The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Silmarillion
Book Review: "Fate Was Heavy That Night..."
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm going to come right out and say what will make most people think I'm slightly crazy: I enjoyed reading "The Silmarillion" more than I enjoyed reading "The Lord of the Rings". Why? I haven't the faintest idea. Maybe I was too young to properly appreciate "The Lord of the Rings". Maybe my love of mythology made "The Silmarillion" a shoe-in. Maybe the lack of three-dimensional characters was more understandable in a book this vast. Maybe I'm just weird.
In any case, "The Silmarillion" is challenging, beautiful, epic reading and well worth the time and effort it'll take to fully appreciate the work Tolkien has put into his secondary world. Published after Tolkien's death and edited by his son Christopher Tolkien (who had the unenviable task of wading through his father's mountain of notes), "The Silmarillion" provides the historical background for what follows in "The Lord of the Rings". Yes, as mind-boggling as it may be to conceive, "The Lord of the Rings" is only the tail-end of a massive history, as "The Silmarillion" is far more than a mere 'prequel' to Tolkien's famous trilogy; in fact anyone who does describe it as a mere prequel is doing it a grave disservice.
For "The Silmarillion" is a history; albeit a totally invented one. The inspiration for Middle-Earth came through two major facets; Tolkien's desire to provide a mythology for England (believing quite correctly that the Arthurian legends were strongly influenced by the French) and his own passion for created languages. After designing two invented languages (Quenta and Sindar), Tolkien needed a context in which they were used - what followed was "The Silmarillion". It's impossible not to feel a sense of awe at the completeness of Tolkien's visions, for found here is his life's work set out into several books and chapters:
`The Ainulindale' is the rich and poetic account of the coming of consciousness to the world as Iluvatar, (Middle-Earth's God), makes a contingent of Valar (reminiscent of angels) and teaches them a harmonious song that shapes a vision of the world that is to come. Yet even now there is strife, due to the presence of Melkor, the mightiest of the Valar who sings his own melody against the tune of the other. The parallels to the Biblical account of God and Lucifer is very clear, and the similarities continue into...
`The Valaquenta', which is a detailed account of the fourteen central Valar; seven male, seven female. The Valar are best described as gods, each with separate attributes assigned to them. Though this segment is devoted mainly to describing each one and their positions within the world, it is written with extraordinary imagination and poetry as Tolkien describes the hierarchy of the Valar, the secondary spirits called the Maia, and the enemies that emerge at the dawning of the world.
This is followed by `Quenta Silmarillion', which makes up the bulk of the book and contains the namesake of the book. The silmarils are three beautiful jewels formed by the elf-craftsman Feanor that contain the light of two miraculous trees. But when Melkor (soon to be called Morgoth, the first Dark Lord), hears of their existence, he forms a plan that allows him to successfully capture the jewels and escape. Furious at the theft, the hot-headed Feanor swears a binding oath to retrieve them, setting into motion a tragic chain of events as his people set sail from the Western Isles back into Middle Earth to wage war upon Morgoth.
What follows is a massive chronicle, highlighting events and individuals within this great war, with a scope too large to even begin to summarise. Needless to say, it's nearly impossible to keep track of all the characters (especially when they have similar sounding names) and one story blends into another continuously so that it feels like one massive volume rather than a range of smaller stories. The story is marked by the founding of great cities, the forging of dynasties, the division of peoples and waging of battles. There is tragedy, beauty, torture, escapes, murders, betrayals, hubris and even incest, all of which is too vast and detailed to go into any further detail on.
However, one story does deserve special mention, that of Beren and Luthien, a mortal man and an elf maiden who fall in love (and are the precursors to Aragorn and Arwen). After Luthien's father tells Beren he can only win his daughter's hand by fetching one of the silmarils that rest inside Morgoth's iron crown, the couple take it upon themselves to steal the gem from within the Dark Lord's own fortress. A major theme prevalent in "The Lord of the Rings" is also present here, that of simple folk (in this case an outcast and a maid) doing what the great and mighty find impossible. Tolkien himself drew a comparison between the hobbits and this tragic couple, but the tale of Beren and Luthien held an even deeper meaning for him. He affiliated his beloved wife Ethel with Luthien, and when she died he had the name "Luthien" inscribed beneath her name on her gravestone. When Tolkien passed away several years later, the name "Beren" was added to his name.
