Review: Silmarillion

Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book actually gets better every time I read it, something that probably has to do with the fact that I get older each time I do. First time I read it was when the LotR movies came out, which means I must've been between 12 and 14. Yeah. A little too young. My next attempt, I think, was at 20, when I understood it better but still didn't love it. It wasn't until two years ago, when I was finally digging into the history of Middle-Earth and more obscure knowledge that I truly appreciated it. This time, I loved it.

I mean, yes, I had to consult the family trees a little too much to keep track of everything, but for once, I actually DID. Probably because I've spent these past years learning more about the events of this book, meaning I had a deeper understanding of what to expect when I started it. This isn't exactly a good selling-point for a book, but come on, if you're ready to read this book you're already a bit of a Tolkien nerd and should be able to deal with the consequences.

I'm actually almost tempted to read the Books of Lost Tales and Unfished Tales again now, since I know they deal with much of the same stories as in this one, but more detailed. Although, maybe not. My plan is to move on to Hobbit and then LotR, getting the story in chronological order for once.

Is it bad that I pictured Tom Hiddleston!Loki as Feanor? Yeah, I don't even care. But as fun as that is, after a reread I am more convinced than ever that we're not gonna see a movie adaption of this any time soon, if ever. Apart from the legal issues, this book isn't really filmable in any sense. Maybe one or few tales from it, but let's be real, why would they do that?

Anyway, I'm happy that I'm enjoying this more each time. It would suck if it was the other way around.

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True story.