The Children Of Hurin [Paperback]

 

 

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Just when you think they can't find another draft, note, poem or shopping list written by J.R.R. Tolkien, something new pops up.

But in the case of "The Children of Húrin," the result is a surprisingly solid and lucid story, full of familiar characters from other books about the history of Middle-Earth. Tolkien's timeless, formal prose and richly-imagined world make this novella pop from the pages, especially without his son's stuffier footnotes.

It opens with the story of Huon and Hurin, heroic brothers who lived back in the first age. But when battling the terrible Morgoth (the Middle-Earth Satan), Huor is slain and Hurin is taken prisoner by Morgoth, who torments and curses him. The Easterlings overrun his lands, and in fear for her son and unborn baby, Hurin's wife Morwen sends her son away to be fostered in Doriath.

And so Turin grows up in Doriath, until the day when he feels the need to go out and defend his distant family. His adventures take him through Middle-Earth, encountering great elves, orcs, lives with outlaws, and Mim the petty-dwarf. But his life is cursed by Morgoth -- as is the mysterious girl he falls in love with -- and his downfall will be one of horror and disgrace, even as he slays the most terrible dragon in Middle-Earth, Glaurung.

This book is actually a jigsaw puzzle -- Tolkien worked on the interrelated stories and poetry throughout his lifetime, but he never quite finished a solid cohesive story. So Christopher Tolkien cobbled together these various stories with Tolkien's unfinished works, pasted them together, and the result was "The Children of Húrin."

Surprisingly, the resulting story is very solid and strong, with a darker finale than "Lord of the Rings." While the main storyline is about Hurin and his son, it's sprinkled with familiar characters, such as Melian and Morgoth. And the rich, tragic storyline is full of noble elves, great human heroes, ancient lost cities and even a vengeful, talking sword.

And Tolkien's writing is somewhere between his "Silmarillion" style and his "Lord of the Rings" style -- it's formal and archaic, but he includes strong descriptions ("A flash of white swallowed in the dark chasm, a cry lost in the roaring of the river") and dialogue ("You are one of the fools that spring would not mourn if you perished in winter". One of the best scenes is when Morgoth and Hurin argue about theology and the "circles of the world" on a tower.

Despite the formality of his writing, the characters really pop out of their stories -- Turin is fierce, passionate and tragic, and his last scenes are absolutely stunning. His noble father and moody mother also come across well, and we get plenty of other colourful characters, from snitty elves to the evil Morgoth himself, who torments Hurin by forcing him to see everything Morgoth sees.

Since the actual story is only about two hundred pages long, it's fleshed out considerably by Christopher Tolkien's introduction and appendices, which explain about the writing and construction of the stories and poems, as well as a pronunciation guide, and a series of family trees.

And Alan Lee provides several beautiful drawings (both black-and-white and color), including Doriath's forests, eagles carrying Hurin and Huor, elven smiths, the dragon, Elf warriors, and finally the death of Turin, over a grey river under some burned trees.

Despite its brevity, "The Children of Húrin" is a stunning, brilliant piece of work, full of Tolkien's vibrant storytelling and memorable characters. Definitely a must-read.

There's no way I can top some of the other reviews posted here, so I'll focus on a different question: "Should I, someone who knows little about Tolkien, buy this book for a friend who's a Tolkien fan?"

The short answer is yes. As Tolkien's major tales go, this one ranks in third place after Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (or second for those who don't like the children's flavor of The Hobbit). Unlike The Silmarillion, this is a genuine story with a narrative and character development. The only deficiency is that, without those hobbits, it lacks the light and comic touch they provide, giving it a grimmer and more fatalistic feel. Unless he reads Tolkien only for the hobbits, your friend will be delighted with your gift.

Perhaps the only other Tolkien work that would top The Children of Hurin in value--and one you ought to consider if your friend doesn't have it already--is The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. It's a collection of Tolkien's letters over a six decade span (from 1914 to 1973), and it provides the definitive background to Middle earth. When I wrote the entry on "Magic in Middle earth" for The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia, I used it almost exclusively. It was far better to let Tolkien explain what he meant than to make guesses of my own.

--Michael W. Perry, author of Untangling Tolkien (a book-length LOTR chronology)

This book is a fascinating tale of a most tragic story. The story is told masterfully and easily comes alive with it's rich descriptions. The book depicts an important portion in time of the history of middle earth. It is a must read for any Tolkien fan. I would recommend reading this after reading the Silmarillion. The book Unfinished Tales by Tolkien contains a chapter that summarizes the entire book and given this I would not spoil the read of The Children of Hurin by reading Unfinished Tales first. Children of Hurin is a must read for a true Tolkien fan.

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3.0 out of 5 stars More History Textbook Than Story
The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien

I'm a rabid fan of Tolkien, having started with The Hobbit in my teen years, and over the years I think I've read and re-read... Read more

Published 18 months ago by Sparweb

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad.
I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. It's a good read. Slow to begin and somewhat boring. As others have said, it gets better. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Anglobotomy

5.0 out of 5 stars An in depth view on the greatest story in the silmarilion
Those who have read the silmarilion will need no introduction to Turin Turambar, and already are big fans of Tolkien's work. But thanks to Christopher Tolkien (J.R. Read more

Published on Nov 16 2009 by Darren Pelletier

4.0 out of 5 stars Heroism & tragedy
This book proved hard going at first, but after some perseverance did reveal the Tolkien genius and things began falling into place. Read more

Published on Feb 6 2008 by Pieter

5.0 out of 5 stars A darkness lies behind us, and out of it few tales have come
Just when you think they can't find another draft, note, poem or shopping list written by J.R.R. Tolkien, something new pops up. Read more

Published on Jan 24 2008 by E. A Solinas

5.0 out of 5 stars A darkness lies behind us, and out of it few tales have come
Just when you think they can't find another draft, note, poem or shopping list written by J.R.R. Tolkien, something new pops up. Read more

Published on Dec 14 2007 by E. A Solinas

5.0 out of 5 stars A darkness lies behind us, and out of it few tales have come
Just when you think they can't find another draft, note, poem or shopping list written by J.R.R. Tolkien, something new pops up. Read more

Published on Oct 12 2007 by E. A Solinas

5.0 out of 5 stars If
If you're into great fiction such as Eugenides MIDDLESEX or perhaps Irving's HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE, then CHILDREN might not be for you. Read more

Published on July 13 2007 by Kandy Usselton

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
Children of Hurin in my opinion outdid Lord of the Rings. That is saying quite a lot because LOTR was an amazing tale! Read more

Published on July 9 2007 by sheila bezeredi

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