The Silmarillion

The mythology behind The Lord of the Rings, drafted over decades and never finished — Tolkien died in 1973 and his son Christopher assembled and published it in 1977. It runs from the creation of the world through the First Age: the making of the three Silmarils, their theft by the first dark lord, and the long ruinous oath sworn to get them back.

It reads much less like a novel than like a chronicle or a scripture, which is the point and also why many readers who loved the trilogy bounce off it. It is the only Fantasy entry in the adult band.

Context: The single Fantasy title in the Ages 13-99+ band, at Lexile 1150.

Connections

• A Library to Build Great Americans — the list this came from.
• J.R.R. Tolkien — the author; the book was edited into publishable shape by his son Christopher.