The Silmarillion
by J. R. R. Tolkien, Martin Shaw
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Book Summary Information
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien, Martin ShawEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Published: 1998-12-01
ISBN: 0553456067
Publisher: Random House Audio
Book Reviews of The Silmarillion
Book Review: A Mythology for our Times
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazing: the reviews here are now just about as long as The Silmarillion itself!
As most everyone here knows, J. R. R. Tolkien was a philologist and professor at Oxford and a great author. But for those wishing to delve deeper into his world, Middle Earth, it is good to know that he was also a devout Catholic convert and that his sincere Christianity breathes true spirituality into his creation.
Tolkien set out, as a young man, to create a new mythology for England. Not to actually replace the existing Anglo-Saxon mythos, or to supplant Christianity, but to complement them. Reading The Silmarillion, especially the creation story, and the narrative of the Silmarils themselves, we can appreciate the greatness of his creation. No one in modern times has attempted anything like it in scope; no one could. It took a brilliant professor of languages, a richly gifted storyteller, a poet, and a God-graced and open-minded person to attempt it. In Tolkien all these persons were combined. There will never be another like him nor a literary creation like his.
If you wish to explore the worlds of this man and their complex combining, you can easily begin with The Silmarllion. After that, courtesy of his son Christopher, there are many further volumes to explore, but The Silmarillion remains the open gate to Middle Earth. I urge you to enter.
Note: after decades of reading and rereading Tolkien's works, I've just been listening to Martin Shaw's reading of The Silmarillion. I'm surprised how much I like it, even given my own inner reading developed over so long. If Shaw can win *me* over, he should be able to win anyone over. Tolkien's words are meant to be read aloud, as their older models, the Eddas, are. If you've had trouble "getting into" The Silmarillion in print, try Shaw's recordings. (And J. R. R. and Christopher Tolkien's excerpts in the delightful "The J. R. R. Tolkien Audio Collection".)
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