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The Silmarillion
- Narrated by: Martin Shaw
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
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Unfinished Tales
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien - editor
- Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Unfinished Tales is a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth to the end of the War of the Ring and provides those who have read The Lord of the Rings with a whole collection of background and new stories from the 20th century’s most acclaimed popular author.
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Brilliant handling of complex material
- By Tihemme Gagnon on 2021-05-13
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, and others
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The Children of Hurin
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Christopher Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings. The story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.
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Poorly organized
- By MistahMojoRyan on 2018-08-17
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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The Fall of Gondolin
- Written by: Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable, is central to the enmity of two of the greatest powers in the world. Morgoth of the uttermost evil seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city of his Elven enemies, while the gods in Valinor refuse to support Ulmo Lord of Waters' designs to protect it. Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, and guided unseen by Ulmo he sets out on the fearful journey to Gondolin to warn them of their coming doom.
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Excellent
- By Anonymous User on 2021-03-03
Written by: Christopher Tolkien, and others
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Beren and Lúthien
- Written by: Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal Elf. Her father, a great Elvish lord, was deeply opposed to Beren, and imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. Undaunted by Lord Thingol’s challenge, Beren and Lúthien embark on the supremely heroic attempt to rob Morgoth, the greatest of all evil beings, of a Silmaril, one of the hallowed jewels that adorn the Black Enemy’s crown.
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Good Text, Strange Format.
- By Anonymous User on 2020-11-03
Written by: Christopher Tolkien, and others
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The Fall of Númenor
- And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth
- Written by: J.R.R. Tolkien, Brian Sibley - editor
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Brian Sibley
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
J.R.R. Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a ‘dark age, and not very much of its history is (or need be) told’. And for many years readers would need to be content with the tantalizing glimpses of it found within the pages of The Lord of the Rings and its appendices, including the forging of the Rings of Power, the building of the Barad-dûr and the rise of Sauron.
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Different ratings for different readers….
- By Anastasia Beaverhausen on 2023-01-29
Written by: J.R.R. Tolkien, and others
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The Silmarillion
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
- Narrated by: Andy Serkis
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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 on the recording are several shorter works. The Ainulindalë is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabêth 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.
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Andy Serkis makes this an easy listen
- By oz on 2023-11-08
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, and others
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Unfinished Tales
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien - editor
- Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Unfinished Tales is a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth to the end of the War of the Ring and provides those who have read The Lord of the Rings with a whole collection of background and new stories from the 20th century’s most acclaimed popular author.
-
-
Brilliant handling of complex material
- By Tihemme Gagnon on 2021-05-13
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, and others
-
The Children of Hurin
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Christopher Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings. The story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.
-
-
Poorly organized
- By MistahMojoRyan on 2018-08-17
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
-
The Fall of Gondolin
- Written by: Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable, is central to the enmity of two of the greatest powers in the world. Morgoth of the uttermost evil seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city of his Elven enemies, while the gods in Valinor refuse to support Ulmo Lord of Waters' designs to protect it. Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, and guided unseen by Ulmo he sets out on the fearful journey to Gondolin to warn them of their coming doom.
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Excellent
- By Anonymous User on 2021-03-03
Written by: Christopher Tolkien, and others
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Beren and Lúthien
- Written by: Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beren was a mortal man, but Lúthien was an immortal Elf. Her father, a great Elvish lord, was deeply opposed to Beren, and imposed on him an impossible task that he must perform before he might wed Lúthien. Undaunted by Lord Thingol’s challenge, Beren and Lúthien embark on the supremely heroic attempt to rob Morgoth, the greatest of all evil beings, of a Silmaril, one of the hallowed jewels that adorn the Black Enemy’s crown.
-
-
Good Text, Strange Format.
