itibaren Pyam, Kambodža itibaren Pyam, Kambodža

The first fantasy book I ever read and still my all-time favorite. That said, it's not for everybody. It's been compared to the Old Testament, and that's still the best analogy; if you think that Moses leading his people out of Egypt is the stuff of grand drama, then this is the book for you, Tolkien fan or not. If you don't, then you probably ought to give The Silmarillion a pass, no matter how much you liked Tolkien's other work. This is not Lord of the Rings Plus; it's quite literally the Old Testament for Middle Earth, beginning with the creation of the world and ending just before the War of the Ring, which forms little more than a footnote in the more-than-epic sweep of time portrayed. If you're excited rather than put off by the above, then what a ride you're in for. This is high fantasy on the grandest of scales: the song of creation, by which the gods call the world into existence; the first rising of the sun, sowing panic among the many dark creatures of Middle-Earth; the first dwarves, emerging blinking and wondering from their underground birthplace; and the great kingdoms of the Elves, at the height of their power, locked in war with Sauron's master. There are some slow parts: the beginning in particular features an overlong description of Middle-Earth's imaginary pantheon that almost made me put down the book the first time, and the ending seems tacked-on, a half-hearted attempt to extend the Silmarillion's timeline to that of the Rings trilogy. But the middle is golden. For those who are into this sort of thing, it'll be some of the best fiction you've ever read. Just know what you're getting into beforehand: I'm sure the spirit of J.R.R. will forgive you for skipping it.

For students of history, this is a great read. Oswalt makes a compelling case for the qualitative difference between the Old Testament and the ANE myths. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Much of what I read, his logic, arguments, and data, will make it into my theology and hermeneutics classes.