Book Store Visit

[Joy]

I finished LotR yesterday for the 1st time. I took a day off and tonight I bought The Sil, The Hobbit and UT. What should I read first?

[Elendur]

The Hobbit for sure. It is a very good book. You may find it different though, because it is more of a childrens book than LOTR.

Then read The Silmarillion and then Unfinished Tales. I think you will find that these two books have a different writing style than LOTR or The Hobbit. The Silmarillion is less in depth than LOTR and The Hobbit and covers a much greater period of time. And be ready to be confused when you read it. There are many many names of places and people that you will read about and concepts that will open your eyes to the books you have already read. And then Unfinished Tales retells some of the things in The Silmarillion in greater depth and has all new stories to read about that deal with seperate things.

I just wanted to give you a heads up on what the books are about. I was confused about which ones to read first also.

[Jjudvven]

Yes. That is the order I would read them in.

[The Dark Elf]

the Sil and UT are soooooooooo confusing help me understand them

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Dark Elf... for the Silm, I would suggest not trying to read it all at once. Treat each individual chapter as a whole book. Once you master the chapter, continue to the next. It'll take a good while, but will be less confusing than trying to juggle all of the information at once. As for the UT, I really can't help because I've not read them and don't know what they're like.

Fea

[Finwe]

I wouldn't recommend reading The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales unless you're fully prepared to take lots of notes. I had to make a family tree for all the characters to remember who they were and who they were related to. I wouldn't have been able to remember all of them any other way.

[mark12_30]

Dark Elf, Finwe has made a very important point: using pen and paper and creating your own tables and geneology charts is **extremely** helpful. The first time I read the SIl, I just read it-- and was totally lsot. The second time I read it, I did what Finwe is saying, and I really got into it.

If the Sil has confused you then go back to the beginning, and map out everything-- the Valar, the Maiar, the elvish geneologies. It'll fall into place and make sense.

There are good maps available online, too, even maps of Beleriand and Valinor. Check out the Shire forum thread on "RPG Resources" for general MAPS links (Piosenniel did a great job setting that up.)

Don't give up. Just start over, and chart out those geneologies and list out the Valar and Maiar. You'll be glad you did.

[Sharkû]

Or you could just get a copy of the Silmarillion which has genealogical tables and maps in it. Those editions aren't _that_ hard to get.

[mark12_30]

Sharkû, I'm glad that the prepared tables and geneologies are helpful to many; but those of us who are graphic-learning oriented are significantly aided by the act of writing it out ourselves. Some people are wired one way, some another.

I do have a pricey hardcover with tables and geneologies. Poring over them did not help me as much as making my own while I read.

Grace and peace, --mark12_30

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:11 AM January 05, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Finwe]

Exactly. While making those genealogies and maps on your own, you're actually studying. Think about it, you're going back, and re-reading passages over and over again, so that you can remember details and put them down in a graphic format. Studying is going to help you a lot.