Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of The Silmarillion

The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
ISBN-13: 9780395257302
ISBN-10: 0395257301
Publication Date: 10/1977
Pages: 365
Edition: 1st American ed
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 49

4.1 stars, based on 49 ratings
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

53 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed The Silmarillion on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
Rather dry reading. Interesting material, but definitely more encyclopedic than narrative. Devotees of Tolkein's world will enjoy this book.
cmtdrt avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 46 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I suggest approaching this book as if you were tackling a research project and not a novel.

Challenging but rewarding if you persevere.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I call this book The Bible of the Middle Earth, and rightfully so. It provides a lot information and background prior to the events of The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Of how things were created, of the coming of the Elves, of the wars, Sauron's beginning, etc. it just fills up the things that were not explained before and the things that left you wondering or wanting to know more about. You definetly need to read this book if you're a Tolkien fan.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 4 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Biblical in it's language and style. If you want the history of Middle Earth, the first through third ages, this is for you.
buzzby avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 6062 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Prequel to the "Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit", much more Old Testament-ish than the hobbit books.
cmtdrt avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 46 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I suggest approaching this book as if you were tackling a research project and not a novel.

Challenging but rewarding if you persevere.
VCW39 avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Prelude to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Wish I had read this before reading them.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
one of the top five books i've ever read. not a book you can fully 'get' in one reading but a book that continually reveals its brilliance and wisdom with every reading. Highly highly highly recommended!
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 107 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
No lover of LOTR will be complete without this second edition of The Silmarillion. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. A number one New York Time bestseller when it was first published, this book is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing. Tolkien considered The Silmarillion his most important work. This great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing, even though it was published posthumously.
Bookfanatic avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on
Helpful Score: 1
This is a good book for a die-hard fan of Tolkien. If you're not a big fan of Middle-Earth, I would skip this book. I am a big fan of Tolkien and for years I was an administrator of one of the most popular LOTR sites online. Now that I've laid out my geeky credentials, I have to say it took me several tries to get through the Sil. I almost considered getting index cards so that I could keep track of all the characters whose names start with "F" for there are so many! However, if you stick with the book, you'll learn the origin of the gods of Middle Earth as well as the creation of the Elves. The Silmarillion is a fascinating story, but it is dry and it's not as charming as The Hobbit. The Sil is not as cohesive as the LOTR or Hobbit. There aren't any hobbits in the Sil. Men appear, but not until much later in the story. You need to have a deep love of myth, ancient languages, and Elves if you're going to make it through the entire Silmarillion.
cmtdrt avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 46 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I suggest approaching this book as if you were tackling a research project and not a novel.

Challenging but rewarding if you persevere.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 29 more book reviews
A great look at early Middle Earth, learn some of the background before Lord of the Rings existed.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 35 more book reviews
I have a first edition, but this book is soooo dry. If you loved Lord of the Rings, and can sit through the Elves Bible, go for it.
reviewed The Silmarillion on
I will confess at the start that I could not finish this book. Another reviewer's suggestion that one approach the book as if doing research is spot on. Do not be deceived by your love of other Tolkien books into thinking that it will be a similarly enjoyable read.

I applaud The Silmarillion as a tour-de-force in making up a mythology. From that point of view, it is probably an amazing work. Fun to read, it isn't.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 6 more book reviews
What a pretty version of this book!
buzzby avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 6062 more book reviews
Rather dark set of stories, if you couldn't get enough of LORD OF THE RINGS this is for you.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 14 more book reviews
A bit of a lower rating. I\'m an action/ adventure type. This is the very \"technical\", and of course name- laden history of Middle-Earth. Great book if you can keep up with names. I had to make notes in order to follow.
reviewed The Silmarillion on
This is the very best of all Tolkien's Books. The story is more intricate, more sad, more everything. It also explains all the history behind Lord of the Rings and especially the song of Tinuviel.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 59 more book reviews
Fascinating and interesting. A must-read for those who want to delve into the background of "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings". This is not an entertaining book, by any means. It is lots of information to absorb but is totally worth it for those who yearn to know more after reading the more popular novels by Tolkien.
reviewed The Silmarillion on
One of the most wonderful backdrops to any story. On earth. Beautifully written and orgamized... gripping tale of the beginnings of a whole world.
BillyJack avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 4 more book reviews
This is an awesome book for those who want to know where everything and everyone comes from in the Lord of the Rings. From how the world was created to how Aragorn and Arwen are related it covers it all.
It is whole bunch of stories. They are all connected because they are in the same world, but they aren't like a series or anything.

I have read it more than once and enjoyed every time! I also went back and read some of my favorite stories over again.

