The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

This book provides much of the older history of Tolkien's Arda (home of Middle Earth). I have found increasing rewards each time I read this book--although the first time was very slow and hard to get into, now I find the story quite moving. It's biblical in tone, and none of the characters are fully characterized--although some do come into later stories (or other works like The Children of Húrin) which do provide more of a sense of character and self. I sympathized much more fully with Fëanor this time, and I understood more clearly why the oath he and his sons take is so devastating. I also noticed for the first time that Elendil's sons Isildur and Anárion are named for the sun and the moon. I think these stories are so moving because there are clear consequences to actions and because so many things of great beauty and worth are unique--they can only be made or achieved once. This book is richly rewarding.