Has anyone ever read Tolkien's, The Simirilian?

Question

It is a hard book to get through, but it is really good.

Answer 1

Aye, I have to agree, it wasn't easy to read. But once I actually /did/ finish it, I was enchanted. I've been a fan of Tolkien for years, and I'm trying to buy /every/ book written by Tolkien....anyway, the only lowlight is that Tolkien died before it was published, and the chapters after the tale of Beren and Luthien are written by his son. :/
The Silmarillion is often overlooked. I find that most of the 'diehard Tolkien fans' have only read The Lord of the Rings and maybe The Hobbit. If only they knew what they were missing out on. I find that some of Tolkien's lesser-known works (The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, et cetera) are often /better/ than LOTR....*waits to get killed by rabid LOTR fanboys*

Answer 2

The Silmarillion can be confusing, but it provides rich insight into Middle Earth and how things came to be in the time before the LOTR books. For those who still have unanswered questions after going through the appendices in Return of the King, here's your source.
Would really like to see what Peter Jackson could make out of some of the historic tales in this book.

Additional note..rather a sad one. Remember Treebeard's mourning over "losing" the Entwives? While not stated outright, one can pretty well deduce that they perished in the cataclysm following the defeat of Morgoth. They were different from the Ents in that they preferred river and meadowlands to the forests. Ossirand, land of the Seven Rivers, was probably where they made their home, and that was part of the huge land area in the northwest of Middle Earth that sank into the sea.

Answer 3

I agree.
Its a miracle that Tolkien was able to put some order in his work and came out with a couple of actual books, logical stories like the Rings trilogy . But to me the real Tolkien is there, in books like the Silmarillion or Lost tales of Numenor , decades have passed since i read them the first time and still , when i want to be drifted into the myth i come back to those pages for a short look.Its soothing..a breath of fnatstic fantasy. 'Fantasy? hehehe

Answer 4

I read the series for the first time in 1966 or 67, but the Silmarillion I read much later. I was intrigued by the creation story and I was hooked right from the beginning

Answer 5

While it is more challenging to get through The Silmarillion, I loved it more than any of the other novels. I found it rich in language, texture (layered), and tone. It was just *magical* to me. Some stories are wonderful, and others are less so--but each one adds something to the whole. I enjoyed it in a way that I hadn't enjoyed his earlier books.

Answer 6

Yes I have read it quite a few times and every time I find I learn or understand it even better than before....it is definitely a multiple read book. I also enjoyed Unfinished tails and I liked it even more than the Silmarillion.

Answer 7

Yes, I read half of it. It was interesting, but like you said, so hard to get through, and keep track of names. I'm still waiting for a chance to read again, when I'll be able to concentrate on it fully, cuz it really is great.

Answer 8

Yes, I did read it years ago. I agree that it was not easy to read but I don't feel it had the power of his other work because he was trying to do too much.

Answer 9

Yes I have. Imo it is the most overlooked and underrated book of the entire series.

Answer 10

No kidding about the hard to get through part...