The Silmarillion: A Review

As most of you know, I have sworn to become a Tolkien nerd. One of my first steps in this direction was to check out The Silmarillion from my library a few weeks ago.

At first I was a little overwhelmed to start it. After all, it’s a couple hundred pages written in a difficult style with a lot of information. However, one morning I woke up really early—too early to get out of bed, but too awake to fall back to sleep. I picked this book up off my stack of TBR and started reading. Eight days later, I had finished it.

My first thought after reading this book is that Tolkien was a genius. To create something so vibrantly new and unique was a huge literary feat. I don’t know of any other writer who developed such a full and detailed backstory that never would show up too much on the pages of his works like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. In my opinion this book strongly reinforces the C. S. Lewis quote:

“Nobody influenced Tolkien. You might as well try to influence a bandersnatch.”

My second thought is that this book is not an easy read, but it’s completely worth it. I was inspired by almost every page. For fantasy writers, this is a must-read. It’s a look into the notes and thoughts of one of the greatest fantasy writers of all time. In reading this book I learned so much, not only about Tolkien’s writing style, but also about worldbuilding, a skill I’ve always loved but also struggled with.

Fantasy writers, read this book. You won’t regret it.

My third and last large impression was that all fans of the Lord of the Rings books should seriously consider reading this. Do you love the world of Middle-earth? Trust me, reading The Silmarillion is going to deepen your love and understanding of Tolkien’s world. It’s absolutely fascinating.

After reading The Silmarillion, I have countless new ideas in my arsenal for this category that I can’t wait to write about and share with you guys, one of which will possibly be about Tolkien’s history and timeline in light of The Rings of Power television show. Not to mention, there will also be a lot about Tolkien’s characters that I was unaware of before now. I plan on also reading more of the histories and notes so that I can get a clearer idea of The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

What about you? Have you read The Silmarillion? Are you a Tolkien fan? Comment below and let me know! I always love hearing other thoughts.