The Silmarillion
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4.5 • 180 Ratings
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- £16.99
Publisher Description
The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron.
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.
Included in the book are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabeth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings.
Reviews
‘How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?’
The Guardian
‘Demanding to be compared with English mythologies… at times rises to the greatness of true myth’
Financial Times
‘A creation of singular beauty… magnificent in its best moments’
Washington Post
‘A grim, tragic, brooding and beautiful book, shot through with heroism and hope… its power is almost that of mysticism’
Toronto Globe & Mail
About the author
J R R Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 40 languages and have sold many millions of copies world wide.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
If you’ve ever been curious about the lore behind Lord of the Rings, you’re in luck. In this epic tome, J.R.R. Tolkien details the history of Middle Earth and the rest of the universe his fantastical land exists in. In grand, almost Biblical language that Martin Shaw’s stentorian narration captures perfectly, Tolkien tells us the story of the great creator Eru and his angelic beings singing the material world into existence, how they created earthly creatures like Elves and Men, and the ensuing battle between light and darkness that took many forms over thousands of years. There’s even a hugely illuminating index of character names and a detailed pronunciation guide. Though it was published after his death, Tolkien actually wrote this masterpiece of world-building as a sort of personal encyclopedia before he penned his famous epic. If you want to go deeper into his world, listen to The Silmarillion.
Customer Reviews
Not for everyone
If you are deep in to Tolkien, you probably don’t read the review you read the book.
This is for those like me who read other books and came to this one without actually doing homework. In short, it is not for everyone... it is quite “dry” in tone and lays out everything that happened before the Hobbit. Be ready to listen to endless lists of names and their achievements. Only about after a half the stories become more down to earth and easier to follow.
Tip: see critics review in Wiki.
The voice is awesome, the book is amazing to listen to. I had a hard time to rate this book, I can’t put 5 as it is for a specific taste and difficult at times to enjoy. But hey, a lot of bestsellers with 5 star ratings are utter ... so 4 just to get your attention that it might not be something you are looking for.
The best audiobook
This is one of the best audiobooks that I have heard,I would highly recommend every Tolkien fan should listen to this book. It was great to read along with the audiobook.
Fan of the films
I was introduced to this world through the Fellowship in movies, which I loved, it grew slowly into me watching all the extended cuts, I was then hooked and yearned for more, I then came straight into The Silmarillion, it was very tough at first, I rewound a fair bit and I finished it, feeling empty, I re-listened and loved it; I then delved into all other works.