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Cover of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Silmarillion — Audiobook

12.7est. listening hrs
4.0★118 ratings
Fantasygenre
Free with trial

The instrumentWhen will you finish it?

Based on 12.7 hours of listening (estimated).

Days to finish The Silmarillion at common listening paces
Your paceYou'll finish in
30 min / day26 days
1 hour / day13 days
2 hours / day7 days
1 hour / day at 1.5×9 days

What our data says

  • At 12.7 hours (estimated), it runs longer than 63% of the fantasy audiobooks we measured.

Computed from fantasy audiobooks in The Books Insider dataset; listening time estimated from page count.

Who is this for?

Best for fantasy listeners who want epic quests — a solid week of commutes at 12.7 hours (estimated).

About the book

The forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion tells the earlier history of Middle-earth, recounting the events of the First and Second Ages, and introducing some of the key characters, such as Galadriel, Elrond, Elendil and the Dark Lord, Sauron. The tales of The Silmarillion are set in an age when Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in Middle-Earth, and the High Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils, the jewels containing the pure light of Valinor. Included in the book are several shorter works. The Ainulindale is a myth of the Creation and in the Valaquenta the nature and powers of each of the gods is described.

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Questions listeners ask

How long is The Silmarillion as an audiobook?

The Silmarillion runs about 12.7 hours — our estimate from its 428 pages at a typical narration pace. At 1.5× speed that drops to roughly 8.5 hours.

Can I listen to The Silmarillion free?

Yes — with the audiobooks.com free trial. Start the trial, get The Silmarillion included, and cancel anytime; the trial stays free.

Is The Silmarillion worth listening to at 1.5× speed?

At 1.5× you'd finish in about 8.5 hours — saving 4.2 hours. Most listeners adjust to 1.25–1.5× within a chapter or two.

When was The Silmarillion first published?

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien was first published in 1977.