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Darkstone
Immortal
Jun 20 2014, 6:01pm
Post #2 of 15
(517 views)
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There aren't any hobbits in the Sil. QED
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Arannir
Valinor
Jun 20 2014, 6:03pm
Post #3 of 15
(514 views)
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I read them so differently I couldn't judge or say what I find subjectively better. As as book to read in bed before going to sleep, LotR is more suited though, imho. Or to read almost every year around Christmas (or listen to on audiobooks).
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Magpie
Immortal
Jun 20 2014, 8:42pm
Post #4 of 15
(497 views)
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listening to Martin Shaw read the Sil will put me out in minutes! That is, listening in bed before sleep. So I guess it depends on what you want from a book before bed. :-)
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Magpie
Immortal
Jun 20 2014, 8:43pm
Post #5 of 15
(495 views)
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Are oranges better than Swiss chard?
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can't compare. I need that option here: can't compare as for 'better'. In terms of what I like most: LOTR. But I don't know if that makes it better.
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Ethel Duath
Half-elven
Jun 21 2014, 2:58am
Post #7 of 15
(480 views)
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I can grow Swiss Chard here, but not oranges. Therefore
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I find chard something I can eat frequently and have as a more regular part of my life, whereas oranges seem more exotic and yummy, but tend to have unexpected flaws inside at times. (I'll leave you all to guess which I think is which . . .)
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sevilodorf
Tol Eressea
Jun 21 2014, 3:02am
Post #8 of 15
(488 views)
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Depends on your purpose for reading
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The Silmarillion is not a fully realized narrative, though some parts are readable as such. To me, it's more a series of notes about various parts of the universe. Encyclopedia articles if you will.
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Jun 21 2014, 3:25am
Post #9 of 15
(492 views)
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It feels like a collection of wonderful legends to me. I prefer it to Lotr because the scope and history is huge. But then I am fond of mythology and am used to reading what may be considered to encyclopedic to some.
(This post was edited by DaughterofLaketown on Jun 21 2014, 3:25am)
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Vepariga
The Shire
Jun 21 2014, 4:15pm
Post #10 of 15
(465 views)
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LOTR is superior in its narrative and characters, and the Sil is great for its over view and tales of various happenings. I place them on equal-ish grounds but placing LOTR just that little bit higher. Sil is great for diving deeper into the lore and finding answers for questions you ask in your mind.
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Mikah
Lorien
Jun 22 2014, 4:28am
Post #11 of 15
(448 views)
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"The Silmarillion" is my favorite book. I absolutely love it. There are parts of that book which stirred my imagination like no other book has, such as Beren coming to Doriath. I like Lord of the Rings, as does any Tolkien fan, but there is something very special to me about the Sil. Like you, I rather enjoy lore and legend. My husband gave this book to me as a birthday gift and it is easily the best gift I have ever been given.
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Jun 23 2014, 12:32pm
Post #12 of 15
(420 views)
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I said no, but some of that was my reaction when it was first published.
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I'd been waiting for years, and then when Tolkien died I gave up hope that we'd ever see it. So I was so excited when it was finally published. But I'd been expecting another novel, and wasn't prepared for what it really is. So I was bitterly disappointed at the time.
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Jun 23 2014, 12:33pm
Post #13 of 15
(416 views)
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That was pretty much my reaction.
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On an unrelated note, I tell my students that QED stands for "that's what we were trying to get", which is a reasonable rough translation of the Latin :-D
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Noria
Gondor
Jun 24 2014, 9:20pm
Post #14 of 15
(428 views)
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I love them both for different reasons.
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LotR is the easier read, being a novel in an almost conventional format. The Silmarillion is a collection of stories in different voices that tell one overarching story. As much as I love LotR, I have to admit that for sheer beauty, The Silmarillion has it beat.
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