12-12-2005, 06:21 PM | #1 |
Sapling
Join Date: Dec 2005
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The Silmarillion
I quickly picked up The Silmarillion in the bookstore, the other day. I read maybe three sentences, and then it was time to go...
anyways, I'm wondering, can anyone tell me...how would you rate this book? I loved the trilogy...would I like this one too? |
12-12-2005, 06:26 PM | #2 |
of the House of Fëanor
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Ciao, Glanecia! You're brand-new here, huh? Welcome 2 the Moot! The sil is one of those tomes that one really has to make themselves get into, because they want the history & background and details of Tolkien's fantasy world. I have a hard time really wading through it, too, sometimes, I mean I bought the Sil like almost a year ago and still haven't read but a few chapters. But if you truly love Tolkien, it's a gem, to be sure. There's a lot of Silmarillion nutz here in the Moot who could give you better answers than I.
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12-12-2005, 07:05 PM | #3 |
Hobbit in the Music
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It took me 3 tries to read this book. I love the beginning, but I kept getting bogged down right after Feanor swears his oath and the Noldori go to Middle Earth. But if you can slog through the war stuff, it gets interesting again.
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12-12-2005, 10:19 PM | #4 |
Fëanáro's Fire Mistress
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I second what Elanor said...it takes about 3 times to really LOVE it...at least it did for me...it's now my favorite of Tolkien's works. I would plow through it ten go back and read LotR again then the Sil then Lotr then the Sil again...with enough time in between that you can really enjoy reading the books each time
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12-13-2005, 05:36 AM | #5 |
The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator
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The Silmarillion is very different from the Lord of the Rings (LoTR) trilogy. It is more fragmented and written in a different style, more like an anthology of short stories. The Silmarillion also spans a lot more time than the LoTR, and deals with a lot more characters (some also have similar names) so sometimes it can be difficult to keep up. You need to keep your head with it.
Whether you will like the Silmarillion is completely up to personal preference. Personally, I had no problem with getting through the book, although it took me at least another re-read to fully grasp all the characters and events. I can tell you this, though: If you liked the Elves in LoTR and the Hobbit, be prepared for a surprise!
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12-13-2005, 10:33 AM | #6 |
Advocatus Diaboli
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the best book ever written!
i'm a big fan of mythology (greek, norse, hindu, christian, etc.), and it is very much in that style... grand tales that are far less personal than the lotr i think it is very rewarding, but it certainly takes some time (and re-reading) to fully appreciate if you are having a hard time, i suggest skipping forward and reading the tale of beren and luthien... it is one of the best in the book and might get you interested enough to want to read the rest
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12-13-2005, 04:31 PM | #7 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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It's definitely not a pick-up-lightly-and-scan book! But to those who stick with it, it is WELL worth it. You might even need to take notes with some of the elvish names - there's a lot of names that start with "F" and it's easy to lose track of who is who.
Brownie's advice to skip ahead and read Beren and Luthien is good, IMO. and Earniel is right - it will just blow away the concept of elves that you probably got from LOTR and the Hobbit! It is a deep, gorgeous work, and worth the effort.
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
12-13-2005, 04:35 PM | #8 |
Hobbit in the Music
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Let's list all the F names, just for fun. I'll start.
Finwe, Feanor, Fingolfin, Fingon, Finrod, Finarfin... |
12-13-2005, 04:39 PM | #9 |
of the House of Fëanor
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Feanor's the best elf of all! Any Sil stories & passages about this complex, brilliant yet flawed, intense mega-elf are fascinating reading to me. I have a thing 4 Feanor...
