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A review by amylovesbooksandyarn
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I first tried to the Simarillion when I was 15 after loving the Lords of the Rings Trilogy.
I was not ready for it. I was confused, over whelmed by names and places and put it aside for 20 years.
I have in the last 18 months got very much back into my love of high fantasy (thanks mostly to Falmouth Bookseller for hosting Alan Lee Tolkein and Samantha Shannon events)
I finally felt ready to retackle this book.
At the start it did still take time and many trips to the family tree at the back to remember who was who but after the initial section it began to flow much better and I really got into it.
With so many characters in quite a limited page run per character, it is hard to get the level of connection you do to the characters of the hobbit and the lord of the rings. However it is fascinating to learn about what came before and how Sauron ended up as the shadow like figure who was re-emerging in these tales.
I do accept that Tolkein was a linguist however one name per character and place name would have made this more accessible.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I was not ready for it. I was confused, over whelmed by names and places and put it aside for 20 years.
I have in the last 18 months got very much back into my love of high fantasy (thanks mostly to Falmouth Bookseller for hosting Alan Lee Tolkein and Samantha Shannon events)
I finally felt ready to retackle this book.
At the start it did still take time and many trips to the family tree at the back to remember who was who but after the initial section it began to flow much better and I really got into it.
With so many characters in quite a limited page run per character, it is hard to get the level of connection you do to the characters of the hobbit and the lord of the rings. However it is fascinating to learn about what came before and how Sauron ended up as the shadow like figure who was re-emerging in these tales.
I do accept that Tolkein was a linguist however one name per character and place name would have made this more accessible.
⭐⭐⭐⭐