The Silmarillion, J. R. R. Tolkien

Publishers: HarperCollins

Pages: 453

Main Characters:

Elrond, Feanor, Hurin, Turin

Based thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the tale of how Middle-Earth and the creatures that dwell upon it came to be. It tells how Elves, Men, Dwarves and Orcs came to exist in Middle-Earth. Through this history it also tells the tale of Feanor and his Silmaris, the three jewels that hold light from the two destroyed trees of Vailnor. The Silmaris are prized above all other things in Middle-Earth as the light that they hold was created by the Valar, the Gods of Middle-Earth.

The tale of the Silmaris stretches over generations and sees betrayal and murder used as means to try and gain them. The tale also sees the destruction of the House of Feanor as he and his seven sons swear an oath to the Silmaris, an oath which over time they cannot hold. The book also tells us how the situation of Sauron and the Rings of Power came to shape the world that exists in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, whilst also telling us how Sauron came to power after the fall of Morgoth.

I thought this was a great book and for any Tolkien fan it is a must read. It fills in so many gaps within the Tolkien world and really informs you why the events in The Lord of the Rings happened, whilst explaining how Middle-Earth was created. However, I would say that you have to be committed to this book! There are only about 360 pages to read (as the rest is taken up by Appendix) but it took all of my concentration to read them! This is because the language is so difficult and at times often confusing. For example, there are so many different names for the same thing in this book (Elfish, Dwarvan, and the many languages of Man!) and Tolkien does often switch between them, making it difficult to remember who’s who and what’s what! However when you get used to Tolkien’s style and language, the tale of the Silmaris becomes absolutely thrilling and is a great ‘prelude’ and context to The Lord of the Rings.

I would suggest this book to anyone who is a Tolkien fan. I would say that you have to stick through the first fifty pages or so but after that, the language and the names are not as mind-boggling and the story is amazing!

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