J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic The Silmarillion (published posthumously and edited by his son Christopher) tells not one story but many, and is divided into several sections.

AINULINDALË narrates the creation of the world by Ilúvatar with the assistance of his servants the Valar, using the metaphor of music in much the same manner as Hebrew Scripture employs language. Also picturing the rebellion and fall of the Vala Melkor, this section contains some of the most beautiful and philosophical writing in the whole work.

The VALAQUENTA details the characteristics, powers and dominions of the various Valar; it adds nothing in terms of plot to the volume but enriches one's understanding of these angelic/god-like beings.

QUENTA SILMARILLION is both the longest section and the heart of the book. It focuses on the race of the Elves and the terrible doom laid upon them by the agency of those three powerful jewels, the Silmarils. Most of interest to me were the longer, more focused chapters involving individual characters and their often-tragic fates, e.g. everything involving Fëanor and the forging of the Silmarils, the tale of Beren and Luthién, and of Húrin and his son Túrin Turambar.

With AKALLABÊTH, Tolkien turns his attention from the Elves to Men, specifically the noble Edain or Dúnedain and the destruction of their beloved island, Númenor.

OF THE RINGS OF POWER AND THE THIRD AGE deals mostly with the events surrounding Tolkien’s best-known works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but tells them from a very different perspective than either of the other books.

Though I number Tolkien among my favorite authors, I approached this book with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, not having read any of his work since the release of the Peter Jackson films, and knowing that it had provoked extremely mixed reactions among Rings fans. However, the good reports were so overwhelming in their positivity that they won me over, and my estimation of my own abilities was high enough that I thought myself sufficiently prepared for anything Tolkien could dish out. Well, I finished it, but I can’t say it was easy going, and I can see why it has aroused the disappointment and frustration of so many people over the years.

Is it a stunning achievement? Yes. Is it a work of art? Perhaps. Is it a compelling piece of fiction? Well, it depends on whom you ask. I cannot think of anything like it among modern novels; indeed, the closest parallels that came to mind while reading were Old Testament histories and ancient mythologies. It is simply teeming with long, dogged exposition along the lines of who-bore-who and who-slew-who, and it all gets very old after a while. As I see it, the book has three primary strengths. First, the writing itself is beautiful, which is unsurprising for a linguist deeply concerned with the sound and meaning of words. Even when I was struggling through the lists of names, I found that if I read them aloud they simply tripped off my tongue. Secondly, there are some profound insights to be found within these pages; take almost all of Ainulindalë as an example: the description of Melkor’s cacophony blending with the great melody of Ilúvatar to create a richer if more sorrowful tune makes for one of the best descriptions of the world’s state that I have ever read. Last, and most obviously, there is the awe-inspiring world building. No one has ever—and I mean ever—created a fantasyland as rich and complex as Middle-Earth/Beleriand.

Obviously this book is not for everyone. To whom, then, would I recommend it? In keeping with this review's theme of threes (inspired subconsciously, perhaps, by the Silmarils), I perceive The Silmarillion’s intended audience as falling somewhere between the following groups: fans of The Lord of the Rings who would like some background, mythology buffs, and fantasy writers. I fall into at least two of the three categories, and in the end I am glad that I read it, but I will probably wait another ten or fifteen years before I try it again. In the meantime, it would make a fabulous oratorio. Are you listening, Howard Shore? ( )

An absolute must for LotR fans.

That this story emerged from one man's brilliant imagination will be forever staggering to me. The mixture of detail and scope is spellbinding from the first until the last page. In my opinion greater even that LOTR, The Silmarillion is amongst my favorite books ever. It says everything about everything that truly matters; and all in a world that has never existed. Genius. ( )

Christopher Tolkien, the son of J. R. R., published this novel four years after his father’s death, and himself provided the 50-page index. The prefatory note begins, ‘Since the number of names in the book is very large, this index provides, in addition to page-references, a short statement concerning each person and place’ -- thus constituting a combined glossary and index (which is printed before the Appendix and maps).

Not for the faint of heart! I had to read portions of it for a class on Tolkien, but I decided to read the whole thing. Now, I really love The Lord of the Rings and consider it one of my all-time favorites; but I found The Silmarillion pretty rough going. The main difficulty is that it's not a continuous story; rather, each chapter is its own individual episode. There are a lot of characters to keep straight. Some common plotlines run throughout the work, though, so there is a loose unity between each chapter. If you were ever curious about some of the backstory to LOTR, The Silmarillion helps a lot, describing things like the origin of Sauron, the creation of Elves, Men, & Dwarves, and how & when exactly the Rings of Power were forged. I do think The Silmarillion was very well-written, and interesting too, once I got into it. If you really are that curious about the "history" Tolkien created for LOTR, read it. Otherwise, pass.