Hello folks, mathwiz617 and I have been talking about doing a read-thru of the Silmarillion, and commenting on it in a different thread for each set of chapters as we go along. We can also use each set of chapters as a thread to talk about that part of the story and how it relates to the pony version. I offered to suggest a set of chapters for each thread, so here's my suggested breakdown:

"Prologue" -- Discussion Thread -- Chapter 1 (link)
1. AINULINDALË
2. VALAQUENTA

Chapters 1-2 -- Distant Backstory Thread

CHAPTER 1: OF THE BEGINNING OF DAYS
CHAPTER 2: OF AULË AND YAVANNA

Chapters 3-4 -- Origin of the Elves Thread

CHAPTER 3: OF THE COMING OF THE ELVES AND THE CAPTIVITY OF MELKOR
CHAPTER 4: OF THINGOL AND MELIAN

Chapters 5-7 -- Beings Behaving Badly in the Blessed Realm -- Thread

CHAPTER 5: OF ELDAMAR AND THE PRINCES OF THE ELDALIË
CHAPTER 6: OF FËANOR AND THE UNCHAINING OF MELKOR
CHAPTER 7: OF THE SILMARILS AND THE UNREST OF THE NOLDOR

Chapters 8-9 -- Exile from Paradise Thread

CHAPTER 8: OF THE DARKENING OF VALINOR
CHAPTER 9: OF THE FLIGHT OF THE NOLDOR

Chapters 10-12 -- In which Tolkien pauses to backtrack on us with exposition Thread

CHAPTER 10: OF THE SINDAR
CHAPTER 11: OF THE SUN AND MOON AND THE HIDING OF VALINOR
CHAPTER 12: OF MEN

Chapters 13-15 -- Story advances in Historical Textbook Fashion Thread

CHAPTER 13: OF THE RETURN OF THE NOLDOR
CHAPTER 14: OF BELERIAND AND ITS REALMS
CHAPTER 15: OF THE NOLDOR IN BELERIAND

Chapter 16 -- Of Maeglin Thread

CHAPTER 16: OF MAEGLIN

Chapters 17-18 -- In which a lot of stuff happens in hindsight Thread

CHAPTER 17: OF THE COMING OF MEN INTO THE WEST
CHAPTER 18: OF THE RUIN OF BELERIAND AND THE FALL OF FINGOLFIN

Chapter 19 -- Of Beren and Lúthien Thread

CHAPTER 19: OF BEREN AND LÚTHIEN

Chapter 20 -- Battle of Unnumbered Tears Thread

CHAPTER 20: OF THE FIFTH BATTLE: NIRNAETH ARNOEDIAD

Chapter 21 -- Children of Húrin Thread

CHAPTER 21: OF TÚRIN TURAMBAR

Chapter 22 -- Of the Ruin of Doriath Thread

CHAPTER 22: OF THE RUIN OF DORIATH

Chapter 23 -- Fall of Gondolin Thread

CHAPTER 23: OF TUOR AND THE FALL OF GONDOLIN

Chapter 24 -- The End of the Silmarillion

CHAPTER 24: OF THE VOYAGE OF EÄRENDIL AND THE WAR OF WRATH

Appendix Thread -- Post-Silmarillion Events (Second and Third Age)

AKALLABÊTH
OF THE RINGS OF POWER AND THE THIRD AGE
APPENDIX

So... what do you guys think? I'll wait to hear back from people. I wonder if The6thMaster might be interested... I dunno.

If you want to move through the story faster, I could consolidate chapters 1-4, chapters 5-9, chapters 10-15, chapters 16-18, chapters 19-20, chapters 21-22, chapters 23-24 into single threads, and do one a week. If we divide them up into additional threads, like in the original post, then the threads would be more topical -- for discussing that section of the story, rather than discussing immediate reactions as we go along -- so there'd be more threads, and discussion would be ongoing in each thread (about how that section of the story should relate to the pony version). It's up to you... whomever is interested in joining us.

Can you summarize it? I don't get what you put.

Basically, mathwiz and I wanted to do a read-thru of the book, and discuss each set of chapters in its own thread.

If we do more chapters per thread, then we can pace through the book in a few weeks and do a thread per week, or so... and use the thread to post our thoughts as we read along.

If we do fewer chapters per thread, then each thread would be more topical, concerned with that part of the story, and we'd keep each thread going to discuss how that part of the story (e.g. the chapter "On Maeglin", who is played by Trixie's character) can be adapted, so we'd keep the threads instead of going from one thread to the next.

We'd be starting more threads if we do fewer chapters at a time, and simply commenting on them as each person gets to that point in the story, and keeping the threads alive to discuss ponifying that chapter. If we do more chapters per thread, we'd be moving from one thread to the next, and all reading together, and sharing our thoughts. Works either way.

3813436 good news, our fellow read-thru participant (mathwiz) has very generously offered to kick off the read-thru with a (possibly audio) of the first couple chapters of the Silmarillion. He'll probably do it in a new thread (for each set of chapters). I'll pin links to the "active" thread and create links to them in the index above. Professor Celestia or Triforce or others, if you want to read along, let us know, or if we do it as an audio read-thru ("Bronies Read: The Silmarillion"?) you can follow along by listening! He'll post the link in this forum. Peace, Ponyweed

Nice!