As I mentioned in my introduction, I enjoyed the Silmarillion even more than LOTR. It did take a few stops and starts to get into it though and actually I had to borrow my brother's Atlas of Middle Earth before I could really get into it. My husband even tried to dissuade me from reading it at all, saying that it was just a list of whom begat whom and who they then begat. But I now know he is just a ninny!! There are so many characters to keep track of, but the family trees at the back were a wonderful aid to keep from getting too confused. I suppose Tolkien's organizational talents are almost as fantastic as are his stories, because I catch myself getting sucked into his timelines, lists, glossaries, etc. as much as I do the actual books.