|
What tokaok and Mr. Deflock said. The Silmarillion is bone dry. Positively fricking arid. Young Christopher sucked all the juice out of the story when he edited it, or at least failed to bring the engaging. (Flatulating Butt-Head that he is.) That may be too harsh, but it reads like a college history text.
The Hobbit, OTOH, is pure story. Well paced, and fairly entertaining, with very little by way of big picture. LOTR is also a fine story, but Tolkien gets bogged down in setting and background from time to time - if you think the movies were overblown, think about watching them with a real Tolkien Geek to explain all the inside references.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love every one of the books. They are part of what I am, and I cannot reccommend them highly enough, but if you don't take them in order and build your interest in the subject matter, then the Silmarillion will be a painful ordeal.
__________________
Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns.
Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.
|