The Silmarillion Audiobook By J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien - editor cover art

The Silmarillion

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The Silmarillion

By: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien - editor
Narrated by: Andy Serkis
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The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron.

The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor.

Included on the recording are several shorter works. The Ainulindalë is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The Akallabêth recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of Númenor at the end of the Second Age, and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings.

This brand-new unabridged recording is read by the acclaimed actor, director and author, Andy Serkis.

©1977 The Tolkien Estate Limited and C.R. Tolkien

Accolades & Awards

Locus Award
1978
Epic Fantasy Genre Fiction Locus Award War & Military Mythology Fiction Magic Fantasy Epic Classics Fairy Tales Military Scary

Critic reviews

‘How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?’
The Guardian

‘Demanding to be compared with English mythologies… at times rises to the greatness of true myth’
Financial Times

‘A creation of singular beauty… magnificent in its best moments’
Washington Post

‘A grim, tragic, brooding and beautiful book, shot through with heroism and hope… its power is almost that of mysticism’
Toronto Globe & Mail
Rich Mythology • Epic History • Masterful Narration • Intricate Worldbuilding • Fascinating Backstory • Compelling Lore

Highly rated for:

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Most relevant
No other comes close in scope, scale, and depth. Beautiful, tragic, and moving history of Middle Earth. Tolkien is a genius.

Greatest epic mythology ever written

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I had tried to tackle this before, this made it possible, Andy's narration allowed the vivid tales of the silmarillion to be captured in a way that failed me when I first tried at the age of 16. Easily now, my favorite audio book.

If you've had trouble reading it, this is the way

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Great Lore. Dense but fun. It left me wanting to learn more. The book helped answer some questions I had from the LotR trilogy.

Great

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Great story and Andy Serkis’ narration was fantastic. Lots of details, and ready to replay it to pick up parts I missed or wasn’t paying attention while driving and listening.

Very well done!

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I’ve always wanted to get into the Silmarillion and Serkis delivers an incredible performance! Wow! So glad this is out!

Serkis brings it to life!

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