Plot Overview: Taking place in the world of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's The Silmarillion documents the history of Tolkien's fantasy world. While there is no one protagonist followed throughout the story, the Silmarillion is a tale of good versus evil that also displays the masterful worldbuilding skill of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Critique: The Silmarillion is a good book with a few flaws that make it hard to recommend. It is difficult to read, as it is more like a history book compared to other fantasy writings. Characters and a plethora of names come and go, and often may not return again. The subject matter is also of little interest to those not a fan of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Also considering that it isn't a direct prequel to those works, the Silmarillion will likely only be of interest to those who want to learn more about the world that Tolkien created. These shortcomings that make it difficult to recommend do not diminish its quality, however. Many of the Silmarillion's themes, such as corruption and greed, are still relevant today, and the amount of work Tolkien put into his fictional world is truly impressive.

Cover Critique: I think the cover's minimalism looks nice, the only issue is that due to the large number of events described in the book, the cover can not reference many of them.

Star Rating: 4/5

More from Ms. Yang: I did a quick search on Silmarillion and learned it's based on a collection of stories that Tolkein had written to define the whole Middle Earth mythology. (His son edited the collection for publication after Tolkien's death.) So you're completely right that it wouldn't necessarily read smoothly like a novel and would have tons of detail, making it something maybe only a hardcore fan would love and appreciate!