Ok. I admit it. I finished reading Tolkien's Silmarillion weeks ago. In the meantime I've cruised through The Belgariad series (five books) by David Eddings and am halfway through the final book of his Mallorean series (five books as well). Curse me and my book review writing procrastination.
If you're a Tolkien fan, the Silmarillion is amazing. Don't get me wrong, it's tough to read and tough to get through. Definitely worth the effort though.
Why's it so hard? Written using what is most easily described as Old English or Shakespearean, the style and tone are difficult to get a grip on. It's heavy and dense. For those familiar with LOTR, it's a far cry from the easy readability those books had. There are many characters with similar names, and many characters with more than one name. I found myself frequently flipping to the name index in the back of the book (which completely ruled) to figure out who we were talking about.
Even though it's a little tough to read, the stories are amazing. Epic and heartbreaking, Tolkien pulled no punches. Face it: in life, sometimes we get screwed. In Middle Earth, it wasn't sometimes. People got screwed almost all the time.
And that's part of what makes it so great. The hardships and difficulties, losses and tragedy that plague the different races in the Silmarillion set the scene for the incredible triumph we see in LOTR.
The Silmarillion is written and edited with the same care and attention to detail that went into the other books. The stories are enthralling and addictive. This is definitely one book I plan to read again, well worth the effort and the time.
excellent review -- everything i had to say. good book, hard to read.