Finally, "The Akallabeth" moves away from the Elves to explore Mankind, their island home of Numenor and its destruction (much like our legend of Atlantis) and "The Rings of Power" which puts the events of "The Lord of the Rings" in a nutshell, ending on the most poignant note imaginable.
When coupled with "The Silmarillion"; "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" suddenly take on an even greater depth and beauty than when read singularly. My appreciation for both volumes went up tenfold after experiencing the massive history and scope of their history that Tolkien meticulously mapped out for them. "The Lord of the Rings" may be Tolkien's most famous work, but "The Silmarillion" is his masterpiece.
Book Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
FYI: Yes I am a kid. This is no joke.
Like many people have said Tolkien relates this story to the Bible, in many ways, particuarly in the beginning when he tells about the Valar and the Maia( both similar to angels) and how Melkor( Lucifer) falls into darkness therefore, being much like Satan, Iluvatar(God) never really does much but the Valar, are the main "Angels" or characters in this Genisis. Elves come, then Men, and then the Dwarves made my a Valar, named Aule, not Iluvatar. The Silmarillion isn't a book with many chapters so when you stop after a chapter you have much tension, it's a book of many stories.
My favorite is Beren and Luthien about a Man and an Elf, wait, wait, this sounds like Aragorn and Arwen doesn't it? And doesn't Aragorn mention the word "Luthien" when he sings that song in the Fellowship of the Ring? Tolkien does a fabulous job with this in many books, of how he relates. Many stories aren't just love, but fierce battles more than you've ever heard of in any of Tolkien's books. Fights that many times, Good doesn't triumph over evil, some, are very touching.
Melkor is THE true evil, Sauron is just a servant, YET, even in the Silmarillion Sauron is a threat, yes a large one to. Here you see all of the elves and their former glory, you see Dwarves defeat Dragons and Balrogs, you see the Easterlings betray the race of Men, yet one battle and almost everything falls...Also in the books you see how Orcs are created, mutated elves.
I'm sorry I'm going much to far, if I talk any more, we'll be here all night.
Tolkien is a fabulous author, one of the best of our time, and ever. EVER. His imaginations is so great that he puts these books in front of us, for our enjoyment,these books are so great even in the Return of the King it STILL leaves you hanging.
What of the Fourth Age? What evil is left? How will men rule the world? There are still kings to reign! These books are magical in a sense, but then sadly you realize it never really happened.
A fabulous accompianment to the trilogy and the Hobbit, a must buy, no matter what you dislike about anything realated to these books(ok maybe not, it's still a great book none the less!) A must buy for Tolkien fans.
Book Review: A True Treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
Word to the Wise:
If you're a Tolkien fan, and loved the books, do not, I repeat do not make the mistake of *failing* to read The Silmarillion.
Let me try and put it into perspective for you.
What The Hobbit is to the LOTR TRILOGY, the LOTR TRILOGY is to The Silmarillion.
If all of Tolkien's books were the 9 rings, which one of these rings would The Silmarillion most resemble-? The answer: None. For The Silmarillion is far brighter & more beautiful than the bewitching & deadly One Ring itself. In fact, it is made of an entirely higher order of stuff. I would liken it to one of the Silmarils themselves, and when you learn the story behind the Silmarils, and find that they are the most exquisite gems crafted by Feanor, the most gifted of all the elves, who lent all his heart and skill into their making, having trapped within them the divine starlight of the two trees of Valinor, why then and only then do you begin to get the picture. The reason I bring this up is because I have found that to read The Silmarillion is to discover hands-on the meaning behind the phrase, "No Pain, No Gain", insofar as it applies to literature.
If it wasn't for the Index of Names in the back of the book, 'twould be a hopeless endeavor indeed to attempt ploughing through this remarkable mythos. It seems that every person and place w/in Middle Earth has at least 2 names, from differing elven tongues. To learn the lineage of the elves and how they came to split apart into different tribes is a story filled with wonder and acute despair. The destiny of Feanor and his bloodline will stop the discerning reader's heart at a few crucial points. To learn of the original Dark Lord Melkor, branded by the name Morgoth by Feanor himself during his rage at having the Silmarils stolen from him, is to be led by Tolkien's hand with such finesse into the deepest recesses of his mythos that I cannot imagine any dedicated reader becoming anything less than spellbound.
