To start this off, the Silmarillion is the mythology, the groundwork for his vast legendarium, that spans Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. It is a collection of Tolkien's tales of the First Age, specifically the feud between Morgoth and the Elves, and the War of the Jewels. It was published after Tolkien's death by his son, Christopher.

The Silmarillion is not a standard book, more of a history of a mythology, a collection of tales, rather than a novel. It does not suffer from this, as some books might (for instance, the Stormlight Archive could not be a history, it needs a novel format), it tales the story of an entire age in one novel, showcasing the arc of the Eldar and the Edain (the elves and men), as well as certain heroes. Now, one of the most popular criticisms of Tolkien (that the lines of black and white are drawn too clearly, no shade of gray, no tragedy) are completely blown away by this novel. Turin Turambar, in particular, disproves all these, leading a tragic life full of darkness.

As for the novel itself, Tolkien creates a convincing image of a history, with many events and tragedies throughout the story, but with a few exceptions, such as Beren and Luthien and Turin, it feels impersonal. The characters are not connected to you, they are merely there. And unfortunately for it, the novel is quite simply unfinished. The end is climactic, but not well described and unfinished, being pieced together from notes by the editor. It feels as if it is a notebook of a history, not complete.

Now, don't get me wrong, this book is one of my favorites ever. I love the characters, the storyline, the tragedy, the suffering, and the very real depicition of greed and what comes after. It seems very real, like the natural order of events if something like this ever happened. It's rooted in history and folklore, and the inspirations truly create a beautful masterpiece.

Final Rating: 8.5/10