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The Silmarillion
- Narrated by: Martin Shaw
- Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins
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The Silmarillion
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Publisher's Summary
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.
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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What listeners say about The Silmarillion
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dane
- 2022-12-20
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brandon Devery
- 2023-12-29
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ratpack1
- 2022-01-21
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2021-02-06
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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 0___0
- 2023-06-18
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- 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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rosie
- 2022-05-23
I've tried to read this several times.
Being a history, I have had a hard time focusing on the story when reading this in paper format. This audio production allowed me to discover the story within, and I enjoyed it very much
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