# Just finished LOTR, where do i go next?



## BrandonBrassbow (Nov 26, 2002)

i just finished LOTR last night, and now i'm debating on what to read next. i plan on reading The Silmarilion next, already bought it, and its waiting to be read. but i was wondering if i should read the appendices first. i started to read them last night, but it seemed that it was about to give away The Silmarilion's plot, and i don't want it to spoil Silmarilion or the Histories of Middle Earth which i also paln on reading. so i guess my question is...are the appendices just the short versions of the Histories and Silmarilion? and if you read them, do they give away the rest of the books? thanks for your help.


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## Goro Shimura (Nov 26, 2002)

You are correct.

Sil is difficult reading, though. It's not very plotty, so you can't really spoil it that way. If you take it on and get bogged down with keeping up with names & events, etc., the Appendices might keep you from going crazy.


You might not appreciate Sil as much until you've read LotR 2-3 times. If you thoroughly understand LotR, the Sil becomes this incredible tapestry that shines through every scene of LotR.

Either way... Sil is worth reading all the way through... but be warned. It is not a fantasy novel. It's very dense myth and history. The goal is not suspense and thrill as in an action novel... it's more to explain things and to make things that are incredibly beautiful.


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## Eliot (Nov 26, 2002)

Have you read the Hobbit? 

I've read the Hobbit and LOTR both twice and the Sil once. Yes, if I were you I would read the appendices. In my opinion, they really don't give away much in the Silmarillion. I plan on reading the Sil again soon, but right now I'm reading a different series.


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## Confusticated (Nov 26, 2002)

Appendices will give away little things that might surprise you otherwise. I would recommend reading The Silmarillion first.


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## Lhunithiliel (Nov 26, 2002)

You know, this might help you reading suggestion


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## elf boy (Nov 26, 2002)

The order i read the books in was "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", and finally "The Silmarillion"

I thought that the appendices made more sense once ya knew more about the history of middle earth, which ya find out about in the Sil.


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## BrandonBrassbow (Nov 26, 2002)

thanks everyone, you've helped out a lot. i'm gonna start the Sil today and save the appendices until a little later. though i'll probably use the language section to better understand the words and pronunciation and such. 

eliot - yeah, i read the Hobbit before i started LOTR. its a great introduction to middle earth. oh, and thanks for welcoming me in my other post. 

thanks again everyone


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## Lantarion (Nov 27, 2002)

Good choise! 
But remember, don't be daunted by the difficult names and places. If you really need help, consult the glossary at the back of the book (providing you have one)..
And I concur with what Goro said; it isn't a novel, it's a mythos, and that's how it should be read. 
Welcome to the forum!


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