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  • The Silmarillion

  • Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
  • Narrated by: Martin Shaw
  • Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (860 ratings)

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The Silmarillion

Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Martin Shaw
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Publisher's Summary

A thoroughly enchanting tale that sets the trajectory for the cosmos of J.R.R. Tolkien's magnificent fantasy series Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Like the dark matter at the centre of every origin story, this is a must-listen for fans who want to delve deeper into this mythical world.

The complete unabridged audiobook of J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion.

The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien’s world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part. The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor.

Included in the book are several shorter works. 'The Ainulindale' is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. 'The Akallabeth' recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age and 'Of the Rings of Power' tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings.

©1977 The Tolkien Estate Limited and C.R. Tolkien (P)1977 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

What the critics say

"How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?" ( The Guardian)
"Demanding to be compared with English mythologies...at times rises to the greatness of true myth." ( Financial Times)
"A creation of singular beauty...magnificent in its best moments." ( Washington Post)
"A grim, tragic, brooding and beautiful book, shot through with heroism and hope... its power is almost that of mysticism." ( Toronto Globe & Mail)

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What listeners say about The Silmarillion

Average Customer Ratings
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Enjoyed it

Great narration, much better than when I read it as a kid. I found it more interesting and easier to understand this time around.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Masterful narration.

A must listen for any Tolkien fanatic, even if you have read the text. A narration worthy of the Elder Days…

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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What a reading!

I have been trying to read the Silmarillion for many years, but I kept leaving the book after a few pages. This time, with the aid of Martin Shaw, I did it! And in such a wonderful way. This book... it takes you places... places of wonder, of infinite beauty and of deep sorrow. It takes you high up and so down. All that happiness and misery, all that beauty and destruction. Is one of those books in which you raise your head and wonder for a few seconds where and what you are. That moment that those who read a lot love, that moment that you wish happened to all your students. That magical moment in which you get transported by words to a where and a when imagined by another human. And thus transported.

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6 people found this helpful

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Very great story arch and history.

Found the beginning a tad boring for I knew not about the history of Middle Earth and the know Ea, but I was delightfully filled in by the end. Now I believe there needs to be a movie about Morgoth but don't tell Jeff Bezos.

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  • Overall
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The "Genesis" of Tolkein's world

It reads like the book of Genesis - the creation of the world and the epic stories of the first ages.

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3 people found this helpful

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Review of the Silmarillion

It was a joy to take in this great work once more. Martin Shaw's narration set the tone perfectly, evoking a feeling of gravitas to one of the world's greatest works.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Amazing lore, LOUD MUSIC

It is a complex book, spanning thousands of years and providing the background lore for all the races, characters and places described in the LOTR series. As other have said, its complexity can be difficult to digest in audio format, so it helps to have a physical copy to read along with.

The narration is wonderful, but be warned that there is loud music in between chapters that is kind of ear-splitting if you're wearing headphones. It feels a bit out of place, but it doesn't diminish the book in any way.

In my opinion, this title is required reading for all fans of the series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional

Simply one of the best narrations I’ve ever heard. The story, of course, is beyond reproach. A fantasy mythology of Olympian proportions, that rivals any of our own in value, relevance, and potency. No more thinking about it, just buy it and enjoy.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic!

A great way to enjoy this tome!
The history and the legends of Middle Earth.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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A great classic, not a fan of the music though

such an amazing novel, at times a little hard to follow with all the unique names.. but a must-read for any Fantasy fan! I thought the narration was fine, it was just the music that really bothered me.. it was so freaking loud at the beginning and end of chapters, and I don't think it added anything to the performance.. It was just distracting and annoying everytime it played. I kept skipping it as soon as I could once the narration would stop, but even then there's lots of times it overtop of the narration and just so distracting. If it was a little quieter it wouldn't bother me as much, but that fact that it's so loud, as almost loud as the narrator himself..

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