A rich and beautiful mythology written like a mythology. There are a few sections of geneology that can be skipped safely, and the experience is better for it. From there, it is best absorbed as a collection of short myths, each rich in its own right.

Full of symbolic lessons and dramatic irony, and some really great stories. Tolkien has a unique skill for maintaining a sense of scale even when writing scale-bending epic battles between the forces of good an evil. Everything feels larger than life without becoming cartoonish. It is a rare talent that is lost in most Tolkien wannabes.