- By Anonymous User on 2020-11-03
Written by: Christopher Tolkien, and others
-
The Fall of Númenor
- And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-Earth
- Written by: J.R.R. Tolkien, Brian Sibley - editor
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Brian Sibley
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
J.R.R. Tolkien famously described the Second Age of Middle-earth as a ‘dark age, and not very much of its history is (or need be) told’. And for many years readers would need to be content with the tantalizing glimpses of it found within the pages of The Lord of the Rings and its appendices, including the forging of the Rings of Power, the building of the Barad-dûr and the rise of Sauron.
-
-
Different ratings for different readers….
- By Anastasia Beaverhausen on 2023-01-29
Written by: J.R.R. Tolkien, and others
-
The Silmarillion
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
- Narrated by: Andy Serkis
- Length: 19 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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 on the recording are several shorter works. The Ainulindalë is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabêth 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.
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Andy Serkis makes this an easy listen
- By oz on 2023-11-08
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien, and others
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Tales from the Perilous Realm
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Combined into one volume, this is the definitive collection of Tolkien's five acclaimed modern classic 'fairie' tales in the vein of The Hobbit, read by Derek Jacobi. The five tales are written with the same skill, quality and charm that made The Hobbit a classic. Largely overlooked because of their short lengths, they are joined here in one volume which reaffirms Tolkien's place as a master storyteller for listeners young and old.
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The short stories are great, however...
- By Linda in Nepean, Canada on 2023-08-01
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Sir Derek Jacobi
- Length: 1 hr and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of poetry written by J. R. R. Tolkien and was first published in 1962. The audio is read by Sir Derek Jacobi and is a collection of 16 poems that contain an assortment of bestiary verse and fairy tale rhyme. It is a stunning recording that captures all the characters in their own charming and mysterious ways.
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Dramatised)
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Ian Holm, Michael Hordern, Robert Stephens, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Original Recording
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Part One, The Fellowship of the Ring, introduces us to Frodo Baggins. With his uncle Bilbo having mysteriously disappeared, Frodo finds himself in possession of a simple gold ring that has great and evil power. It is the Ruling Ring, taken long ago from the Dark Lord, Sauron, who now seeks to possess it again. Frodo must do everything he can to prevent this, and with the help of Gandalf the wizard and a band of loyal companions he begins a perilous journey across Middle-earth.
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This is NOT a reading of the book.
- By Flippy on 2019-12-30
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Dramatised)
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Ian Holm, Michael Hordern, Robert Stephens, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
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The second instalment of Tolkien's epic tale, adapted from the original BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. Having fled the Shire in their escape from Sauron's Dark Riders, Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring have journeyed to Rivendell and beyond
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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The Rise of the Dragon
- An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One
- Written by: George R. R. Martin, Elio M. García, Linda Antonsson
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
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This lavish visual history—featuring over 180 all-new illustrations—is a stunning introduction to House Targaryen, the iconic family at the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
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Fire and Blood retelling
- By Jose Flores on 2022-10-25
Written by: George R. R. Martin, and others
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The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King (Dramatised)
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- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Original Recording
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The evil Saruman has been defeated by Gandalf, but in Mordor the battle for the Ruling Ring continues. Wounded by the giant spider, Shelob, Frodo has been captured by the dreaded orcs
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Radio Drama Style, not a true reading, still love it!
- By Mollie Martin on 2021-07-28
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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Dune
- Written by: Frank Herbert
- Narrated by: Scott Brick, Orlagh Cassidy, Euan Morton, and others
- Length: 21 hrs and 2 mins
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Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud'dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.
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Great story... but inconsistent voices?
- By KT_TO on 2018-01-11
Written by: Frank Herbert
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The Chronicles of Narnia Complete Audio Collection
- Written by: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh, Alex Jennings, Michael York, and others
- Length: 33 hrs and 45 mins
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For over 60 years, readers of all ages have been enchanted by the magical realms, the epic battles between good and evil, and the unforgettable creatures of Narnia. This box set includes all seven titles in The Chronicles of Narnia - The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle.
