July 18, 2003

Silmarillion=excellent!
Durin's-bane

Sure thing, Frodo_lives, the Silmarillion is incredible to read. The stories are amamzing, and it really is awesome to know the history behind LOTR. I am actually reading through the Silmarillion for the second time now, and I am enjoying it even more than the first time I read it. However, there is one small catch if you are going to read the Silmarillion: be ready to be bombarded with name after name after name of people and places on every page. There are way too many names in the Silmarillion to even count! There are some places where I was lost because of all the names mentioned, and I became confused. This time I have the "Complete Guide to Middle-Earth", which is basically the Middle-Earth dictionary, and lists any name you can think of in alphabetical order. Another thing is that it doesn't seem like Tolkien describes some places in as much detail as he did in LOTR. This is probably because he has so many stories to tell. There are even places where he (Tolkien) says that "this tale is only told in brief."(sorry if that wasn't a direct quote) So it might be hard to imagine some places. This is why I like to refer to artists like Ted Nasmith, John Howe, and Alan Lee. This way I have some kind of picture in front of my eyes, and it is then easier for me to imagine it as a living, breathing world. Enough babbling; the Silmarillion, despite being a very dense read, is a very good read. You should definitely pick up a copy and read it!

Durin's-bane

P.S. Can anyone guess what my favorite scene of FOTR was? (Here's a hint: It's all in the name!)