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12-13-2005, 04:50 PM | #10 | |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Quote:
You have "Finrod", but remember, it's also "Finrod "Felagund" Hmm, Finduilas ... I guess that's most of the major "F" names, but it's just that they're all in the same family, so you lose track of who is who. Then there's names like Fingon and Turgon (brothers), Elwë and Olwë (brothers), Angrod and Aegnor (brothers), Galadriel and Gil-Galad, Eärendil who marries Elwing and their kids are Elrond and Elros. And all of them have multiple names! And my all-time personal favorite - Fëanor's two youngest sons, who were twins, were named by their mother "Ambarussa" and ... "Ambarussa" ! Yes, you read it right - the SAME name! (But that info isn't in the Sil, it's in one of the History of Middle Earth books.) They called each other those names, too, but they had several other names (most elves did) that were different from each other. Anyway, don't let this scare you away It's a fabulous read, and most of us had trouble getting through it at first, then just LOVED it and have read it many times.
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! Last edited by RÃan : 12-13-2005 at 04:53 PM. |
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12-13-2005, 05:19 PM | #11 | |
Warrior of the House of Hador
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Quote:
Glanecia, IMO it's better than the trilogy. When I first read it I couldn't remember much of what happened, but when I re-read it I fell in love with it. I also agree with Rian. There is a period of about five chapters, beginning with Beren and Luthien is that is my favourite part of anything I've ever read.
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Then Huor spoke and said: "Yet if it stands but a little while, then out of your house shall come the hope of Elves and Men. This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death: though we part here for ever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and me a new star shall arise. Farewell!" The Silmarillion, Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Page 230 |
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12-13-2005, 05:26 PM | #12 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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And you have a lovely quote from the Sil in your sig, TD! (and so do I - from a few pages before yours)
Wow, you got thru the Ainulindalë at 11? I adore that part, but whew! I'm impressed with you! Have you read any HoME (History of Middle Earth) books, TD? I don't remember if you have or not.
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
12-13-2005, 08:10 PM | #13 |
The Insufferable
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I always found the Silmarillion to be a mixed bag, at best, but you really can't expect a whole lot from a volume that was cobbled together from the (sometimes Illegible, frequently multi-draft) notes of the author after his death. Overall I am forced to agree with much of the criticism that has been leveled against it (even CJRT has said that he screwed up some of it), but it's still worth reading for those sublime moments, ocassional passages that are just achingly, heart stoppingly beautiful and are worth reading again and again.
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12-13-2005, 08:31 PM | #14 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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yes! The book is positively painful sometimes in its beauty ...
(Hi, Wayfarer! Nice to see you!)
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
12-14-2005, 01:15 AM | #15 | |
Hobbit in the Music
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Quote:
I know a lot of people like Feanor, but I can't stand the guy. He's just so full of himself. No sense of humor whatsoever, and he ruined the lives of hundreds of people with his doomed quest to regain the Silmarils. |
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12-14-2005, 01:22 AM | #16 | ||
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Quote:
Good one, Elanor! Quote:
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
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12-14-2005, 01:31 AM | #17 |
Elf Lord
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I think the hardest parts to read at first are at the beginning, I read it at 13 and had a hard time. It is definately worth reading though, once you figure out who everyone is. I was still working on Lord of the Rings at 11! I'm very impressed.
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12-14-2005, 12:22 PM | #18 | |
Warrior of the House of Hador
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Quote:
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Then Huor spoke and said: "Yet if it stands but a little while, then out of your house shall come the hope of Elves and Men. This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death: though we part here for ever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and me a new star shall arise. Farewell!" The Silmarillion, Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Page 230 |
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12-14-2005, 12:54 PM | #19 |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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oh, we've read pretty much the same ones, then - I really enjoyed those 5. I've also read HoME 3, The Lays of Beleriand, which is gorgeous! - I highly recommend it. And also bits of 5, The Lost Road and bits of 7, The Treason of Isengard, but I wasn't wild about those.
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
12-14-2005, 01:14 PM | #20 |
Warrior of the House of Hador
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I really enjoyed the last three, especially WotJ, as it had extensive writing on Hurin, my favourite charcter.
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Then Huor spoke and said: "Yet if it stands but a little while, then out of your house shall come the hope of Elves and Men. This I say to you, lord, with the eyes of death: though we part here for ever, and I shall not look on your white walls again, from you and me a new star shall arise. Farewell!" The Silmarillion, Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Page 230 |
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