A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, 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. Tolkien considered THE SILMARILLION his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all … all his other writing. The story of the creation of the world and of the the First Age, this 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 Feanor, 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 Feanor 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. This second edition features a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien describing his intentions for the book, which serves as a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages of Middle-earth.
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Lots of backstory and information for LOTR
Great background for Tolkien’s world.
Difficult read but If you are a Lord of the Rings fan, this book gives you the history of Tolkien’s world.
One of the best fantasy books ever written by the master of fantasy. An original story line and amazing characters. The example by which other books are judged
One of my favorite books
A must read for any fan of Middle Earth, but not an easy read.
As an example of world-building, creating an intricate, consistent world history and mythology, this is an amazing book. However, to sit down and read as a novel, it’s dry at parts. It’s a bit like reading the Old Testament — there’s great stuff in there, but there are also huge …
One of the best fantasy books
This book gives the background for most of Tolkien’s well known characters
Ths is the bible for Tolkien’s world. This is the history of the world before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In this book is the origin and creation of Arda wherein Middle Earth exists. The origin of the Elves, the oldest of the Earth’s children. The origin of the Dwarves, the adopted children. The origin of the Humans, the youngest …
This is a must read for any fans of the LoTR genre.
All those questions about what happened before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings get some answers!
Complex stories but rich in mythology and symbolism. Not for novice readers.
It is written by J R R Tolkien. Need I say more. It adds to the beginning to Middle Earth by giving it not only a history but a lineage to the characters.
I could not get into it So I put it aside -for years, lots of years. But I’ve been in a car wreck and I’ll be 82 this summer, so I don’t think I’ll get a new copy.
if you have to know more about middle earth ,here it is.
I first read The Silmarillion years ago and keep coming back to it, reading and re-reading the various stories within it. Tolkien is an excellent storyteller, and even though there is nothing allegorical or moralizing about the book, it is full of life lessons because it depicts true-to-life characters in real-life situations – even if that …
Good stories and provides a background for lotr. More a fictional history than a story narrative. Entertaining if read with that understanding. Frustrating if you look for a story with a consistent group of characters.
My favorite of all of his works.
Took a while to understand the language and the abundance of characters. Tolkien was definitely “ahead of his time”!
The best fantasy book ever written.