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Great Story
- By SarabeeMe on 2020-02-05
Written by: C. S. Lewis
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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- Written by: George R. R. Martin
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Taking place nearly a century before the events of A Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin's ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there were Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve, but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals - in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg - whose true name (hidden from all he and Dunk encounter) is Aegon Targaryen.
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Lacking performance supported by Martin's captivat
- By Anonymous User on 2018-07-20
Written by: George R. R. Martin
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The Sandman
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When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus - the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination - is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence.
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Overproduced
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The Last Wish
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Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin. And a cold-blooded killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil, and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
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Witcher Fan
- By Jim on 2020-08-09
Written by: Andrzej Sapkowski
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The Hobbit
- Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
- Narrated by: Martin Shaw
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
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Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.
Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
What the critics say
"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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The Witcher For Dark Fantasy Fans to Explore
For fans of dark fantasy looking for collections of short stories and epics like Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher, finding a new adventure to get swept up in once again can be challenging. Whether you binge-watched the Netflix series or devoured every incredible book in Andrzej Sapkowski’s series, we’ve compiled a fantastic list of audiobooks that will return you to the world of The Witcher and keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
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What listeners say about The Silmarillion
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- CullenJ
- 2019-03-15
A truly epic tale, just not good as an audiobook
I listen to audiobooks on my daily commute. The Silmarillion is a truly epic tale, and I have no complaints about the narrator, but this compendium of stories is simply too dense to really process as an audiobook while driving. There are so many characters and names of places that are constantly being added that it's nearly impossible to keep them all straight in my head. Add to that the fact that this book sometimes refers to the same character by different (i.e., dwarven, elvish, or common-tongue) names, and it gets even more confusing. The stories themselves are interesting and add a lot to the Tolkien universe, but I would recommend consuming this story in book form before listening to the audio, simply because of its complexity.
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20 people found this helpful
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- Tihemme Gagnon
- 2019-02-15
Pronunciation Issues Aside, a Brilliant Rendering
As narrator, Martin Shaw could make the Apple Terms of Agreement interesting - a crucial skill when tackling a text that at times reads more like a religious tome than a story. There are significant issues with the pronunciation of Quenya/Sindarin terms (Taniquetil, Iluvatar, Teleri, etc.), but this doesn't diminish the quality of the story itself, nor the accessibility it provides to this dense, complex and wondrous history of Tolkien's Middle-earth. Backstory at its very best.
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16 people found this helpful
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- Samuel P. G. H.
- 2018-12-02
One of the best books in the English cannon!
Thank you audible for finally offering one of the best books ever written! This book is always a delight, and the narrator is perfect for the text's mythic flavour.
I recommend listening to this with a list of names or appendix to hand, if you are new to the history of Tolkien's world.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Catalina Moreno
- 2021-02-13
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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- Brent
- 2019-12-11
I want to love this but I find it so hard to follo
maybe it's the ADHD maybe it's me but at times I found it in comprehensible and mind-numbing because it was so hard to follow
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5 people found this helpful
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- Steven Sitko
- 2019-09-07
I’ll Listen and Read Again and Again and Again
One of the greatest books written. I love Tolkien’s work. Grab a wee dram, ready your pipe, sit and listen.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Gary James
- 2020-10-11
The story we've been waiting for.
I wanted to read or listen to what happened in middle-earth, and the events leading to the forging of the ring. I was almost lost in the long list of names, of characters that had little to do with the events of the story. Listeners will need to listen carefully (maybe more than once) to stay on point with the narrative. In spite of that, this was Tolkien's work, so I wanted to listen in.
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4 people found this helpful
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- ThoughtfulListener
- 2021-01-22
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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- Amazon Customer
- 2020-07-29
A historical summary / narrative
I struggled to get through this very long book. paces of it were good, but the short overview format makes it lack in detail. It gives a historical summary more than any kind of narrative story. It fails to engage the mind and imagination giving rather the coarse details and framework to the histories of the Silmarils.
not recommended unless your a Token superfan
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3 people found this helpful
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- Nate
- 2021-11-08
Well done rendition of the founding story
I just know I'll be listening to this again! Very well done reading of the founding story of middle earth.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Brian
- 2018-11-22
Finally!