And then again, I recall what difficulty the high-speech text presented to me the first few idle attempts I made at it, long ago. It is reminescent of the "difficulty" encountered when attempting The Fellowship Of The Ring for the first time, as a teenager. I thought it dry and boring, back then. Well having allowed it to age about 20 years like a vintage wine certainly did wonders toward the appreciation of this masterful tale. I devoured the LOTR trilogy the year before last, and was entranced from page one to the very end. It just takes a certain dedication, one which if given in good faith, will surely elicit rich rewards for the reader. Such is precisely the case with the far more arcane and written-in-high-language Silmarillion; it's rewards are, if anything, sharper and deeper than those found w/in the LOTR trilogy. However, the effort required to reap those rewards is greater, and most certainly worthwhile.
So if you've been thinking of reading the Silmarillion, and have tried it but found it too "dry" or steeped in "high language", do yourself a literary favor and take a deep breath, and try again. Consider it a personal homework assignment. Look up each and every word that you aren't familiar with in the Index of Names. You will reference this Index somewhere along the lines of 20 to 30 times per page; like I said, no pain, no gain. But as I began the painstaking process of following the trail of terms and names through the Index, looking up Ainulindale only to find " 'The Music of the Ainur', also called The (Great) Music, The (Great) Song. Also the name of the account of Creation said to have been composed by Rumil of Tirion in the Elder Days.", as you can see I found myself facing the inevitability of having to now look up 4 new terms, "Ainur", "Rumil", "Tirion", and "Elder Days". And yes, once the definitions of these terms are looked up, indeed they contain yet another slew of strange names to look up, and the chain reaction continues. I found myself having read several entries within the Index of Names before I even started reading the very first sentence in The Silmarillion, because I was merely looking up the title of the first part: the Ainulindale.
However, I can't imagine any reader making it to page 100 and not being thoroughly bewitched. By that time you learn about Morgoth and Ungoliant and Feanor and the bitter struggles caused by their interaction. I read on some Internet site that reading the LOTR trilogy is fine and all w/out having read the Silmarillion; however, a professor pointed out that once you've digested the history of the Silmarils, it prepares you to re-read the trilogy itself in such a dazzling new light that it is akin to reading it for the very first time, with a far more profound understanding of what is going on. This professor went on to say that for example, the scene at the Council of Elrond in Fellowship wherein Elrond tells Frodo he is in the company of certain reknowned elves of ancient history goes flying right over the heads of those who have not yet read the Silmarillion. This professor has stated that now that he's familiar w/the history of the Silmarils, he can not read that passage without eliciting tears from Elrond's statement to Frodo. Once you know of the travails the elves endured during the beginning wars against Morgoth, casual statements such as this become far less casual and evoke a much richer response in the reader.
Anyhow, I have posted this here because I happen to know of the folly's and foibles w/in a modern reader's heart, how our attention spans have been damaged by this 21st-century thrillride we call Life, and I've found myself enraptured by the lyrical evocation Tolkien's Silmarillion has instilled within me. It is as if I've been waiting my whole life simply to digest this tome. It's not easy...but it is oh-so-worth it. I figured I'd give out a clarion call to all w/ears to hear that The Silmarillion is worth every word contained within. Ya just gotta put a little elbow grease into it, is all.
Book Review: A Unique Treasure
Summary: 5 Stars
Few authors have so successfully created a universe as JRR Tolkien. Best known for "The Lord of the Rings," that work is only one isolated literary cycle in a mythological, linguistic, philosophic, and sociological scholia that is both vast and profound in its scope.
As is well known, Tolkien's universe began with his invention of the Elvish languages (he was a philologist, and linguistics was both his passion and his bread and butter), but rapidly branched from there to stories-- he maintained (quite correctly) that a language cannot stand or maintain its integrity without stories behind it-- and thence to the creation, development, and honing of the literally thousands of minute details that make up a world's history, cultures, geography, politics, spirituality, and philosophy.
