The Silmarillion by J.R.R. TolkienMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a glorious story!
Like a painter who first crafts a detail closeup, and then fills in the whole landscape, Tolkien zooms out from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He deftly fills in the history of Middle Earth from its beginnings to the passing of the elves, shortly after the Trilogy ends.
I’ll confess, much of the middle of the history was encyclopedic, sometimes tedious, and hard to slog through. But the creation account resonates richly with Scripture. And the summary at the end shows with much satisfaction how events led up to Tolkien’s original stories.
The major theme throughout is how the faithful have to work together in unity to recognize evil, and agree to work together against it. Otherwise it will grow and overpower the good.
If you’re a deep fan, you’ve read it already, or should read this straight through.
If you read the trilogy and loved it, then I recommend reading the first and last chapter first. Dip into the rest as you have interest.
4 stars!
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