A review by studiomikarts
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous challenging dark informative slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was my first time experiencing The Silmarillion, and thanks to Andy Serkis' expert narration, I was hooked from the beginning! I was inspired by the opening insights from the editor into the book's creation; it really got me excited to continue working on my own stories!

I loved learning the origins of the dwarves and the ents, and little details like why orcs can't stand sunlight. But it was challenging to keep all the names of people and places straight, especially in the opening chapters. The first half of the book was really tough, but then it started to pay off! Starting with the story of Beren and Lúthien, things became epic and awesome!

This book also gave me a whole new perspective on the elves. In The Lord of the Rings, they're like perfect angels, lofty and near-omnipotent, but here we see they're just as hot-headed and foolhardy as any other race, which makes them rather hypocritical in their looking down upon dwarves, men, and hobbits.

Finishing the main part of The Silmarillion was so satisfying.
I loved how each Silmaril ended up in a natural place: the sky, the sea, and the Earth's core. Very fable-like.
And there was still so much interesting content after that which helped tie the book very closely to the main series. All in all, I really enjoyed this experience and I'm so glad I finally gave it a try!

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