The Silmarillion

J.R.R. Tolkien

Feb 2012 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

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

Ratings and reviews

This is a cashgrab by the Tolkien estate and is in no way a good book. It's essentially a phone book of nonsense names and locations with no character development, nothing to relate to, etc. There are over 200 characters in this book, and none of them are remarkable in any way. It simply cannot be overstated how overhyped this book of utter nonsense is. This should have stayed as Tolkien's personal notes.

As a fan of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, I really enjoyed this book as it helps to complete the enormous and vast nature of Middle-earth. When I first read it as a young teenager, I found it well above my reading level and thus did not enjoy it nearly as much now that I'm in my mid-twenties. I feel like for most people this not a good book for them unless they have read the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit first and have a passion for Tolkien's universe. There is some chronological flow to the book, but many of the stories are loosely connected and barely fit within the context of a single novel. That being said, this is something that Christopher immediately addresses in the foreword (or forewarning for casual readers) as he states the true purpose of the book is expand the history and view of the realm to the fans. This along with other supplementary books such as the unfinished and lost tales are a great way to enjoy the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings more (if they can't be enjoyed in their own right).

I couldn't make it thru the hobbit and I loved the Lotr movies but his writing is really hard to read. I'm not saying he isn't brilliant and creative but for most people it incredibly boring to read, starting with the hobbit and every book thereafter. Thank god the movies were made to turn these works into something actually comprehensable and not really boring.

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 sixty languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.