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giumar 's review for:
The Silmarillion: Illustrated by the Author
by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion is well known as a difficult book to read, both because of its dry style and the confusion of names and information Tolkien drops in these stories, so I was a little worried picking it up. BUT I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!
Three things helped in making it an enjoyable reading experience: 1) for the love of all things holy please read it while listening to an audiobook (several can be found on YouTube for free), Tolkien’s prose is made to be read out loud/listened to!!! It’ll also help with all the name and the pronunciation.
2) Go into it with the right expectations: this is NOT a novel, it’s not a “prequel” to LotRs. It is a collection of histories/myths about the world Tolkien created (to me, it very much felt like a book that could be read within that world as well, stories read to children around a fire to teach them the history of Middle Earth and the Elder Days).
3) Make sure to choose an edition which includes the necessary maps and genealogies, or at least have them on your phone when you read.
Other than this, enjoy it, and if a chapter feels too boring chances are summaries/explanations can be found online and on YouTube.
Three things helped in making it an enjoyable reading experience: 1) for the love of all things holy please read it while listening to an audiobook (several can be found on YouTube for free), Tolkien’s prose is made to be read out loud/listened to!!! It’ll also help with all the name and the pronunciation.
2) Go into it with the right expectations: this is NOT a novel, it’s not a “prequel” to LotRs. It is a collection of histories/myths about the world Tolkien created (to me, it very much felt like a book that could be read within that world as well, stories read to children around a fire to teach them the history of Middle Earth and the Elder Days).
3) Make sure to choose an edition which includes the necessary maps and genealogies, or at least have them on your phone when you read.
Other than this, enjoy it, and if a chapter feels too boring chances are summaries/explanations can be found online and on YouTube.