Reviews

For anyone who is unaware prior to reading, this is not a traditional cannon book in the Tolkien universe. It is a collection of old and pre-publication stories by Tolkien. His son, Christopher, elaborates on his father’s thoughts and ideas and attempts to justify the posthumous works created by the son. That being said, as a huge Tolkien nerd I still greatly enjoyed reading this. It’s a great aid to delve deeper into the lore and understand the mindset behind the world building. If you’re just looking for another high fantasy read, this may not be for you.

momreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think the stories could have been good. Reading it felt rather disjointed though as Chistopher Tolkien interspersed his father's notes throughout the narrative. Maybe just piecing the story together and then having all of the notes at the end would have made for a better reading experience. I found trying to simply read the tales difficult. This would be a good study tool for a student of Tolkien's work.

njdarkish's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Made almost totally unreadable by Christopher Tolkien's editing.

ollakalla's review

Go to review page

3.0

If you've read The Silmarilion, you won't find any surprises here. But the book is ok, neither important nor necessary. Are you a Tolken fan, this is a good book to have read.

3.5/5

queerofthedagger's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging informative slow-paced

4.0

I do this every time, but I am once again in awe of the work Christopher Tolkien did on this. That aside, it was also fascinating to read some of the early drafts of what was to become the Silmarillion, the things that would get changed as well as those that stayed as the basis through countless years and rewritings.

That said, we really are in draft-land now. There are missing sections, words, things that can only be guessed at, and approximately yet another three new/old names for characters that already have five. Personally, this is a feature and incredibly interesting, but it is by no means an on-going narration or tale.

sialia95's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This is some advanced nerd shit. What an incredible undertaking by Christopher.

More...