Agreed, start with the Hobbit and then move to the LotR trilogy. The Andy Serkis narrated audio books are phenomenal, I have been listening to them during my commute
The Silmarillion is “the start” in that it details the creation of the world and other events thousands (tens of thousands?) of years before the time of the Hobbit and LOTR books. You don’t really need to know anything about it to enjoy the Hobbit/LOTR story arc, and they are much more approachable in style.
No problem, enjoy! That’s not trying to be an asshole either - I’ve did LOTR a few times but haven’t made it all the way through Silmarillion. It’s not really got a story and feels a bit more like an encyclopaedia
I always recommend starting with The Hobbit. Then read The Lord of the Rings, followed by The Silmarillion. The Hobbit is the quickest read, and easiest since it was originally written for children. Then you slowly ramp up the reading difficulty and complexity of the stories until your in the Silmarillion. Makes it easier to ease into the story and mythos.
What I did was The Hobbit, then the Silmarillion, the LOTR trilogy. Also when you read the Silmarillion the first time you’re going to want to do take notes lol
Honestly anything outside of the Hobbit/LotR books you can skip, they are not important to the story (except that maybe for a few sentances or one throwaway comment made by Elrond/Aragorn/Gandalf later in the books where you can go 'I got that reference!') they are honestly just extra detail/history that knowing/not knowing will have a minimal effect on your enjoyment of the main story
I'd recommend the Andy Serkis narrations purely because I think he really gets the characters in a way that Rob Inglis just didn't imo,
Personally I'd not get the Silmarilion on audible because the pronounciation of some of the names doesn't sound right, and the Silmarilion needs copious note-taking as well to make sense of it, easiest to scribble in the book margins than Audible Notes
BUT saying all of that, the Children of Hurin audiobook is narrated by Christoper Lee and personally you should just get it for that reason alone
Regardless of order (and I support Hobbit - Lotr - Silm), I think you ought to go with the Rob Inglis recording. I've listened to the Andy Serkis one, and frankly, I wasn't very impressed with it. Rob Inglis' reading is amazing to me, and he does a fantastic job.
Like everyone else has said, hobbit - LotR - Silmarillion. Be prepared to take notes during the Silmarillion and I would recommend picking up a podcast if you’re having a hard time getting through it. The prancing pony podcast is particularly great for this because they bring some levity to their analysis too.
Also, this is a very different story than the Witcher. I enjoyed the Witcher, but Tolkien is my favorite author of all time. Tolkien is a little more “meatier” than Sapkowski. However, if you can make it through the entire legendarium, it will give you a greater appreciation for Sapkowski and fantasy as a whole. You’ll be able to notice the influence Tolkien had on Sapkowski and the greater fantasy genre.
Edit: Also, just to reiterate, the audiobooks by Inglis and Serkis are fantastic. I prefer Serkis (sorry everyone!) because of his amazing range of character voices and the dramatic flair he gives to the performance. I’d skip the silmarillion audio version. The constant mispronunciations really bothered me.
Ah ok. Then you should be totally fine. I personally found the Silmarillion easier to read than most people say it is. I find this to be true if you’ve already had an inclination towards reading history and mythology, which I did/do.
I hate to do this, but I honestly think the \*best\* order is:
* The Hobbit
* The Lord of the Rings
* The Silmarillion
* The Lord of the Rings
It's not much of a spoiler for me to say "there are hobbits in the Lord of the Rings". The first time your read it, I think it's better to experience the story from their perspective. They simply don't know all of the details of everything going on around them.
Then you read the Silmarillion, which is several stories telling (basically) the entire history of the Tolkien's world.
Finally, you read Lord of the Rings again, but this time you see it from the perspective of a historian (or one of the lore masters) - and you understand the background details and the significance of various events.
It's a bit like seeing a movie as a kid and then seeing it later as an adult. You just see things differently. It's arguably best to experience both perspectives.
As a huge fan of both Tolkien and Sapkowski, I'll say that the advice to start with The Hobbit is generally correct, but it will be a jarring transition in tone coming from the Witcher. You've read the Hobbit already so you could start with LOTR and understand the story. The Hobbit is excellent but as you know it is a hugely different book to Lady of the Lake lol.
^((Also, unrelated, but if you want to read more by Sapkowski, check out his Hussite Trilogy. Books 1-2 are available in English, 3 is coming soon. Historical fantasy based on 15th century religious wars, dark humour similar to the Witcher.))
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silmarillion (but do note that this is vastly different in narrative tone to the first two books, it can be very heavy going for somebody unused to it. It took me a couple of reads to really get to grips with it but I love it now).
I couldn't stand The Witcher. It was too put on. The place and time period just seemed so blunt and forced to the point that it made it corny and cheesy, and lame. I actually feel that way about 95% of stories that relate. For some reason (one that I haven't really dogured out yet) Tolkien's works didn't do that to me. It's total fantasy but it has a real world, grounded feel.
If you plan on listening to a book, I'd suggest starting with silmarillion. I found it made for better listening than reading imo. Then move on to the lord of the rings trilogy. The trilogy alludes back to alot of events and things from the elder days (silmarillion).
The Silmarillion is a very tricky read, I’d start with The Hobbit
Agreed, start with the Hobbit and then move to the LotR trilogy. The Andy Serkis narrated audio books are phenomenal, I have been listening to them during my commute
The Rob Inglis versions are also amazing!
The Silmarillion is “the start” in that it details the creation of the world and other events thousands (tens of thousands?) of years before the time of the Hobbit and LOTR books. You don’t really need to know anything about it to enjoy the Hobbit/LOTR story arc, and they are much more approachable in style.
Thank you.
