A tip for reading the Silm, for anyone that wants to, is to read a chapter at a time. They are relatively self contained and it makes learning the names easier.
The unabridged audiobook is well worth it. It’s very pleasant. There’s something about it, I feel good listening to it. You also get to here the proper pronunciation of the names, titles and places. I listen to it when autumn rolls in.
Any particular narrator for the Silmarillion? I was planning to read that next. Audio CDs would be great for the car or while I’m working around the house really sounds like the way to go. I’m totally hooked on Tolkien’s LOTR. Avid fan. It took me well over a decade until I “got it.” I’m half-way into reading the hard copy of LOTR, along w/ Joseph Pearce’s wonderful commentary. (Finished “The Hobbit” and the corresponding commentary by Joseph Pearce a couple of weeks ago.) I’m biased as he is a friend, but I highly recommend Joseph Pearce’s commentaries! You will find none better on the market. Very user-friendly, relaxed in tone, both relatively short, yet chock-full of insights. I especially enjoyed how Pearce brought out some aspects of Tolkien’s wordplay (based upon the Old Norse and Anglo- Saxon languages) that provided further understanding of the characters and their psyches. Marvelous Easter egg sort of stuff! It may sound dry perhaps, but that is solely because of my own limited ability in describing these delicious bits of information. I guarantee this is a fun ride. “What’s in a name?” Well, with Tolkien a considerable amount! The chapter on “Dragon Sickness” was especially fascinating and I have to admit my copy is absolutely bleeding yellow highlighter! Not only does Pearce delve into the hidden meanings behind names, he also explores “ultimate concerns” as a part of Tolkien’s deep Catholic faith and spirituality. Tolkien believed these hard questions of Belief to be key in both Bilbo’s and Frodo’s journeys from child-like innocence to mature adulthood and ultimately, to fullness of life as God intended. And key to our own as well.
This is the first time I’ve ever needed a audiobook to understand a lot of the content. Even with that, I’m still not finished 😂 I hate not understanding things, and it’s nearly impossible to do that on the first read, so I’ve just been rereading and rehearing sections over and over.
Rather than a History book, id say the Silmarillion is Middle Earth's Bible. Its a telling of the creation of the Earth as well as a bunch of stories that serve as a morality compass
I skipped the geography part because I've never been good with locations. But I made the extra work to memorize the Noldor family tree (and to some extent Beor's family tree) and the most important locations that appear a lot. That made the Silmarillion pretty manageable, and I finished it in 2 weeks. It was very enjoyable, extremely dense writing in the beginning, but it got easier after a while.
Yeah i recommend taking notes for sure. I was like 10 when i started that and unfinished tales. I was reading at a college level, id always been ahead, but even then i filled a whole notebook with notes which is the ONLY way I could have done it... Trying to do it without left me having to keep the appendix open in my rotk copy lol
I’m currently listening on audiobook because I tried reading it myself 😅 it’s a bit better but I still find myself pausing and rewinding to re-listen. Im very interested just hard to follow along with at times.
sooo true. had to approach it in my first language to cut the reading time. you need to read something else at the same time just to not end up in a reading slump.
After watching the bombshell that is the rings of power, shortly after rewatching the lotr trilogy. I’m not motivated to attempt the Silmarillion series. Anyone have good map / family tree resources for reference?
You haven't truly read the Simarillion if you haven't had to spend half the time looking through maps and family trees while trying to remember who did what in the story. It's part of the experience, and it's what I love so much about the book, it feels so real and alive, as if it was an actual world. It never bothered me how many characters there were, nor how convoluted everything became, I still loved it, and I would love to read it again someday.
I read the Silmarillion this year, and something that really helped is watching chapter break downs on YT. After every chapter I would watch a recap video of that chapter. It also helped to tab the family trees and take notes on them so you can easily refer back to them.
