Justin
Explorer
So I've read the LotR trilogy once and had many issues with it, not the least of which were annoying hobbits and the, at times, overly flowerly language. However, I love rich and detailed worlds in fantasy and science fiction, and a recent posting at Slashdot (spoiler-block quoted below for convenience) made me wonder whether I'd like the Silmarillion:
[sblock]
The thing that I liked most about the Silmarillion was that it gave such a depth to Lord of the Rings. Firsly, the tale weaves into the fabric that Elrond is actually the Great^1000 Uncle of Aragorn, and that his own family was also rocked by the whole Human/Elf tradgedy (His own father was human) and that while he chose the elven path, his brother Elross chose the human, becoming the first king of the Numenoreans.
Reading stuff like this really makes the tale so incredibly rich with the characters not disparate people but throughout the history of Middle-Earth, the charaters are rich, complex and intertwined through more than just events.
While I think Peter Jackson hinted at the Elrond/Aragorn connection through the way that Elrond tried to spare his daughter the pain of the Human/Elf tradgedy (whom he experienced personally). Though in the book, not much was made of this tradgedy (correct me if I am wrong) in the way that it was in the Silmarillion.
The silmarillion also paints the pictures of the Mia (angel-like creatures) and that Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron and even Blarogs are all forms of Mia. The book resonates with the choices of the characters. Even Balrogs (Morgoth's captains) have "good" equivalents that are beings of fire (I think in one passage one being volunteered to pull to sun and/or a star). The difference between the Balrog and this being of fire was essentially their choices.
Very cool stuff, very detailed story. And I expect that the Children of Hurin will only add to the tapestry of Middle Eath in subtle and wonderful ways bringing colour to areas we had not even considered before. I think also that the 30 years of "seasoning" that Christopher Tolkien has brought to the story will do justice to his Father's legacy.[/sblock]
One other point I can make is that I'd like to get more interested in reading real history, but I've found it difficult (with a few small exceptions) to get into. A lot of comments I've read about the Silmarillion is that it can be quite dry. That got me wondering if this it would help me, stylistically, towards reading real history.
So for those of you who've read it, do you think I might have a chance of liking this book?
Justin
[sblock]
The thing that I liked most about the Silmarillion was that it gave such a depth to Lord of the Rings. Firsly, the tale weaves into the fabric that Elrond is actually the Great^1000 Uncle of Aragorn, and that his own family was also rocked by the whole Human/Elf tradgedy (His own father was human) and that while he chose the elven path, his brother Elross chose the human, becoming the first king of the Numenoreans.
Reading stuff like this really makes the tale so incredibly rich with the characters not disparate people but throughout the history of Middle-Earth, the charaters are rich, complex and intertwined through more than just events.
While I think Peter Jackson hinted at the Elrond/Aragorn connection through the way that Elrond tried to spare his daughter the pain of the Human/Elf tradgedy (whom he experienced personally). Though in the book, not much was made of this tradgedy (correct me if I am wrong) in the way that it was in the Silmarillion.
The silmarillion also paints the pictures of the Mia (angel-like creatures) and that Gandalf, Saruman, Sauron and even Blarogs are all forms of Mia. The book resonates with the choices of the characters. Even Balrogs (Morgoth's captains) have "good" equivalents that are beings of fire (I think in one passage one being volunteered to pull to sun and/or a star). The difference between the Balrog and this being of fire was essentially their choices.
Very cool stuff, very detailed story. And I expect that the Children of Hurin will only add to the tapestry of Middle Eath in subtle and wonderful ways bringing colour to areas we had not even considered before. I think also that the 30 years of "seasoning" that Christopher Tolkien has brought to the story will do justice to his Father's legacy.[/sblock]
One other point I can make is that I'd like to get more interested in reading real history, but I've found it difficult (with a few small exceptions) to get into. A lot of comments I've read about the Silmarillion is that it can be quite dry. That got me wondering if this it would help me, stylistically, towards reading real history.
So for those of you who've read it, do you think I might have a chance of liking this book?
Justin
