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The Silmarillion (1977)

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Other authors: Guy Kay (Editorial assistant), Christopher Tolkien (Editor)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Middle-earth (1), The Lord of the Rings (Mythology)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
32,63325774 (3.86)4 / 496
Tolkien considered The Silmarillion his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. 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 Feanor, 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 Feanor 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.… (more)
  1. 271
    The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (guurtjesboekenkast, Percevan)
  2. 200
    The Children of Húrin by J. R. R. Tolkien (Jitsusama)
    Jitsusama: The Silmarillion is an essential book to better understand the occurrences surrounding the Children of Hurin. It also contains a slightly shorter version of the tale.
  3. 120
    The Hobbit / The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (PaulBerauer)
  4. 121
    The Fall of Gondolin by J. R. R. Tolkien (Michael.Rimmer)
  5. 111
    Beren and Lúthien by J. R. R. Tolkien (Michael.Rimmer)
  6. 100
    The Poetic Edda by Anonymous (CGlanovsky)
    CGlanovsky: Most likely an inspiration to Tolkien. Many parallels.
  7. 80
    The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún by J. R. R. Tolkien (guurtjesboekenkast)
  8. 70
    The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two by J. R. R. Tolkien (OscarWilde87)
  9. 70
    The Book of Lost Tales, Part One by J. R. R. Tolkien (OscarWilde87)
  10. 30
    Unfinished Tales Of Numenor And Middle-Earth by J. R. R. Tolkien (MissBrangwen)
  11. 42
    Shadow & Claw: The First Half of The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (Cecrow)
    Cecrow: More high-brow fantasy.
  12. 20
    The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison (Sylak)
  13. 15
    The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of the Belgariad and the Malloreon by David Eddings (Ludi_Ling)
    Ludi_Ling: For those less interested in the narrative of epic fantasy fiction, and more in the mythology, history and construction of imaginary worlds, both books serve as interesting and instructive reads.
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» See also 496 mentions

English (227)  Spanish (7)  Dutch (4)  Italian (4)  German (3)  French (3)  Portuguese (Brazil) (2)  Portuguese (Portugal) (2)  Swedish (1)  Hungarian (1)  Slovak (1)  All languages (255)
Showing 1-5 of 227 (next | show all)
07/02/22
  Greytail | May 7, 2023 |
The creation of the world, and the rebellion of its creatures. The history of the first age of middle-earth and the downfall of Numenor. The wars of vengeance of Feanor and his sons to win back the precious jewels containing the light of the trees of paradise. ( )
  MaowangVater | May 1, 2023 |
207
  freixas | Mar 31, 2023 |
La novela perfecta para los amantes de la fantasía y la mitología , soretodo si ya se conocen un poco del mundo de J.R.R. Tolkien. Aún así, la novela no es amena, contiene muchas descripciones y es difícil de leer. ( )
  Carmen2345 | Mar 3, 2023 |
This book actually gets better every time I read it, something that probably has to do with the fact that I get older each time I do. First time I read it was when the LotR movies came out, which means I must've been between 12 and 14. Yeah. A little too young. My next attempt, I think, was at 20, when I understood it better but still didn't love it. It wasn't until two years ago, when I was finally digging into the history of Middle-Earth and more obscure knowledge that I truly appreciated it. This time, I loved it.

I mean, yes, I had to consult the family trees a little too much to keep track of everything, but for once, I actually DID. Probably because I've spent these past years learning more about the events of this book, meaning I had a deeper understanding of what to expect when I started it. This isn't exactly a good selling-point for a book, but come on, if you're ready to read this book you're already a bit of a Tolkien nerd and should be able to deal with the consequences.

I'm actually almost tempted to read the Books of Lost Tales and Unfished Tales again now, since I know they deal with much of the same stories as in this one, but more detailed. Although, maybe not. My plan is to move on to Hobbit and then LotR, getting the story in chronological order for once.

Is it bad that I pictured Tom Hiddleston!Loki as Feanor? Yeah, I don't even care. But as fun as that is, after a reread I am more convinced than ever that we're not gonna see a movie adaption of this any time soon, if ever. Apart from the legal issues, this book isn't really filmable in any sense. Maybe one or few tales from it, but let's be real, why would they do that?

Anyway, I'm happy that I'm enjoying this more each time. It would suck if it was the other way around. ( )
  upontheforemostship | Feb 22, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 227 (next | show all)
At its best Tolkien's posthumous revelation of his private mythology is majestic, a work held so long and so power fully in the writer's imagination that it overwhelms the reader. Like Tolkien's other books, The Silmarillion presents a doomed but heroic view of creation that may be one of the reasons why a generation growing up on the thin gruel of television drama, and the beardless cynicism of Mad magazine, first found J.R.R. Tolkien so rich and wonderful.
added by Shortride | editTime, Timothy Foote (Oct 24, 1977)
 
If "The Hobbit" is a lesser work that the Ring trilogy because it lacks the trilogy's high seriousness, the collection that makes up "The Silmarillion" stands below the trilogy because much of it contains only high seriousness; that is, here Tolkien cares much more about the meaning and coherence of his myth than he does about these glories of the trilogy: rich characterization, imagistic brilliance, powerfully imagined and detailed sense of place, and thrilling adventure. Not that these qualities are entirely lacking here.
 

» Add other authors (18 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Tolkien, J. R. R.primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Kay, GuyEditorial assistantsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Tolkien, ChristopherEditorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Adlerberth, RolandTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Agøy, Nils IvarTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Domènech, LuisTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dringenberg, MikeCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Garland, Rogersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Howe, JohnCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Juva, KerstiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Krege, WolfgangTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Masera, RubénTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mosley, FrancisIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nasmith, TedIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pekkanen, PanuTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Respinti, MarcoEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Saba Sardi, FrancescoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schuchart, MaxTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Shaw, MartinNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sweet, Darrell K.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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The Silmarillion, now published four years after the death of its author, is an account of the Elder Days, or the First Age of the World.
There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made.
Quotations
"And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its utternmost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined."
Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that come down to us from the darkness of those days there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death life that endures.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
This LT Work is for The Silmarillion, a posthumous and highly edited publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's over-arching work on Middle-earth.

Note "Middle-earth" is a word used for the central continent on Tolkien's fictional world, and also a word used for the whole of that world and its mythology.

The book has five chapters.

Chapter 1: Creation myth.
Chapter 2: Creation myth continued.
Chapter 3: The vast bulk of the book, legends of Mankind and the Elves from the First Age of the world.
Chapter 4: A story from the Second Age.
Chapter 5: The Third Age which includes the story of Isildur and the Ring, plus a very concise retelling of the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Please do not combine The Silmarillion with The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, or with any other Tolkien work.

Books with titles that include the words "The Later Silmarillion" (Morgoth's Ring, The War of the Jewels) are different works and should not be combined with this.

Unfinished Tales is a different work and should not be combined with this. The Book of Lost Tales is a different work and should not be combined with this. (Both are retellings of the same tales from The Silmarillion but are different works.)
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Tolkien considered The Silmarillion his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. 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 Feanor, 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 Feanor 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.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
A number-one New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, "The Silmarillion" is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing [...] Tolkien considered "The Silmarillion" his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. 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 Feanor, 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 Feanor and his kindred against their gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy.
Haiku summary
The bad Elves all die
Which is why all Elves are good
In the later books.
(hillaryrose7)
And Manwë was grieved
but he watched and said no word.
Goddamnit, Manwë.
(mirryi)

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Average: (3.86)
0.5 16
1 133
1.5 28
2 420
2.5 90
3 1174
3.5 222
4 1492
4.5 192
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