10 Fantasy Novels To Read If You Love The Lord Of The Rings
1. The Silmarillion
Penned by JRR Tolkien himself, The Silmarillion is not a novel but a collection of mythological fragments set in the Middle Earth made famous by The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, but is no less worth reading for that.
Enriching the mythology of Middle Earth far beyond the glimpses seen in Tolkien's famous trilogy, The Silmarillion was the author's original attempt at a sequel to The Hobbit, before being rejected by Tolkien's publisher due to its obscurity -- paving the way for the development of The Lord Of The Rings.
Tolkien, an Anglo-Saxon professor, really let his obsession with mythology flourish here. The Silmarillion is not a narrative of the kind contemporary readers expect, but a fictional mythological book which recounts the history of Middle Earth long before the "First Age" and the events of The Hobbit.
Obscure and archaic at times, The Silmarillion is necessary reading for any true fan of Middle Earth. Those who invest in the book will find that The Silmarillion's strange presentation effectively evokes the mythological atmosphere contained therein, making this one of the most immersive fantasy books out there.