Posted: November 29, 1999 at 17:02:33: by Ecthelion
: Yes, you MUST read the Silmarillion. Don't skip anything, just skim the first couple of chapters if you feel the need. The First Age stuff is fascinating, and quite sad. You'll see things at least as great as the events in LOTR. You also have to read the chapter on Numenor to fully understand the events of the Second Age. After Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales is also a must, although the stories are somewhat fragmentary. The History of Middle Earth is probably best ignored unless you're an absolute Tolkien fanatic, since it mostly consists of fragments and alternate versions of things. I enjoyed the last volume of HoME, though, since it contains bits of a Fourth Age story, a story on the beginnings of Rohan, and a Second Age tale from the point of view of an Eriadorian man who meets a Numenorean landing party.
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: : I would like some advice on what Tokien book to read next.
: : I've read LOTR and the Hobbit twice each and would like to get a little deeper into it. What I've heard about the Silmarilion scares me a little though because i like the narrative stories.
: : Any suggestions?:::I suggest that when reading the Silmarillion you get the copy that has "Akallabeth" and "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age" in the back. These have very important info about the Third Age. I also suggest you read the appendices in the back of Return of the King.
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