J.R.R. Tolkien's Epic Fantasy Adventure, "The Silmarillion"

Amazon Customer: An excellent edition to my tolkien collection, a tougher read than some of his other work but non the less very enjoyable. A must have for fans of the Lord of the rings as it opens up the lore and stories of middle earth

United Kingdom on Nov 22, 2023

MilkTeaMilkTea: Lord of The Ring, Hobbitを持っているので、揃えなくてはという重いで購入いたしました。
はっきりと断言させて貰うと、どれもまだ読んではおりません。

Japan on Nov 12, 2023

KrisKris: I want to preface this review by saying this is a really beautiful book and has all sorts of neat stuff included with it. I love the aesthetics and it feels really nice. The outside of the book (the black part) is covered with a soft fabric and the silver accents on the outside of the pages is absolutely freaking gorgeous and the book itself is hopefully something I will have for a long time and maybe even pass down to my kids.

Now for a few criticisms…

- The size. It is not 11 inches. It’s just about 9 as shown in my photos. It’s not even 11 with the outside cover on. From edge to edge diagonally it’s 11 inches, but not straight up and down. That kind of threw me off since the book is a bit smaller than I expected and hoped. I have large hands and like large hardback books to go with them and the edge to edge measurement for length seems pretty disingenuous. I wish it was the same size as my “The Hobbit” special edition which IS 11 inches straight down so it would match in my book case when put away.
- The accents. The silver accents on the pages, while beautiful, act very similar to glitter. They rub off and stick to your fingers which in turn gets...

United States on Oct 21, 2023

Dáithí Farrell: J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" is a timeless and majestic epic that stands as a cornerstone of high fantasy literature. Here's why it deserves a five-star rating:

Mythical World-Building: Tolkien's unparalleled ability to craft a mythical world with intricate histories, languages, and cultures is on full display. The creation of Arda and its inhabitants is awe-inspiring.

Epic Lore: The stories within "The Silmarillion" are grand in scale, from the creation of the world by Eru Ilúvatar to the struggles of the Elves, Men, Dwarves, and the dark powers of Morgoth.

Beautiful Prose: Tolkien's writing is a work of art in itself, with rich and poetic prose that adds to the overall enchantment of the narrative.

Moral Complexity: The moral and philosophical themes explored within the tales provide ample food for thought and discussion, making it a compelling read for those who appreciate depth in storytelling.

Legacy: The influence of "The Silmarillion" on the fantasy genre cannot be overstated. It laid the foundation for countless other fantasy works and remains a touchstone for aspiring authors.

In summary, "The Silmarillion" is a masterwork...

United Kingdom on Oct 16, 2023

BLBL: This is a review of the editions, with an image, not the text itself. If I'm wrong about anything let me know and I'll correct it.

1998 edition:
Cover: “Maglor casts a Silmaril …” (male throwing white gem against red background)
18 illustrations by Ted Nasmith
Readable, nice, can be found around $20-$30 used. Crazy that this edition is almost 35 years old.
Art:
1. The Sea
2. The Lamp of the Valar
3. At Lake Cuiviénen
4. The Light of Valinor on the Western Sea
5. Fingolfin Leads the Host across the Helcaraxe
6. The First Dawn of the Sun
7. Maedhros's Rescue from Thangorodrim
8. Eöl Welcomes Aredhel
9. Felagund among Beor's Men
10. By Moonlight in Neldoreth Forest
11. Lúthien Escapes upon Huan
12. Morgoth Punishes Húrin
13. Túrin and his Band are Led to Amon Radh
14. Finduilas is Led past Túrin at the Sack of Nargothrond
15. Ulmo Appears before Tor
16. Eärendil the Mariner
17. The Eagles of Manwe
18. The Ships of the Faithful
Front over: Maglor Casts a Silmaril into the Sea
Back cover: Beren and Luthien are carried to Safety

2004 edition:
Cover: “White Ships of Valinor” (white...

United States on Dec 23, 2022

S. Lornie: The Silmarillion is a book I have had in my collection for a while. I adore Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. I would go as far as to say they're possibly my favourite books. I've read them all back to back and do so more than the average person. But The Silmarillion is one I've been on the fence about. I've heard for a long time that this book is a tough read. That it is very dry, full of hard to pronounce Elven words and is a huge hit or miss on anyone who picks the thing up. Because of this, I've felt a bit hesitant to try it. With the constant advertising of the awful looking Rings of Power show, I thought it was finally time to give it a whirl. I may or may not like it, but I'll give it a go anyway. That is exactly what I did and to my surprise, I found this book was not only a fantastic read but a lot easier than the people I know have stated.

For those who are not familiar with the book, The Silmarillion is a post humous release by Christopher Tolkien. He had the help of fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay and their goal was to put together J.R.R. Tolkien's history of Middle Earth and all things surrounding it into a coherent and readable book. This book mainly features a...

United Kingdom on May 23, 2022

Mr. R. A. Habib: Book Review: The Silmarillion

This will constitute two sections. The first being The Prologue to me reading this book in order to provide context, and the second being The Review itself. You can skip the first part if you want; it's not part of the review, but simply showing my build-up to reading this book and my reading "background" (if you like).

My Prologue
Before I get to my review of the book itself, I would like to provide some context to my reading of this book. Personally I am not anything even remotely close to being what’s known as a “bookworm”; the only book I had read since my days in school was George Orwell’s 1984 which was recommended to me (and which I quite enjoyed).

Many years later, I guess by destiny, I ended up watching Peter Jackson’s rendition of The Lord of the Rings. At this time I had not even heard of The Lord of the Rings, much less knew who J.R.R. Tolkien was. Eventually I ended up watching all three parts in the cinema. I became quite the fan and to date have marathoned the extended cuts about a dozen times! I became the guy who would make random references to the trilogy and quote something perhaps slightly related...

United Kingdom on Mar 11, 2017