Search - The Silmarillion

Rather dry reading. Interesting material, but definitely more encyclopedic than narrative. Devotees of Tolkein's world will enjoy this book.

I suggest approaching this book as if you were tackling a research project and not a novel.

Challenging but rewarding if you persevere.

I call this book The Bible of the Middle Earth, and rightfully so. It provides a lot information and background prior to the events of The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Of how things were created, of the coming of the Elves, of the wars, Sauron's beginning, etc. it just fills up the things that were not explained before and the things that left you wondering or wanting to know more about. You definetly need to read this book if you're a Tolkien fan.

One of the most wonderful backdrops to any story. On earth. Beautifully written and orgamized... gripping tale of the beginnings of a whole world.

This is a good book for a die-hard fan of Tolkien. If you're not a big fan of Middle-Earth, I would skip this book. I am a big fan of Tolkien and for years I was an administrator of one of the most popular LOTR sites online. Now that I've laid out my geeky credentials, I have to say it took me several tries to get through the Sil. I almost considered getting index cards so that I could keep track of all the characters whose names start with "F" for there are so many! However, if you stick with the book, you'll learn the origin of the gods of Middle Earth as well as the creation of the Elves. The Silmarillion is a fascinating story, but it is dry and it's not as charming as The Hobbit. The Sil is not as cohesive as the LOTR or Hobbit. There aren't any hobbits in the Sil. Men appear, but not until much later in the story. You need to have a deep love of myth, ancient languages, and Elves if you're going to make it through the entire Silmarillion.

I got through the first four chapters, but it was so painful I decided to not even try to read any more. I was disappointed to say the least.