the more popular work, and gives the earlier history of Middle-earth, introducing some of the key characters. The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien's World. It 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 tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor.

Customer Reviews

A Very Unique and Memorable Experience
I would not consider myself a Tolkien fan- I put Lord of the Rings down half-way through The Two Towers. To be even more frank, I felt apprehensive about reading this book. It has the aura of being the nerdiest book ever written; even thinking about reading it threatened my self-image. Fortunately, my curiosity overpowered my insecurities, and I picked up the book.

The first thing potential readers should be aware of is this is not a novel. I think the book puzzled the big wig critics because they expected a novel. The closest thing to The Silmarillion that I've encountered is the Bible. The Silmarillion is an anthology of various works about Middle-Earth. It contains a creation story, a sort of theogony, and a collection of stories that give the history of Middle-Earth. Tolkien fans may be quick to praise the book for the depth it gives to Tolkien's world. I think the fans are right, but to stop at such a vague description would be to overlook the genius of the book.

In the Silmarillion, Tolkien constructs an entirely new worldview that we, as his readers, can experience. We do not simply read stories but we gain a new metaphors through which to see the world from his pantheon of god-like beings and his history. But the book is not heresy; it is purely imaginative fun.

I enjoyed Tolkien's Silmarillion because of how it immersed me in what I experienced as a new and unique worldview. Perhaps medievalists or mythologists will find it familiar, but to the layman, this book offered an entirely unique experience. It allows readers to see through the eyes of an inhabitant of Middle-Earth. The experience will stay with me for a long time. So, I recommend this book to the open and adventurous. Don't expect a novel; expect to immersed in a new world. For this reason, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

The Ainulindale
Much has been said about the Silmarillion, most of it true.
I'll add my own 5 pence here: in my opinion, the Ainulindale is the truest and most accurate account of the Creation Story form any quarter. It beautifully merges the truths of the big-bang theme and the evolutionary theme, and shows them to flow from one single Intelligent Source- this is the truth, sans religion.
Furthermore, it is clear to me that Tolkien was gifted with the Sight, and did not invent these worlds; rather, he was 'allowed' to 'see' into happenings in other realms, and to record them as his earthly brain could so transcribe. These happenings being spoken of are largely the events in the World of the Elementals and the worlds beyond; the Elves are a representation of beigns that exist, and the Wars are a depiction of the universal struggle of good against evil.
I'll leave it there; ponder on this a minute.

Possibly the best Tolkien book out there...
Now, contrary to my title, I consider it the best book of all that I've read by any author. However, opinions are greatly divergent. "The Silmarillion" was the first Tolkien book I've read, before "The Hobbit" and "LotR". It consists of several parts:

Ainulindale, or "The Music of the Ainur", which depicts the making of the Universe by the One God, Eru Iluvatar, and His servants the Ainur, and is, in my opinion, the most glorious and most fascinating of all Tolkien writings.

Valaquenta, a short essay describing the nature of the Valar, the guarding Ainur that descended into Arda, the World.

Quenta Silmarillion, making the bulk of the book, it contains the enthralling legends of the Elder Days, ending some 6,500 years before the action of "LotR", and containing the stories that Tolkien mostly treasured of his whole work.

Akallabeth, describing the Second Age of the Sun in Arda, and concentrating on the history of the island of Numenor and its ruin by Sauron, a history closely reminding of the mysterious Atlantida.

The Rings of Power and the Third Age, briefly describing the events that culminated with the War of the Ring and the overthrow of Sauron.

This book is magnificent in every aspect, and is filled with heroic stories of ages long past. Although the style is a bit more difficult than that of "LotR", it's nevertheless a masterpiece in its own right.

A truly dedicated reader should know, however, that "The Silmarillion" is an editorial attempt of Tolkien's son, Christopher, and if one should want to see how intricate the story really was, one should move to "The History of Middle-earth", a profound study depicting the intricate evolution of the Silmarillion stories along the decades (volumes 1-5, 9-12).

Buy "The Silmarillion" and enjoy Tolkien at his greatest!