I’ve been waiting for a good audiobook version of the Silmarillion for a while. Here it is, and it’s great! The narrator does a good job, I think. You could argue that his delivery is a tad too stentorian or declamatory, but the text is a hard one to read naturally, and this way of reading it is not inappropriate. As far as I know, he gets all the pronunciations right, which is nice. The music may not win an academy award, but it feels appropriate in tone.
The Silmarillion is not for everyone. Even people who consider themselves fans of The Lord of the Rings may find it pretty off-putting, because it’s written in an extremely “high mythic” style. But if you want to understand all the obscure references in LOTR and The Hobbit to the elder days (Gondolin, Elbereth, Eärendel, Gil-galad, etc), then this is the place to come.
There are a few small audio glitches as of this writing, although they don’t impact the overall experience significantly. I’ve notified Audible about them and they say they are looking into it. [UPDATE: The audio glitches have been fixed as of January 2019.]
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426 people found this helpful
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- James W.
- 2019-09-27
A collection of appendices, not a story
I was torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars. On the one hand, this book is an incredible work of imagination by one of the greatest authors of all time. This book provides a lot of history and context to the LOTR story. On the other hand, this book is not a single unified story such as the LOTR or the Hobbit. Rather, it is a collection of appendices that aren't really very interesting unless you are a diehard Tolkien fan. And even then ,this book takes a lot of effort and concentration to get through. In the end I gave it three stars because I think that is the most fair to let other readers know what to expect here. I should have read other reviews more carefully before reading this and I would have known more what to expect. I was expecting this to be a story set in an earlier time in the LOTR universe, but that is not what The Silmarillion is. I think that a better, more accurate (but probably much more mundane) title would have been "The Prequel Appendices to the LOTR", because that is exactly what this book is. Some of the chapters are easier to read than others. My favorite part was at the very end with the post-Isildur material and the short historical context of the LOTR saga. Understand that the chapters read a lot like a combination of a King James version of Genesis 1 and 2 and an encyclopedia article. The accounts are always overviews of events, and even in the tales that contain some more detailed action, you still get a very distant view of things. Overall, my advice would be to NOT read The Silmarillion like a regular book. That's not what it is. Instead, treat it like background material, and read like I would read the World Book Encyclopedia when I was a kid - just crack it open now and again and read an article at a time.
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337 people found this helpful
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- Paul Castellano
- 2018-10-22
One of the best readings I've ever heard
This is, by far, one of the best readings of the best books I've ever heard!
If you're familiar with Tolkien and haven't read this book, look no further than this audiobook narrated by Martin Shaw. I've listen to over a dozen male narrators of fantasy books (Michael Kramer is a good one, particularly his Mistborn performance), and no one has topped Martin Shaw's performance with the Silmarillion. I definitely recommend listening to this book and then actually reading it (if you want to read the hard copy or Kindle editions), as Shaw gives you the proper pronunciations of the literally hundreds of names of people and places. Also it would be a good idea to have a map of Beleriand/pre-LOTR Middle-earth handy while listening, as on the first listen it can become difficult to keep places straight.
Beyond the performance, this is my favorite work of Tolkiens' to date. It has so much packed in, particularly the Ainulidale ( the first part) that I have gone back and listened to the whole book three times now, and the first part eight times.
I'm so glad they brought this to the US store, as before it was only available in the UK Audible store and had to jump through a few hoops to get at it. It's worth every penny (or credit) and more to add this title to your collection! I can't recommend this highly enough. Enjoy!
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167 people found this helpful
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- Scooter
- 2019-02-16
Ponderous
I’m a big Tolkien fan. I’ve read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings many times over the years but never The Simarillion. I wanted to know the back story but had never gotten around to reading it. The narrator’s voice was perfect for the material but lacked inflection and I found myself zoning out. I had to go back several times and listen to the chapters again. It’s ok for a Tolkien fan but I would not recommend for the casual reader.
