Join Jeff LaSala for an exploration of The Silmarillion!

The Silmarillion Primer guides readers through The Silmarillion, a challenging book for many fantasy readers in general and even some Lord of the Rings fans. Every chapter of the Primer corresponds to a chapter or section of the published Silmarillion, and includes helpful diagrams, charts, and maps—tons of graphics that bring clarity and humor to the sometimes tangled nature of Tolkien’s narrative.

The book will provide new insights and perspectives that recontextualize Tolkien’s mythologies and its concepts. This is not deconstruction, alternative analyses, or reinterpretation; it is illumination through contemporary language.

For first-time readers, the Primer is a thorough but easygoing walk-through of Middle-earth’s origin story.

For long-time Silmarillion veterans, the Primer is a homecoming to the wonders of Valinor, the realms of Beleriand, and all the dramas of the Elder Days—but with a fresh view, exploring it all again through a first-timer’s eyes. The book recaptures some of the marvel that made us fall in love with the legendarium in the first place. There’ll be laughs along the way and moments to poke fun at, but always with admiration and reverence for Tolkien’s world.