Review: THE SILMARILLION by JRR Tolkein

This is a prequel to both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, and consists of a collection of Elvish legends. It is not so much a coherent story as a group of texts written throughout Tolkein's life and hammered into shape after his death by his son, Christopher.

I found it easy to admire, but hard to love. Tolkein created Middle Earth as a place to put his Elvish language, and saw these legends as far more important than his more popular works. That may be true, but "important" doesn't equal "interesting".

To put it bluntly, this is a boring book. I can only recommend it for the most obsessive Tolkein fan.