The Silmarillion

· HarperCollins UK
4.5
1.03K reviews
eBook
480
Pages
Eligible
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About this eBook

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 Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world. It 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 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.

Ratings and reviews

4.5
1.03K reviews
Rishabh Maheshwari
28 March 2013
This novel is a grand story from Tolkien about the heroic first age in Middle Earth. The stories are beautiful and dark. If you were captivated by Middle Earth then this is the book is a must read after LOTR and the Hobbit to read as it tells a lot tales about elements of Middle Earth of which there were only fleeting bits in the other two well known novels like Tale of Beren and Luthien, city of Gondolin, Children of Hurin and lot more. I have read it twice and never got bored of reading it . Its is just amazing to know a single person thought of all this stuff
14 people found this review helpful
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Brandon Botha
9 April 2017
I have read this book twice. I loved the book even more the second time. I guess you appreciate the richness of Tolkien's Middle Earth and the grand tapestry of story-telling that Tolkien weaves for the reader. The first time I read this was around 1992-93, in my late teens, before the films came out, shortly after I had read LOTR for the first time (read it again 6 years later). AT the time I had to muscle through The Silmarillion, I found it kind of difficult to read due to the expanded timeframe, it isn't a linear read like LOTR, but a fascinating insight into the history and workings of the saga behind The Ring, so I duly muscled through it. This time though I really enjoyed the book start to finish, read it within a couple weeks which is really quick for me. I am now looking forward to reading The Lost Tales and Book of Unfinished Tales AGAIN. Eagerly anticipating Luthien & Beren too in June. I guess you could say I have become a bit like Bilbo and fascinated with the First Age and the heroic tales of The Eldar and their struggles against Melkor, who was later to become 'Morgoth Bauglir' and a story which I am sure would be a fantastic series of films, can you imagine the battle scenes between Morgoth and The Valar? Or the 5 battles culminating in the War of Wrath destroying large chunks of the known world?! WOW - can't wait.
47 people found this review helpful
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A Google user
13 October 2012
If you're already a fan of the Lord of the Rings, and you like the idea of knowing the background and seeing how the whole history of the world of Middle Earth fits together, you'll enjoy this book. Just to warn you though - the start is a little odd. Give it time, or skim read it. And keep using the glossary!
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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 30 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

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