Can you kindly email me your maps and family trees? I want to better understand this myself. Or, be so kind as to show me where to get that info? My boi had the exact information as to learn precisely what he was reading.
I have witched 100s of hours of first and second age lore to prepare myself for reading this 😂 im very excited to dive into the full expanse armed with vague knowledge of lineages and family histories, it should be fun! And once im done i will be tackling the 4 books in order to truly understand all the references and nuance
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The Silmarillion is fantastic! Definitely a challenging read though.
What a more intermediate read? Thanks
@@theArchive1O As far as Tolkien goes, at least from what I've read, you could go with LOTR or Children of Húrin! Cheers
A tip for reading the Silm, for anyone that wants to, is to read a chapter at a time. They are relatively self contained and it makes learning the names easier.
@@austenishoss Good idea.
@@austenishosshow else do you read a book?
2-3 weeks is pretty fast for a first timer really.
You can finish it even earlier at 1-2 weeks. One week tops
One of the best books in all of history
It's like the Middle Earth Bible
Just wait. You get obsessed enough with it, you'll be able to RECITE those family trees!
The unabridged audiobook is well worth it. It’s very pleasant. There’s something about it, I feel good listening to it. You also get to here the proper pronunciation of the names, titles and places. I listen to it when autumn rolls in.
Any particular narrator for the Silmarillion? I was planning to read that next. Audio CDs would be great for the car or while I’m working around the house really sounds like the way to go.
I’m totally hooked on Tolkien’s LOTR. Avid fan. It took me well over a decade until I “got it.” I’m half-way into reading the hard copy of LOTR, along w/ Joseph Pearce’s wonderful commentary. (Finished “The Hobbit” and the corresponding commentary by Joseph Pearce a couple of weeks ago.) I’m biased as he is a friend, but I highly recommend Joseph Pearce’s commentaries! You will find none better on the market. Very user-friendly, relaxed in tone, both relatively short, yet chock-full of insights.
I especially enjoyed how Pearce brought out some aspects of Tolkien’s wordplay (based upon the Old Norse and Anglo- Saxon languages) that provided further understanding of the characters and their psyches. Marvelous Easter egg sort of stuff! It may sound dry perhaps, but that is solely because of my own limited ability in describing these delicious bits of information. I guarantee this is a fun ride. “What’s in a name?” Well, with Tolkien a considerable amount!
The chapter on “Dragon Sickness” was especially fascinating and I have to admit my copy is absolutely bleeding yellow highlighter! Not only does Pearce delve into the hidden meanings behind names, he also explores “ultimate concerns” as a part of Tolkien’s deep Catholic faith and spirituality. Tolkien believed these hard questions of Belief to be key in both Bilbo’s and Frodo’s journeys from child-like innocence to mature adulthood and ultimately, to fullness of life as God intended. And key to our own as well.
This is the first time I’ve ever needed a audiobook to understand a lot of the content. Even with that, I’m still not finished 😂 I hate not understanding things, and it’s nearly impossible to do that on the first read, so I’ve just been rereading and rehearing sections over and over.
Rather than a History book, id say the Silmarillion is Middle Earth's Bible. Its a telling of the creation of the Earth as well as a bunch of stories that serve as a morality compass
Love The Silmarilion.
Tolkien is just a genious . Tolkien is my live , I love his novels , history , everything! 😘😘😘
I skipped the geography part because I've never been good with locations. But I made the extra work to memorize the Noldor family tree (and to some extent Beor's family tree) and the most important locations that appear a lot. That made the Silmarillion pretty manageable, and I finished it in 2 weeks. It was very enjoyable, extremely dense writing in the beginning, but it got easier after a while.
Welcome to the club! As a critic once asked, “How did one man become the cultural equivalent of a people?”
