Question about Unfinished Tales

[Periantari Andruil]

I just bought the book today and is very excited to start reading it :)
has anyone read it? Can somebody give me a brief review of it? Is it necessary to read Simillarion before reading Unfinished Tales?

so yeah, I'll be either :read: or posting ;)

[Illuvatar]

Well, I'd say that it would actually be best to read the sil 1st.

See, a lot of the stories in UT are acually complete stories in the Sil, the thing UT gives to them is either another angle or more detail.

One thing to bear in mind is the stories in UT are exactly in the format that the title of book suggests......unfinished! So, just when your really getting into it, the story ends! lol

[Periantari Andruil]

but does it provide a good ..."appetizer" and make you want to then read the full version in the Silmarillion? (or is it the other way around?)
:) in other words, can i read UT first and still be able to understand what's going on?

[Mirkgirl]

No. You'll just begin to enjoy the story of Tuor (from which you won't understand a good deal things which are explained in the Silm, but still I guess you'd like it) and it'd stop where its most interesting. If there's a better way to be put off Tolkiens other works, I don't know it lol.
UT add to the other books (to the silm, to the hobbit and to lotr) and is best to be read after them all (well the hobbit is not crucial actually - III III the quest of erebor is the only addition to it)

It'll be hard to understand the tales for Numenor if you dont know the story of the island.

The Third part, about the third age can be read without the Silm, but it is nothing like the Silm which is history of Middle-Earth...

I love UT, but it must be read after the Silm... it can hardly serve as an "appetizer"... it's not the Silm in brief, but some bits of the Silm extanded.
Unfinished Tales - contents
PART ONE: THE FIRST AGE
I OF TUOR AND HIS COMING TO GONDOLIN
II NARN I HÎN HÚRIN

PART TWO: THE SECOND AGE
I A DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND OF NÚMENOR
II ALDARION AND ERENDIS: The Mariner's Wife
III THE LINE OF ELROS: KINGS OF NÚMENOR
IV THE HISTORY OF GALADRIEL AND CELEBORN and of Amroth King of Lórien

PART III: THE THIRD AGE
I THE DISASTER OF THE GLADDEN FIELDS
II CIRION AND EORL AND THE FRIENDSHIP OF GONDOR AND ROHAN
(i) The Northmen and the Wainriders
(ii) The Ride of Eorl
(iii) Cirion and Eorl
(iv) The Tradition of Isildur
III THE QUEST OF EREBOR
IV THE HUNT FOR THE RING
(i) Of the Journey of the Black Riders according to the account that Gandalf gave to Frodo
(ii) Other Versions of the Story
(iii) Concerning Gandalf, Saruman and the Shire
V THE BATTLES OF THE FORDS OF ISEN

PART FOUR
I THE DRÚEDAIN
II THE ISTARI
III THE PALANTÍRI

[Finrod Felagund]

UT was written with the idea that the Sil had already been read.
The Sil gives required background for UT

[Voroturiön]

UT is ~highly~ recommeded! In particular I love the description of the Gates of Gondolin, the History of Galadriel and Celeborn and the Istari. Essential reading. But, read the Silm. first. UT fills in the details.