Posted: 4/11/2010 12:52:08 AM EDT
| Difficult reading for the first few chapters, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Thoughts? |
|
IT was at once the most interesting book I've read, and a sure cure for insomnia.
Fascinating piece of Tolkein history! If you've read it... look for his authorized biography by Humphrey Carpenter. I got one at a used book store for $2.00 or so, and treasure it. The pic of his wife (at about 20 or so) is a carbon copy of a woman my brother dated briefly. |
|
I sort of read things out of sequence. I tried to read the Hobbit years ago and just couldn't stick with it.
After the movies came out I read the trilogy and the read the Silmarilion. I too thought it was a great book and found it very interesting. It was an easy read for me and I liked all the "history" and backgroud on their world. I read the Hobbit last and ths time around found it much easier to read. |
|
I enjoyed the Silmarillion as a standalone work, but even more as a background/creation story for the Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy.
Another +1 for Carpenter's Tolkien biography; also check out The Road to Middle-Earth |
|
For a podcast discussion of the Simarillion and all of Tollkien's books, check out The Tolkien Professor. He has recordings of his class this spring semester, and more in-depth podcasts that are only working through the Hobbit so far. I was very impressed by some of the concepts in the discussions, they made me look at the books in new depth and as an engineer think "maybe there is a little something to this literature thing anyways".
That said, I skipped the recordings on the Simarillion and have never read it... As that professor says in the start of the course, paraphrasing "There's a lot of reading in this course so you need to keep up, especially towards the end of the LOTR... And the Simarillion, which is not as long but feels much longer". |
|
Quoted:
read all of tolkein's books their alright but i found them to be long winded and hard to stay interested in liked robert jorden much better is this an e e cummings fan we have here or is this person just a lazy typist or truly illiterate no capitalization no punctutation incorrect grammar incorrect usage failure to use pronouns still i have to ask because the spelling is correct so i suspect he may be pulling our legs a bit (j/k) I've read many of Tolkien's books concerning the Ring. They are my favorite stories, ever. This list has most but not all of the ones I've read. Lord of the Rings (>20 readings) The Hobbit (>5 readings) Unfinished Tales (2-3 readings) Tolkien's Letters (>2 readings) Silmarillion (~10 readings) Children of Hurin (read twice) |
|
Quoted:
Difficult reading for the first few chapters, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Thoughts? Best book ever. I read it when I was nine and Tolkien became a permanent part of my life after that. I read the Silmarillion at least once a year up until about six years ago. Enjoy the story. When you're done, move on to Unfinished Tales. |
|
Quoted:
For a podcast discussion of the Simarillion and all of Tollkien's books, check out The Tolkien Professor. He has recordings of his class this spring semester, and more in-depth podcasts that are only working through the Hobbit so far. I was very impressed by some of the concepts in the discussions, they made me look at the books in new depth and as an engineer think "maybe there is a little something to this literature thing anyways". That said, I skipped the recordings on the Simarillion and have never read it... As that professor says in the start of the course, paraphrasing "There's a lot of reading in this course so you need to keep up, especially towards the end of the LOTR... And the Simarillion, which is not as long but feels much longer". Many thanks, mPisi, that was a great link. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Difficult reading for the first few chapters, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Thoughts? Best book ever. I read it when I was nine and Tolkien became a permanent part of my life after that. I read the Silmarillion at least once a year up until about six years ago. Enjoy the story. When you're done, move on to Unfinished Tales. Unfinished Tales was excellent- various unpublished details or different perspectives on other Tolkien stories. I particularly enjoyed "The Hunt for the Ring," although all of it was good. I also liked The Tolkien Reader-"Farmer Giles of Ham" is extraordinary. |