King Crusoe’s Reviews > The Silmarillion > Status Update

Okay, I decided to read the last couple chapters of the Quenta Silmarillion today anyway lol

Now just 2 final sections to read tomorrow. That'll be easy enough. This has been a joy to experience and finally finish!

Man, Beren and Luthien & Túrin Turambur chapters were both incredible. Not surprised at all these are a couple of the Middle Earth stories with expanded versions. Really looking to reading them at some point now!

And now right at the doorstep of the Fall of Gondolin chapter - another story with a fuller independent version…I am very much looking forward to it!

Right on the doorstep of the Silmarillion versions of Beren and Lúthien, then Children of Húrin shortly after, and the Fall of Gondolin not long after that.

I should be able to get through the first couple of those without much issue tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

Up to Chapter 9 of the Quenta Silmarillion, which I think is right where I stopped the first time. I should probably be taking this slower, but I am still having a good time and once again impressed by the depth. Too many to catch on a first pass - or second, as the case has so far been!

2 years after my initial plan to continue The Silmarillion I have finally returned - except this time it is a full-scale restart, and now going the immersive-reading route with Andy Serkis’s narration.

It’s wonderful to be back with Tolkien ahead of my upcoming reread of LotR later in 2026. No idea how quickly I’ll do this; I thought it’d be slow…but honestly I might just do it all this week 👀

Chapters 7 and 8 down. Got a good bit of context for Feanor's character and some family drama here - plus some stuff with Melkor that I tooooooootally did not at all in any way see coming (mark the sarcasm there.)

Still a lot flies over my head; still I enjoy what I read.

Got a couple more chapters. Now a few more-familiar names are being dropped.

I kinda wish I had a full size map of all the lands mentioned cuz I would honestly make a lot of this a lot easier to understand for me lmao

Couple more chapters next Monday probably; otherwise, setting this down till November.

Quenta Silmarillion:

Ch. 3 - very good.

Ch. 4 - didn’t understand a thing even tho it was literally only 1 page lmao

First chapter of Quenta Silmarillion (Of the Beginning of Days) was a lot that went over my head. This second chapter (Of Aulë and Yavanna) not quite so much. I understood I feel like the core of what was going on, and could also appreciate the writing at the same time. Lots of what I feel will be thematic importance to the events here, and reminds me of a particular group of Gnostic belief as well.

Oh nooo, I forgot to update after reading the Valaquenta. Very good stuff!

A bit exposition-y and quasi-info-dumpy but all very interesting material to me. Look forward to continuing with the first chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion tomorrow