Ala. blacksnake

I've never read the LOTR trilogy, and I'm wondering whether I should read the trilogy (maybe The Hobbit first) followed by Silmarillion so that I can get the history of the world? Or is it better to read Silmarillion first? I'm geeky when it comes to fantasy stuff so I don't really mind reading about the history of Middle-Earth...

thanks for the help.

tokaok

no read hobbit then lord, only read silm afterwards if you reallly really want to.

Mr.Deflok

What he said. Silmarillion is brilliant but I hate Chris Tolkien, or at least dislike his snotty ass very much.

Tophat665

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.

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Charlatan

Definately read Hobbit and LOTR first before you read the Silmarillion.

The Hobbit is really aimed a children, the writing while excellent is somehow simpler than what is found in LOTR. LOTR is long but thoroughly rewarding.

After you read the Return of the King make sure you read through the Appendeces. If you like the tone and the addition information found there then you will probably enjoy reading the Silmarillion.

(the story of Beren and Luthien is one of the best and most fully realized)

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bobbobbobbob

Hobbit sets up the pre-story for Lord of the Rings very well, so definitely read it first. Expect a big jump in style/reading difficulty as you go from Hobbit -> LOTR -> Silmarillion.

Ace_O_Spades

Hobbit -> LOTR -> Silmarillion -> Book of Lost Tales

silmarillion gives away the lord of the rings if you read it first.

My all time favorite story comes out of the Silmarillion and Book of Lost tales... and it involves Turin, and his ass backwards life

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-Ever-

I've your serious about these books, you can get a reference type-book to bring along with you while you read. There are tons of names and lands that you might/will forget as you read the four books. You can go through them and still enjoy the read if you forget these, but if you take your time to look up forgotton names, you can really get into it and understand the depth of the story even more.

-T

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rev_skarekroe

I recommend this order:

The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings (including appendices)
Unfinished Tales (3rd age section)
The Silmarillion

If you make it through the Silmarillion (the best stuff is toward the middle), read the rest of Unfinished Tales. If you still want more (and many of us do) pick up whichever History of Middle Earth books strike your fancy (these are the history of Tolkien's conception of Middle Earth btw, not a fictional account of Tolkien's world).
I'd also recommend Robert Foster's "Complete Guide to Middle Earth" as an excellent reference, though the page numbers it gives are generally for editions that no longer exist, and it covers Tolkien's works only through Silmarilion.

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Moobie

Here's a question for you guys. I've heard that in one of the books they talk about the creation of the swords. Sting, Glamdring, etc. I've read Hobbit, LOTR, and the Silmarillion (in that order), but it doesn't mention anything about those swords and how they were created and for what purpose. Does anyone know where that information would reside?

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Slavakion

For some reason I think it's in the Silmarillion. But I could be wrong. (yeah, I know you said that you read it, but Sil is one of those books where you might mind-blank for a couple paragraphs and not notice.)

Fremen

I was reading in my Science Fiction Book Club newsletter that they came out with "The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two".
Has anyone read it?
It was edited by Christopher Tolkien, and I know how some of you feel about him, so please kindly tone down the scorn and give your overall opinion of the book if you will, please.

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Moobie

No it's not in the Sil, while I was reading that entire book I was thinking about the making of these swords and I know it's not in there. I thinking it might be in the Lost Tales books, but I've not read those yet, I too was wondering if anyone had.

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rev_skarekroe

"The Book of Lost Tales" volumes are part of a series called "The History of Middle Earth" in which Christopher Tolkien compiles all the notes and drafts J.R.R. Tolkien left behind regarding the world he created. The "Lost Tales" books specifically are very early versions of what would eventually become "The Silmarillion". I'd recommend it only to hardcore Tolkien fans.

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