Jrr Tolkien occupation :
World War I veteran
And a Catholic
Who said that ??? And he def didnt read it in 2-3 weeks thats a massive book LMFAOOOOOO I call cap
i love the biblical writing style of silmarillion 🔥 quite creative
As someone who also just finished The Silmarillion… I get it Richard this is so true for first time readers
This was me when I decided to binge watch every main timeline Gundam show lmao
Yeah i recommend taking notes for sure. I was like 10 when i started that and unfinished tales. I was reading at a college level, id always been ahead, but even then i filled a whole notebook with notes which is the ONLY way I could have done it... Trying to do it without left me having to keep the appendix open in my rotk copy lol
It’s a tragedy, an oh so bittersweet tragedy. 😢 It’s still probably my favorite work of fiction. ❤️
You can't compare Sanderson with Tolkien. That's like comparing your best local takeaway with fine cuisine.
This is why I reserved the illustrated edition as well. Can’t hurt. The Silmarillion isn’t an
easy read at all.
I’m currently listening on audiobook because I tried reading it myself 😅 it’s a bit better but I still find myself pausing and rewinding to re-listen. Im very interested just hard to follow along with at times.
I read it four or five times in my teens and the first couple of times I read through it I did a lot of cross referencing.
Honestly 2-3 weeks is so fast dude. Took me about a month/month and a half, but I also REALLY took my time cause I wanted to grasp everything
I also had to print out the family trees 😂
I knew most of the lore and families before getting to it so the read was easier
sooo true. had to approach it in my first language to cut the reading time.
you need to read something else at the same time just to not end up in a reading slump.
Long may the thrones of the Valar endure!
I’m had the same issue with Dune.
Me I took about 3-4 weeks to read the Silmarillion. It's actually confusing half the time. Finished reading it yesterday.
2-3 weeks is a long read for you? What kind of a speed reader are you?
He said 2-3 weeks like that was a long time. Bro the Silmarillion is gonna take me atleast two months.
This is what our version of the Bible would be in middle earth
Yeah its alot but the more you get it the more epic the story becomes..
After watching the bombshell that is the rings of power, shortly after rewatching the lotr trilogy. I’m not motivated to attempt the Silmarillion series. Anyone have good map / family tree resources for reference?
The notes at the end of Return of the King are a good place to start. All the main ones are there
You haven't truly read the Simarillion if you haven't had to spend half the time looking through maps and family trees while trying to remember who did what in the story. It's part of the experience, and it's what I love so much about the book, it feels so real and alive, as if it was an actual world. It never bothered me how many characters there were, nor how convoluted everything became, I still loved it, and I would love to read it again someday.
2 or 3 weeks??? It’s been months for me
The Silmarillion isn't a novel, it's a history book. A Bible.
Minha filha de 11 anos terminou de lê o Hobbit é disse:
Quero ágora o silmarilon😅
Fico imaginando o que ela vai querer lê depois dos 15 anos ❤
These are seaoned readers. If I make it through a book in a month I feel proud of myself.
Just recently bought the silmarillion and I intend to dissect and chip away at this like a block of marble
I read the Silmarillion this year, and something that really helped is watching chapter break downs on YT. After every chapter I would watch a recap video of that chapter. It also helped to tab the family trees and take notes on them so you can easily refer back to them.
Notes make it easier trust me. You'll retain more too.
Can you kindly email me your maps and family trees? I want to better understand this myself. Or, be so kind as to show me where to get that info? My boi had the exact information as to learn precisely what he was reading.
When your day job at Barnes and nobles makes you work 3 days a week , it's not easy to make time to read a book.
You don't read the silmarillion.. you study it!
Lol… I did the same thing 🎉
Took me a year😅😢
Read the Great tales of J RR token
The Silmarillion is kinda like the bible
You cannot just read the silmarillion. You need to study it😂
This sounds like 100 Years of Solitude
I have witched 100s of hours of first and second age lore to prepare myself for reading this 😂 im very excited to dive into the full expanse armed with vague knowledge of lineages and family histories, it should be fun! And once im done i will be tackling the 4 books in order to truly understand all the references and nuance