tk102 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Seems like there are two types of Tolkien fans, those that love the Silmarillion and those that can't read it or have never tried. It's a completely different style of writing that alienates the more mainstream fans who love Tolkien's dialog and caters to those who love the epic storyline. Anyone else out there in the latter group? Do you have a favorite character or theme?
ckcsaber Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I have the book laying around somewhere, but I've never really given it the time of day.
tk102 Posted December 7, 2004 Author Posted December 7, 2004 It's worth a read, or if you have the means, Bernard Shaw does an excellent reading of it on a CD box set.
Darth333 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 tk102 in the Swamp! Taking a break from programming? Can't tell you in what group I am yet, gotta try The Silmarillion first
tk102 Posted December 7, 2004 Author Posted December 7, 2004 What can I say this forum is just compelling. Like a car wreck. You just have to have a look at it. The two types are those that love the Silmarillion and those that can't read it or have never tried so that would put you in the 2nd group.
edlib Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I've never made it all the way through from beginning to end... although I've probably read all of it by now by just skipping around. It's a really hard book to get into. It's like reading a history textbook for an imaginary place.
--ZeeMan-- Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 i think there are 3 gropus those that have read it those that have heard of it but haven't read it those that haven't heard of it i'm in the group that's heard of it but hasn't read it (prolly will later on)
narfblat Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Lets stop at 3 groups. a thread got closed for that earlier this week.There are two kinds of people...
Astrotoy7 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I would love to find the time to read it one day In the meantime, I happily "blitzread" SW EU and Forgotten Realms novels by the dozen mtfbwya
LightNinja Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 i once tryed to read the silmarilion but it was around 5 years ago and i didnt understand nothing, ill try to read it soon but you can put me in the group that can't read it or have never tryed.
IG-64 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I've been meaning to read it, just preoccupied with other books at the moment, such as The Count of Monte Cristo.
coupes. Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Read it. Loved it. I do have to agree that it's not an esay book to read, but I foundthe best thing to do was to refer to the glossary at the end anytime you have a doubt about a character's name or a location. You can also try to find some maps of Middle Earth from that era on the Intwrnet if you are a more visual person. The book contains a lot of background info on the different races and you learn more about the Rise of Sauron and how the one ring really controls the others. You also have a lot more details on the reason of the presence of the Ranges in the North and about their longevity and strenght.
tk102 Posted December 7, 2004 Author Posted December 7, 2004 (tk102 shakes coupes hand) I found the whole story arc gave me more satisfaction than LotR alone. Knowing the rich history of the Elves makes LotR so much better. I guarantee that you'll see Galadriel in a different way. Plus you'll catch small references that you wouldn't otherwise -- for example in the Council of Elrond there's a compliment paid to Frodo by Elrond that has tremendous weight that would mean nothing to those who haven't read The S.
Joe© Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Originally posted by tk102 (tk102 shakes coupes hand) I found the whole story arc gave me more satisfaction than LotR alone. Knowing the rich history of the Elves makes LotR so much better. I guarantee that you'll see Galadriel in a different way. Plus you'll catch small references that you wouldn't otherwise -- for example in the Council of Elrond there's a compliment paid to Frodo by Elrond that has tremendous weight that would mean nothing to those who haven't read The S. one of the best books he ever wrote, I loved it but none of the guys I tried to get to read it could understand it ('sept SD)
Pie™ Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I love it. Moreso than LotR even. I think my favourite characters might be Maedhros, son of Fëanor, and possibly Beren. I adore the tale of Beren and Luthien
manoman81 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Well, it's been a while since I've been here.... Anyways, I'm in the middle of the book right now. So much more in the LOTR books and movies make sense since I've started reading. I just keep getting confused on where things are between the two stories. But, other than that, it's been a good read so far. I would really like to read the Lost Stories next.
Spider AL Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I've read it many times, but let's not get pretentious here... it's not a story. It's a dry tome of mythological snippets. It serves to add even more depth to an already insanely deep backstory for LotR, but it cannot stand alone. It's merely an appendix to the narrative of the War of the Ring.
tk102 Posted December 7, 2004 Author Posted December 7, 2004 it's not a story. It's a dry tome of mythological snippets. On the contrary, it is a story with heroes and villains. Just because it is not a novel per se, does not invalidate it as a story.
jon_hill987 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 i think there are 4... Only joking! Never read it, have heard of it, will read it one day.
Darth333 Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Originally posted by IG-64 I've been meaning to read it, just preoccupied with other books at the moment, such as The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved that book by Dumas. In fact most of Dumas' is quite entertaining. You rarely get bored. And I just bought the Silmarillion at lunchtime. I'll give it a try
weiderudare Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I read it..Might read it again... But since he wrote like 4 books, all with the nearly the same stories, just with different details... I got bored and skimmed through them... Might read the Silmarillion again though, now that I realize I actually have them at the highest corner of my bookshelf, next to the Harry Potter books(I have no idea how they got there ...)
Prime Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I'm actually reading it right now. I found it a little slow to start, but now I am finding it very interesting. I love the LOTR universe, and this provides an excellent backstory. It isn't the easiest read, but it is well worth it, IMO.
Pie™ Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 I have to add something... If you like the Silmarillion, and wouldn't mind getting even more depth to the stories there, check out the Unfinished Tales. Absolutely recommended
The_One Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Originally posted by Pie™ I have to add something... If you like the Silmarillion, and wouldn't mind getting even more depth to the stories there, check out the Unfinished Tales. Absolutely recommended And then the 12 book series charting the entire history of Middle-Earth - that is a daunting read!
Pie™ Posted December 7, 2004 Posted December 7, 2004 Originally posted by The_One And then the 12 book series charting the entire history of Middle-Earth - that is a daunting read! But weren't those written entirely by Christopher Tolkien? Unfinished Tales was, like the Silmarillion, only finished by Cristopher... Besides, I've been told by different people that the series isn't very good...
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