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, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before The Hobbit.
To me, the more I read this book, I know a little more about an entire world can be erected right from your imagination. The languages, the reasons, how the Middle Earth has come to be. The Music of the Ainur, the Iluvatar firstborns and why Tolkien sees the death as the mens' greatest benefit beyond all the other imortal races. You will need to read and reread this book. It's simply wonderful !
I read The Silmarillion as a young teenager, after having read [b:The Lord of the Rings|34|The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1)|J.R.R. Tolkien|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156043001s/34.jpg|3204327] through a few times, and recalled liking it, but did not recall very much of it--and, as I discovered listening to it this time around, the parts that I recalled were not quite accurate. I won't review the actual story here, but just the audio version of this work.
The narration is well done. It has the feel of a wise teacher relating history and lore to a throng of willing ears. Also, it allows one to focus on the stories rather than pondering the proper pronunciation of the names of characters and places mentioned in the text.
The hard part of listening to a book like The Silmarillion is that one can easily find one's mind wandering. Although mostly interesting, there …
I read The Silmarillion as a young teenager, after having read [b:The Lord of the Rings|34|The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1)|J.R.R. Tolkien|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1156043001s/34.jpg|3204327] through a few times, and recalled liking it, but did not recall very much of it--and, as I discovered listening to it this time around, the parts that I recalled were not quite accurate. I won't review the actual story here, but just the audio version of this work.
The narration is well done. It has the feel of a wise teacher relating history and lore to a throng of willing ears. Also, it allows one to focus on the stories rather than pondering the proper pronunciation of the names of characters and places mentioned in the text.
The hard part of listening to a book like The Silmarillion is that one can easily find one's mind wandering. Although mostly interesting, there are some parts that, while adding to the respect one must give to Tolkein for his craft and perniciousness, are quite dull. I listened to the bulk of this book in my car while driving on the highway at night, which worked well because I did not have much else to distract me. However, the times when I listened while performing another task that required even minimal attention, I found that I had to repeatedly go back to an earlier part because the story had moved in an unknown or unexpected direction. While this is somewhat true of other audiobooks, the complexity of the story and the similarity of the names of some of the characters made it even more difficult to follow at times.
This is a definite "must-listen" for anyone who has enjoyed Tolkein's more popular works and has a taste for more Middle Earth.
''Now news came to Hithlum that Dorthonion was lost and the sons of Finarfin overthrown, and that the sons of Fëanor were driven from their lands. Then Fingolfin beheld (as it seemed to him) the utter ruin of the Noldor, and the defeat beyond redress of all their houses; and filled with wrath and despair he mounted upon Rochallor his great horse and rode forth alone, and none might restrain him. He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Oromë himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar. Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. And Morgoth came.''
