The Return of the King vs The Silmarillion: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Middle Earth, Elves, English Fantasy fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

Cover of The Return of the King

The Return of the King J.R.R. Tolkien · 1950 ★★★★★ 4.6 603 pages · ≈ 11 h 10 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Silmarillion

The Silmarillion J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien · 1977 ★★★★☆ 4.3 374 pages · ≈ 6 h 56 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate The Return of the King higher: 4.6 vs 4.3 from 1084551 votes.
The Silmarillion is the quicker read — about 6 hours vs 11 for The Return of the King.
The Silmarillion is the easier read (Moderate), The Return of the King more demanding (Challenging).

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