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127 people found this helpful
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- TheSuz
- 2018-11-01
Finally!!!
I’ve been waiting forever for an English version of The Silmarillion! I was so close to learning German just so I can listen to this amazing book. The wait was worth it. Martin Shaw did an amazing job narrating and I shall listen to this about ten more times before deciding to go onto another book. Beautiful performance for a beautifully written piece of work.
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105 people found this helpful
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- Anna M. Boley
- 2019-07-14
I couldn't do it
I've been forcing myself to try to finish this for weeks, I finally give up. I was excited to read this, I've read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books and loved them. I've read tons of books in my life, I by no means am a light reader. But this book will drive me mad! It's almost impossible to follow, continuous repetition of so and so son of so and so. It reads like a textbook, I would have to take notes and cross reference just to get a grasp of the content. While I will eventually finish it only because it's a Tolkien I don't think I will ever revisit it as I have his other tales numerous times. I realize he never finished this story and it was released by his son, perhaps there's a reason he didn't release it? Die hard fans only.
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93 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2018-10-15
Remarkable in it's epic form,it's depth and beauty
My favorite Tolkien book.
Great story telling. great theological and mythical exploration. tackles everything from the meaning of life through the problem of evil to the problem of free will.
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79 people found this helpful
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- Cameron
- 2018-11-21
The Hype is real.
This book lives up to its legend. Do your life a favor and give it a listen.
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66 people found this helpful
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- Kyle cacurak
- 2018-10-30
classic
at first this is a difficult book to grasp however, after the second or third time through it's awesome!! normally it's not available for purchase in the US and,I travel to California for work and lo and behold it was available to purchase on Audibe. that was a great day!
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32 people found this helpful
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- Red
- 2018-12-03
Some tech flaws, still awesome.
It had some glitches, but overall it's a great retelling of my favorite JRRT story!
I took a star off only for the audio issues. 5 stars to the narrator (even though he occasionally said 'Angbang' instead of 'Angband' because hey, I do that too.)! The audio overlaps only last about 15-20sec max at the start of one of the middle chapters.
Great stuff, I listened twice in a little over a week!
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27 people found this helpful
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- Runer
- 2017-07-15
Masterfull
What the Old Testament is to the New, The Silmarillion is to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. From the making of the universe, Ea, and the world, Arda; true the history of Dwarfs and Elfs and Men and the various battles between good and evil in the first tree ages; to the dawn of the fourth age and the unexpected role of the Halflings: this is a must-read for all who love Middle Earth.
Martin Shaws performance is outstanding and more than just a great help in the lecture of this work. It brings this history to life. You can read along or close your eyes and watch the stories unfold in all their splendour. So great an experience that I will probably start anew tomorrow...
A sincere thank you to JRR and Christopher Tolkien and to Martin Shaw.
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- guillaume
- 2020-11-25
intéressant mais ennuyeux
ce n'est pas une histoire, mais un ensemble d'anecdotes plus ou moins intéressantes sur l'œuvre de Tolkien et l'on se desinteresse régulièrement devant les 1000 noms énoncés en elfique et ses variantes, nain et gondorien pour des personnages ou lieu... anecdotiques justement.
cela etait prévisible, lisez / écoutez en connaissance de cause :)
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- Onirik
- 2017-09-21
bien
voix agréable. ton chantant. merci musique fin de chapitre inutile. car parfois elle y est parfois non.
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- Anonymous User
- 2019-10-08
Epique
Un grand classique, tellement bien raconté qu'on ne sent pas le temps passer. C'est tellement agréable de redécouvrir l'univers de Tolkien a travers cette narration. Un vrai plaisir.
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- Daniel Nichola
- 2019-06-29
A Masterpiece of an audio book!
The Silmarillion, one of the greatest books ever written, is made more interesting thanks to the narration of Martin Shaw. A must have indeed!
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