Bringing this thread back because my local Tolkien book club is reading The Silmarillion this year and so far it's been quite fun. We're an interesting mix of first time and re-readers so there have been some very different perspectives about events so far. It's hard not to be mad at Feanor and his sons when they first take the Oath if you know what happens later. We're about to read the Beren and Luthien chapter, and they are my favorite.

I have heard some people say that Tolkien’s books are almost perfect (especially The Lord of the Rings), but even though they are great I don’t think I would go as far as to say that they have no flaws.  He is slower paced than C.S. Lewis and demands more patience to read.  Whether it is a flaw that an author takes more time to tell his story may be something that is determined by a reader’s taste. Some authors like Dickens are kind of long winded, but you can forgive them for being that way.  Tolkien was old fashioned and usually was not in a rush to tell his stories. It is remarkable that people today are not bothered by the length of his stories (especially The Lord of the Rings) when many people currently have an accelerated lifestyle. Modern technology has not caused a decline of interest in his books. 

I have never regretted my decision in 2001 to emulate the late Christopher Lee and read LOTR every year.

I've fallen into the pattern of starting on 22 March (the same season as when Bilbo and Frodo had their birthday), and aiming to finish by 22 September. That gives me 2 months per volume, 1 month per book! Today I must finish the last 25 pages of FOTR.

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

Last night, we went to the movies to see The Lord of the Rings: the War of the Rohirrim. We quite enjoyed the movie, about Helm Hammerhand, and Wulf, a Dunlending chieftain, who had an eye to take over Rohan. At first, I wasn't too sure which tale was being told, but as the story developed, it became more familiar, when it fleshes out a tale from the Lord of the Rings appendices.

I finally got around to watching War of the Rohirrim this afternoon.

I really enjoyed the fact that it felt like a consistent part of the Peter Jackson film universe, in terms of things like the music, title cards, design cues, etc. Even the more anime inspired parts of the design weren't as distracting as I thought they would be, and I did find myself fully immersed in the universe as if it were live action.

I will though admit that the story perhaps wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be? (Not a Tolkien lore expert, so had no idea what to expect).

Brian Cox was excellent, and his character of Helm Hammerhand was great, but the rest of the characters perhaps felt a little too formulaic, with lots of Game-of-Thrones type politics and standard action adventure tropes.

Still, an enjoyable enough watch overall. 7/10.

I just started reading Unfinished Tales of Numenor & Middle Earth. I think at least some of the tales may be just fragments.  It is definitely material that is less known than The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It does require a lot of time and patience to read it, and I would not recommend rushing through the stories.  Tolkien fans should enjoy the unusual stories, which mostly are only available in this book.  🙂