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The Silmarillion

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The Silmarillion

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Martin Shaw
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The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron.

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 Dark Fantasy Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Military Feel-Good Mythology
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The Hobbit By: J.R.R. Tolkien

Critic reviews

"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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fantastic listen, only issue is that in one of the (luckily) more boring chapters, the title replays about 20 times

awesome

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If you aren't really into middle earth, this isn't for you, but personally I enjoyed it, it's well performed and interesting.

Only for Tolkein fans.

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I've always wanted to read The Silmarillion, but could never get past the first chapter as the story was so complicated. Listening to it via Martin Shaw's soothing tones enabled me to keep a grip on the characters and plot. I may even read the book, now!

A Tale of Good, Evil , Gods and Men

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Truly loved it, though it was a struggle to get into at first. Martin Shaw helps bring to life one of my most beloved epics in such an engaging and atmospheric way.

Fantastic

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A very accessible audio experience of a book onerous to read. Highly recommended if you enjoyed Lord of the Rings, and wanted more of the rich world of Middle Earth.

Great retelling of a mode, courtesy of Martin Shaw

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