When ever I ask a friend if they read the Sil they just look at me funny or they say that it was so boring. I have to admit that I was kinda bored the first time i read the thing. They throw so many names and places at you that they are very hard to grasp. But I endured it and now I have read the Sil 3 times in 1 year (Hey, I thought it was impressive) After the first time it got easier to understand. Now im a expert! How about you all, was the Sil confusing or captivating?

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Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui, In the green fields of Lebennin! Tall grows the grass there. In the wind from the Sea The white lilies sway, And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin In the green fields of Lebennin, In the wind from the Sea!

Actually the first time I read the Silmarillion, it threw me into depression. (I was a poor... depressed... little soul back then.) But now I enjoy every minute of it. I would argue that Tolkien is one of the greatest writers of all time, and the Silmarillion is his crowning achievement.

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I read it once and it's my favorite Tolkien book. It is confusing but I made sure that I understood every bit of it while I was reading it (which meant lots of flipping to the back of the book) and so I never got lost. It took a while to read but it was worth it. A wonderful book. I'm planning on reading it again once I'm finished the trilogy and I'm sure that this time it will take me less time and it will be even more enjoyable!

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Proud Member of the The Evilishy Nazgûl Alliance for World Domination
{Beri}

Second time round it's captivating... though admittedly first time round it's blummin confusing- so many names and places and events to remember! But second time round I was enthralled with the stories and the characters, they were so unique compared with most other literary characters. It's now my favourite work of Tolkien's.

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(Became a Valar on 16/06/05!)

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Avatar and sig made by me. // I take requests.

I really liked it! I went around bugging my friends to read it. I'm a sucker for mythology! Don't worry about me, I'm just strange.

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I guess I'm not alone when I say it was confusing the first time (but still enjoyable), and that it gets better every time I read it. It truly is an amazing book.

AHAHA I am the same! I push my family and friends to read Tolkien all the time and I think they are ready to kill me! I have loved mythology since I was very small!

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(Became a Valar on 16/06/05!)

I just finished the Silmarillion one week ago.
Like you I love mythology, but when I read the Sil I was still a bit confused. The back of the book helped me most of the time when I had trouble remembering things and names.
I remember I found it hard to read the beginning of the book and it became more interesting in the Quenta Silmarillion. I think I will love it even more when I read it for the second time. It's one of my favourite books for sure!

But first I planned to read The Hobbit and the Trilogy again and the Harry Potter books and many more books...

I am a mythology/fantasy lover. The first time I read the Silmarillion I didn't grasp much of it, or you could say 'it went through one ear and out the other'. The second time I read it I actually began to understand the story and the places and people. Then when I read it a third time I cuaght all the details I had missed before.

I totally agree with you about how many names and places they throw at you. It's so hard to keep it all straight. I get mixed up with who's related to whom, who's the heir of whoever, the name of this place, the name of that place - it's so confusing. But I plan to reread it, only the book is less easy to find at the library than the LotR books.

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I bought mine at Barnes and Noble

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Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui, In the green fields of Lebennin! Tall grows the grass there. In the wind from the Sea The white lilies sway, And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin In the green fields of Lebennin, In the wind from the Sea!

I remember reading on the Council of Elrond site, they were giving tips on how to read The Silmarillion- they advised you get TWO copies, one to read and the other to make tons of notes on as you go along! sounds about right, just to keep track of the timeline!

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(Became a Valar on 16/06/05!)

Hey thats a pretty handy tip, I think I'll try that some time!!!

Oh yes, that's pretty helpful. Highlighting sentences and making pencil marks - headache . . .

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I wouldn't want to waste extra money on a book. My book cost me $14.00.
You won't catch me paying that twice!

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Silver flow the streams from Celos to Erui, In the green fields of Lebennin! Tall grows the grass there. In the wind from the Sea The white lilies sway, And the golden bells are shaken of mallos and alfirin In the green fields of Lebennin, In the wind from the Sea!