The Silmarillion, potential readers should be aware, is not a single saga in novel form, like "Lord of the Rings." It is a collection of myths, legends, and 'historical' essays, most of them either prose adaptations of epic poems or condensed versions of long short-stories which were in some measure left unfinished or incomplete at Tolkien's death. They were edited to their current complete form by Christopher Tolkien, his father's literary executor: he seems to have been the Tolkien child most interested in the elder Tolkien's writing, and followed his father's footsteps into the academia of language and literature. The resulting collection is something of a two-edged sword. It is more remote in feeling than "Lord of the Rings," less immediate, and less character-driven. However, that very removal and lack of immediacy contributes to a feeling of antiquity, of stories passed down from immeasurably long ago. There have been frequent comparisons of The Silmarillion to the Norse Eddas, the Bible, the Mabinogion, or other ancient collections of epic myths, and they are not undue comparisons. I am aware of no other single author's work which has so totally achieved the similitude of mythica verita: it is not in any way overstatement to say that should a reasonable, educated person, unaware of Tolkien's existance, read The Silmarillion without being told its nature, that reader would most likely believe it to be an actual legendaria of some ancient or premodern culture previously unknown to him.
Beginning at the beginning, The Silmarillion gives us the myths of Tolkien's world from the Creation (in perhaps the most beautiful Creation story since the Navajo's Holy People and the Four Worlds, or that other popular one...you know, Genesis...), through the primordial adventures of the Valar (angels/minor gods/holy people), to the great legends of the Elves, to the beginnings of the myths of early Men. As Tolkien was fond of pointing out, one of the things that distinguishes The Silmarillion legends is that they are not primarily concerned with mortal Men, being rather centered on Elves, their cultures, their problems, their histories. It is a fascinating viewpoint, and not to be passed by.
In truth, there really is no other literary work to compare with The Silmarillion. It is unique in its completeness, its authentic ring, and its status as a perfectly preserved mythos for cultures that never existed. But aside from that, it is singularly beautiful. What makes "Lord of the Rings" so much more than the usual epic fantasy novel is the depth and complexity of the rich world it portrays. The Silmarillion is like brandy to "Lord of the Rings'" wine, the same rich depth purified to its ultimate extent: heady, potent, and occasionally intoxicating in its elegance. The language is incomparable, both Tolkien's English prose, which shines with polished gravitas, and the words of his invented languages, which are dense and lush and sweet (a refreshing change from the harsh deadness of other invented tongues such as Esperanto). The heroes and villains are everything one could wish from epic mythology. The legend of Beren and Luthien remains, to my mind, one of the few truly perfect stories of romantic love; his world's Lucifer, Melkor called Morgoth, is such a paragon of the fallen angel that Milton would be proud; the Story of the Children of Hurin is a tale of valor and sorrow to equal "The Iliad" in splendor if not in length.
The Silmarillion, worth owning for its beauty alone, is also an exemplary study of ars gratia artis: published posthumously, it made Tolkien no money; politely panned by the dull literary critics he showed it to, he continued working on it for his own pleasure; a deeply Catholic man, Tolkien nonetheless produced a work that while influenced by Christianity was not Catholic nor any other kind of religious allegory, but its own thought entirely; a passionately English man, Tolkien nonetheless created a work readily understood and loved by those not English. He wrote for love of the words, the work, the world he envisioned, and perhaps that is what makes his art so different from the rest of the 'fantasy fiction' out there.
Book Review: A Unique and Impressive Achievement
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd already read The Silmarillion twice and come to love it when I bought this edition. I relied on another reviewer's description of its production values, and wasn't disappointed. The paper and binding are high quality; the 45 color plates are beautiful and dramatic interpretations of scenes from the stories.
I wouldn't describe The Silmarillion as difficult reading. It reminds me of the books of myths and legends I used to enjoy as a child. Many of those were written in 19th Century prose, so I was ready for Tolkien's archaic style. It was necessary to consult the geneology charts at the back a few times to keep track of the characters.
The Silmarillion consists of connected stories rather than a tightly knit plot. Some of the stories are more fully realized than others. More detailed but unfinished versions of many may be found in the Unfinished Tales and History of Middle Earth series. Although not fully realized, the stories contain moving and unforgettable moments. For me, Hurin's reunion with Morwen at the grave of their son is one of the greatest. Collectively the sweep of The Silmarillion is impressive, creating a sense of an alternate world that is both familiar since it derives from myths and legends we know -- and strange since Tolkien has synthesized these elements into something new and altogether his own.
Like any other book, this one isn't for everybody. But for those readers enthralled by The Lord of the Rings or intrigued by myth, it's worth the effort.