A few warnings!
-If you are looking for action, the first few chapters about the creation of the world will be hard to get through. (I still say the are worth it though. It is such an awesome picture of creation)
-Also, if you are looking for The Lord of the Rings characters you will not find most of them till towards the end of the book. (so be prepared for new names and favorite characters!)
goddesslovingbookworm avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 170 more book reviews
just couldn't get into this like I could the rest of Tolkein's works...
KelseyFamily06 avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 53 more book reviews
I thought this book was slow and not to the point. I had a very hard time staying interested.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 4 more book reviews
Pre-history of Elves from LOTR.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 13 more book reviews
The beginnings of middle earth, the creations of the inhabitants of middle earth, and the war to protect it.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 8 more book reviews
One of J.R.R.Tolkien's best, an introduction to Middle Eatrh.
princessprplfrog avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 2 more book reviews
This is the history of the elves in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 65 more book reviews
I got this because I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies, however I had a hard time getting into it. Sci-Fi is just not my genre of choice, I guess. =)
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 404 more book reviews
"The fabled jewels or Silmarilli give the book its name and are the thread that binds the various tales of the book together. Tolkien tells of the emergence of life on earth, the rebellion of some of the elves and their departure for Middle Earth, their efforts to build a new life for themselves...
...fascinating as Tolkien tells of love and war, of courage and treachery, of nobility and baseness. There are great battles and mighty warriors, bewitching romances and spellbinding intrigues, great victories and grinding defeats.
And of course the lyrical prose: Tolkien is one of the very few writers whose very prose reads like poetry. The ring and cadence of names, the melody inherent in the lyrics of his songs: this is fine writing at its peak. A wonderful book, not to be missed." amazon
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 41 more book reviews
I thought it was an ok book, but I felt it was a more difficult read than the rest of Tolkien's work. I didn't feel that there was any fluidity in it.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 19 more book reviews
A great book, I enjoyed reading it.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 9 more book reviews
GOOD BOOK! TOLKIEN`S DONE IT AGAIN.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 431 more book reviews
Early work that much of Tolkien's later work was based on.
dragonlayd avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 132 more book reviews
Tolkien's story of the creation of the world - the ancient dream that set the stage for 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings'.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 6 more book reviews
My son loved this book.
happyfunlife avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 3 more book reviews
I got through the first four chapters, but it was so painful I decided to not even try to read any more. I was disappointed to say the least.
reviewed The Silmarillion on
So well written
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 63 more book reviews
J.R.R. Tolkien's story of the creation of the world---the ancient dream that sets the stage for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 275 more book reviews
The tale of middle-earth before and during the coming of the humans....filled with magic, heroic deed and wonderful resonant names... essential for Tolkein lovers.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 9 more book reviews
For people who are Tolkien addicts to the bone.
drlaura avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 45 more book reviews
dpends on how much of a tolkein fan you are as to the rating
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 20 more book reviews
THE EPIC HISTORY OF THE ELVES FROM LORD OF THE RINGS...
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 24 more book reviews
I wanted to scratched my eyes out from reading The God of Small Things. I started to really wonder if I should after reading this book. I think the tears I shed from the horror of this book, were actually blood. Atrocious. There was a reason Mr. Tolkien's notes and back story were never published by himself. They were for him, not us.
stormcat avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 17 more book reviews
THE Tolkien reading compainion.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 35 more book reviews
A must-read for fans of "Lord of the Rings."
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 38 more book reviews
The epic history of the elves in The Lord of the Rings.
reviewed The Silmarillion on
Must have for those who enjoy Tolkien.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 9 more book reviews
GOOD BOOK! TOLKIEN`S DONE IT AGAIN.
Krazy4Kats avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 47 more book reviews
This is Tolkien's first book and his last. Long preceeding in its origins The Lord of the Rings, it is the story of the First Age of Tolkien's world, the ancient drama to which characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in which some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The Silmarillion was begun in 1917, and Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his life. Edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, the book finally appeared four years after the author's death.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 9 more book reviews
For the Tolkein Fan
madtex avatar reviewed The Silmarillion on + 40 more book reviews
The Silmarillion is Tolkien's first book and his last. Long preceding in its origins The Lord of the Rings, it is the story of the First Age of Tolkien's world, the ancient drama to which characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in which some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The Silmarillion was begun in 1917, and Tolkien worked on it, changed it, and enlarged it throughout his life. Edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien, the book finally appeared four years after the author's death.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 68 more book reviews
Classic Tolkien.
reviewed The Silmarillion on + 23 more book reviews
Front and back covers torn but still attached. Pages yellowed but book is readable.