Silmarillion better than LotR

[Sever]

After posting a silmarillion related message in the BG2 forum, i was inspired to, once again, dust off 'ol faithful and withdraw into the doomed realm of beleriand. I was reading about the battle of unnumbered tears when a thought suddenly occured to me: (i've realised this before and, i'm sure, will do so again) The Silmarillion is a much better story than the Lord of the Rings. Yes it's true. Forget about comparing the writing styles, i'm talking about the plot. An utterly epic tale of the exiled Noldor who take on the might of the original dark lord Melkor (whose evil is unmatched by any before or since).

My reasons for this [heresy] are many but i will try to compose them in words instead of grand imaginnings.

1. The battles, both individual and all out, are set to a much larger scale.

2. The first and most powerful race, the Elves, are depicted in their prime instead of a fading, cautious people who fear the deads of man.

3. The foes are more powerful, evil and cunning and numerous.

4. The romances (while not everyone's cup of tea) are better depicted and are more pivotal to the main plot.

5. The Valar and the Maiar (the gods) are more numerous and play important rolls in the outcomes of the two kindreds.

6. The central theme (the jewels, the curse, the oath, the mastery of Middle-Earth) are darker, more hopeless and more interesting.

All right, my eyes are starting to fail me. It's 3:00 am and i'm starting to sober. But there are many more reasons that escape me at the present. I really need someone to disagree with me on this. IMO, if Tolkien had've put the deeds and story of the Silmarillion into a novel of the same writing style as LotR, we would now be wetting our pants with excitement waiting for the Sil. to appear on the big screen. (though there's not a single director who could pull off such an epic feat)

[Lord Starshadow]

Well, I'm not going to disagree with you. [img]smile.gif[/img] I have to admit that I did not like the Silmarillion the first time I read it, which was right after I read LotR the first time way back when. But after rereading each countless times (somewhere in the 100s), I've grown to appreciate the epic story that is the Silmarillion. It's so full of heroic deeds, big battles, and epic figures that I can't help but love it.

Just thought I'd back your statements a little.

[Darkman]

I bought the Silmarillion a few weeks ago but I haven't really gotten into it yet. Thanks for your post Sever. You've encouraged me to give the Sil another shot. Indeed you make it sound foolish not to [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Morgeruat]

it's rather slow moving in alot of parts indeed it was written as notes for teh backdrop of LotR (in fellowship of the ring Aragorn makes mention of the Silmarils)but it's an awesome tale if you can get through it.

[Gazza]

It really felt too much like reading the bible for me to get past the first few chapter's. I gues i'll have to go back and perservere through the boring bits.

[Larry_OHF]

<font color=skyblue>I find it incredibly impossible to disagree.

The only sad thing is that Tolkien himself did not finish it.

That is the only thing I do not like about it. </font>

[Sever]

Originally posted by Larry_OHF: <font color=skyblue>I find it incredibly impossible to disagree. The only sad thing is that Tolkien himself did not finish it. That is the only thing I do not like about it. </font>

Very sad indeed. The unfinished bits (the ones finished by Christopher Tolkien)certainly stand out from the rest. But it's the story and not the style that has got my blood racing.

[Draten-Master of Fire and Ice]

As with most things, which story is "better" depends on who you are and what you are looking for. I think it is worthy of note that JRR Tolkien decided to make novels first out of The Hobbit and LOtR. (although the Silmarillion material was, I think, created first) You have to really get into the story and immerse yourself in it to appreciate some of the aspects of LOtR. I think that it is part of the magic of LOtR that the world of ME is in the state that it is in. The fading of the elves from the tale of ME, the sadness of mortal man, these are some of the very important things that make LOtR special.

I don't disagree with you entirely: Silmarillion IS cool, but I see it through the shadows of things past as a legend of things that once were...but THAT is the magic of the Silmarillion! But consider this: the two are not seperate they are parts of the same story as Frodo and Sam alluded-to on the stairs of Cirith Ungol and THAT is the magic of Tolkien's Middle Earth...ENJOY EVERYONE!

"The Road goes ever on and on..."

[Draten-Master of Fire and Ice]

Oh, one more thing. I do not believe that the elves fear the deeds of men: they are above and quite beyond them. If you say rather that they lament the deeds of men with the sadness of elder children whose attempts to help and change them have failed and whose time in ME draws near to an end, then you would be quite right...perhaps that is what you meant?

[Gammit]

I thought I was the only one who felt this way! A friend in college (and fellow Tolkien fan) told me that the Sil was a good background story, but I probably wouldn't like it too much. Needless to say, I loved it. Favorite part:

the enemy in the Sil makes Sauron look like a lackey... oh wait, he was.