The Silmarillion
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4.2 • 275 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
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. This mythopoetic masterpiece is a must-read before you watch The Lord of the Rings on Amazon.
“Majestic! ... Readers of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings will find in The Silmarillion a cosmology to call their own, medieval romances, fierce fairy tales, and fiercer wars that ring with heraldic fury... It overwhelms the reader.”—Time
The story of the creation of the world and of 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 Fëanor, 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 Fëanor 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.
“A creation of singular beauty ... magnificent in its best moments.”—The Washington Post
“Heart-lifting ... a work of power, eloquence and noble vision... Superb!”—The Wall Street Journal
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, 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, read The Silmarillion.
Customer Reviews
Nice story
Great if you are a Tolkien fan and this book will help you understand the context of what is happening in later books.
With that being said, the writing style is tedious and too many characters appear- this is part of creating a whole mythology
Take your time…
Take your time and allow JRRT to unravel his magic with this history of middle earth and the universe he created.
These stories are a gift the world needs.
Hard Read
Hard to read and just basically put me to sleep. I read it through because I love the entire series, a bit long winded at times though it was. But this one…? Daaaang! Took some doing. Would recommend the cliff notes.