We used to have a couple working for us who went home for lunch every day. They lived 12 miles away and by the time they got home they had maybe 10 minutes - which was probably enough for their purpose.
![greendevil =:)](./images/smilies/devil.gif)
Have you tried studying the family trees in the back of the book? I found that understanding how the various characters are related helps greatly with the appreciation of the stories.vison wrote:I've read the Sil a half dozen times and it never gets any easier.
I think this is an excellent observation, and I share that feeling. I can understand why Tolkien was worried about that, but honestly I've never heard anyone say that they felt that there appreciation of LOTR was lessened because they read the Silmarillion.CosmicBob wrote:But then every time after when I have read LOTR I find something new. And many times it's because of what was in the Silmarillion (or in HoME). I think that the Silmarillion has added extra depth to my enjoyment of LOTR. Without taking away the "unexplained vistas".
Other than the inclusion of a large portion of Tolkien's letter to Milton Waldman describing the mythology as part of the preface to the second edition. Other changes are very minor and cosmetic.And then I plan to re-read The Silmarillion, but I will be reading the 2nd edition for the first time.
Martin Shaw's reading of The Silmarillion is also excellent. For that matter, Brian Cox's reading of Sigurd and Gudrun is also superb.As for audio books, I have never heard the Silmarillion audio book, but I did listen to the entire LOTR audio book when I had a hideous commute a few years ago. I found it passed the time very well. The best audio book was Christopher Lee's reading of the Children Of Húrin. I plan to listen to that again soon. And by "best", I mean best of any audio book I've ever heard, Tolkien or otherwise.
Ditto. It was just wonderful to understand what Galadriel meant when she said "I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel."Rowanberry wrote:When I reread the LOTR for the first time after reading the Sil, my eyes were opened to what a long and complex history the world of the story actually had. Just as an example, when Treebeard sang his song about the lands where he used to walk but which don't exist any longer, I knew what and where those places had been, what had happened there, etc. It sure added depth to the story.