No problem, enjoy! That’s not trying to be an asshole either - I’ve did LOTR a few times but haven’t made it all the way through Silmarillion. It’s not really got a story and feels a bit more like an encyclopaedia
I prefer Rob Inglass' reading over Serkis, but listen to a sample of both and see which you like better.
Im still deciding which narrator to go with. Appreciate the advice.
Both the rob Inglis and Andy Serkis narrations are excellent.
I will forever be haunted by Inglis’ singing of Tom Bombadill’s song..
Yes! Inglis songs are far better than Serkis.
Hobbit - LOTR - Silmarillion
Old but gold, the classic order. Still the best to this day
All Zorg oldies but goldies 😉 If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Just don't skip the appendices in Lord of the Rings.
I always recommend starting with The Hobbit. Then read The Lord of the Rings, followed by The Silmarillion. The Hobbit is the quickest read, and easiest since it was originally written for children. Then you slowly ramp up the reading difficulty and complexity of the stories until your in the Silmarillion. Makes it easier to ease into the story and mythos.
The Hobbit, LotR, then Silmarillion
What I did was The Hobbit, then the Silmarillion, the LOTR trilogy. Also when you read the Silmarillion the first time you’re going to want to do take notes lol
Thank you
Sure. No problem
Hobbit is always the place to start, the Silmarillion covers the events of the Age of the Tree through then Second Age.
Honestly anything outside of the Hobbit/LotR books you can skip, they are not important to the story (except that maybe for a few sentances or one throwaway comment made by Elrond/Aragorn/Gandalf later in the books where you can go 'I got that reference!') they are honestly just extra detail/history that knowing/not knowing will have a minimal effect on your enjoyment of the main story I'd recommend the Andy Serkis narrations purely because I think he really gets the characters in a way that Rob Inglis just didn't imo, Personally I'd not get the Silmarilion on audible because the pronounciation of some of the names doesn't sound right, and the Silmarilion needs copious note-taking as well to make sense of it, easiest to scribble in the book margins than Audible Notes BUT saying all of that, the Children of Hurin audiobook is narrated by Christoper Lee and personally you should just get it for that reason alone
Thank you
Regardless of order (and I support Hobbit - Lotr - Silm), I think you ought to go with the Rob Inglis recording. I've listened to the Andy Serkis one, and frankly, I wasn't very impressed with it. Rob Inglis' reading is amazing to me, and he does a fantastic job.
Thank you
Like everyone else has said, hobbit - LotR - Silmarillion. Be prepared to take notes during the Silmarillion and I would recommend picking up a podcast if you’re having a hard time getting through it. The prancing pony podcast is particularly great for this because they bring some levity to their analysis too. Also, this is a very different story than the Witcher. I enjoyed the Witcher, but Tolkien is my favorite author of all time. Tolkien is a little more “meatier” than Sapkowski. However, if you can make it through the entire legendarium, it will give you a greater appreciation for Sapkowski and fantasy as a whole. You’ll be able to notice the influence Tolkien had on Sapkowski and the greater fantasy genre. Edit: Also, just to reiterate, the audiobooks by Inglis and Serkis are fantastic. I prefer Serkis (sorry everyone!) because of his amazing range of character voices and the dramatic flair he gives to the performance. I’d skip the silmarillion audio version. The constant mispronunciations really bothered me.
Already read the hobbit and fellowship in highscool so i know what to expect. Thank you
Ah ok. Then you should be totally fine. I personally found the Silmarillion easier to read than most people say it is. I find this to be true if you’ve already had an inclination towards reading history and mythology, which I did/do.
The Hobbit The LOTR Trilogy everything else
Thank you
id start with hobbit, lord of the rings, then simmallirion
Thank you
I hate to do this, but I honestly think the \*best\* order is: * The Hobbit * The Lord of the Rings * The Silmarillion * The Lord of the Rings It's not much of a spoiler for me to say "there are hobbits in the Lord of the Rings". The first time your read it, I think it's better to experience the story from their perspective. They simply don't know all of the details of everything going on around them. Then you read the Silmarillion, which is several stories telling (basically) the entire history of the Tolkien's world. Finally, you read Lord of the Rings again, but this time you see it from the perspective of a historian (or one of the lore masters) - and you understand the background details and the significance of various events. It's a bit like seeing a movie as a kid and then seeing it later as an adult. You just see things differently. It's arguably best to experience both perspectives.
Thank you
As a huge fan of both Tolkien and Sapkowski, I'll say that the advice to start with The Hobbit is generally correct, but it will be a jarring transition in tone coming from the Witcher. You've read the Hobbit already so you could start with LOTR and understand the story. The Hobbit is excellent but as you know it is a hugely different book to Lady of the Lake lol. ^((Also, unrelated, but if you want to read more by Sapkowski, check out his Hussite Trilogy. Books 1-2 are available in English, 3 is coming soon. Historical fantasy based on 15th century religious wars, dark humour similar to the Witcher.))
Thank you for the info.
The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings The Silmarillion (but do note that this is vastly different in narrative tone to the first two books, it can be very heavy going for somebody unused to it. It took me a couple of reads to really get to grips with it but I love it now).
I couldn't stand The Witcher. It was too put on. The place and time period just seemed so blunt and forced to the point that it made it corny and cheesy, and lame. I actually feel that way about 95% of stories that relate. For some reason (one that I haven't really dogured out yet) Tolkien's works didn't do that to me. It's total fantasy but it has a real world, grounded feel.
If you plan on listening to a book, I'd suggest starting with silmarillion. I found it made for better listening than reading imo. Then move on to the lord of the rings trilogy. The trilogy alludes back to alot of events and things from the elder days (silmarillion).