Ancient Geeks episode 89: J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion

The Silmarillion was J.R.R. Tolkien's life's work. Seriously, he worked on it his entire adult life. Published posthumously, it tells the story of the first two ages of his world, focusing on the tragic history of the Elves, with a great deal of human tragedy thrown in for good measure. Plus the creation of the world, the plots of an evil god, and the further plots of his protege. It's more than a backstory to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit; it's a mythopoeic saga that stands on its own.

It's also a challenging read, which is why Tom tried to read a couple of times before, and failed. He succeeded in summiting The Silmarillion this time, with Steven's encouragement. Steven read it long ago, and re-read it for this episode. What are our thoughts on this unique piece of fantasy literature, from the perspective of both a first-time reader and a long-time fan? Did it add to our enjoyment of Lord of the Rings? What are the best parts of this series of interconnected tales? Does anything rival the depth and breadth of its world-building? And to whom would we recommend this book?

Elves! The power of song! Elves! Treks across the world! Elves! Hubris! Elves! Who's for Melkor? Elves! Sacred trees! Elves! Defying the gods! Elves! Balrogs and orcs and spiders, oh my! Elves! It's all here.

Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic!

For feedback, contact someancientgeeks@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack, where we post daily. And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice.

© 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor