Join Jeff LaSala for an exploration of The Silmarillion! Revised and expanded, The Silmarillion Primer is primarily aimed at guiding new readers through The Silmarillion, which is famous for being a difficult read even for Tolkien fans. For readers already familiar with the book, it will provide new insights or perspectives that recontextualize the story and its concepts. Each chapter corresponds to a chapter or section of The Silmarillion in a one-to-one basis, accompanied by fun diagrams and easy-to-understand graphics that bring humor and clarity to the sometimes tangled nature of Tolkien's narrative. But for all the levity, there are serious moments of appreciation, as this book is as much an homage to the author's favorite work of literature as it is a guide.

The Primer uses contemporary language and humor to explain what, to some, are complicated concepts and language in Tolkien's book. Some critics (but not this author!) have called The Silmarillion dry due to its mode of mythic and historical narration; the Primer aims to be anything BUT dry, and to simultaneously poke fun at and appreciate Tolkien's methods. There will also be easy-to-understand maps with arrows and labels.

Walk through the details of The Silmarillion with Jeff and discover the history of the Elves, the story of the Silmarils, the creation of the Dwarves, and much more from Tolkien's legendarium.