The Silmarillion is chronologically the first book in Tolkien's Legendarium, but it was published after his death. So far it has never been adapted to film. Unlike The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, it doesn't have a main character... or a happy ending. It's essentially a history book of Middle Earth. Three of the stories in it have been published in separate books as well: The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin. So far I haven't read any of those three.
Tolkien never intended to publish The Silmarillion (or "Silm", as some fans have renamed it). His son compiled it from notes he made before his death. The result is more like a series of encyclopedia articles than a book. No one gets much page-time or character development -- with a few notable exceptions (*cough*Beren and Lúthien*cough*). On the one hand this gives fans plenty of gaps to fill with fanfic. On the other, it's incredibly frustrating to be left with so many unanswered questions.
It's divided into several different sections, each covering a different part of Middle Earth's history. The first ones are about the creation of the world, how one of the Valar turned evil, and how the Elves left Valinor for Middle Earth. The rest of it is about what they did in Middle Earth.
We get to meet a young version of Galadriel, along with her brothers, her cousins, and her uncles. We're introduced to Lúthien, and finally learn who everyone compared Arwen to in The Lord of the Rings. We learn how Celebrimbor (unintentionally) helped Sauron make the rings. We meet a very young Elrond and his brother, and Gil-Galad, and Glorfindel, to say nothing of dozens of other characters who aren't mentioned again in LOTR. And we get to see most of them die.
Seriously, this book is full of death. From Míriel's death that causes so much unhappiness for so many people, to Gil-Galad's death fighting Sauron, there's practically a death on every page. This is not the sort of book to choose if you want some light, cheerful reading.
As if the deaths weren't depressing enough, there's plenty of horrible moments in the book. Ungoliant, the giant spider, is even more terrifying than Shelob. Aredhel's fate gives me chills, as does what happens to Húrin and his family. And the Fall of Númenor is truly the stuff of nightmares 😨 Some things are even more frightening because of how they're spoken of in an eerily matter-of-fact way -- the events leading up to the Fall of Gondolin, for instance.
The main problem with this book is that there's very little light to help get through the darkness. The Lord of the Rings is utterly terrifying in some parts, but no matter how dark things get there's always some hope. The Silmarillion has virtually no hope. It's basically summed up as "bad things happen. People suffer. Bad things get worse. People suffer more. Bad things get even worse. People suffer even more".
As a look into Middle Earth's history, this is a fascinating book. But as a story on its own, it's not exactly great. If Tolkien had been able to write more of it before he died, it might have been better. As it is, it's more a list of events than an actual novel. I hope there'll be an adaptation of it eventually; it might work better on-screen than on-page.
Is it available online?: No, I don't think so.
Rating: 6/10.
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