The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien

A tragedy for the ages

This is a very, very dark epic, not like The Lord of the Rings at all. Nonetheless, if you like Tolkien's other works, The Children of Hurin is worth a try. It explores the earlier ages of Middle Earth, particularly the story of Turin as described in The Silmarillion.

The story emphasizes key Tolkien themes like honor, oaths, tragedy - and, of course, dragons. Hurin, a noble king, is kidnapped by the evil lord Morgoth. When he refuses to reveal the location of an elven stronghold, Morgoth curses his children. The story follows Hurin's son, Turin, and his trials. The story of Turin is overwhelmingly depressing, with tragedy heaped upon tragedy. He accidentally kills his best friend, makes love to his sister, and eventually begs for death. Think Oedipus meets Aragorn. It is a pretty original and exciting story, but you'll definitely need some prozac after finishing.

Tolkien believed the book wasn't fit for publication because the prose was dry and stilted at times, and I have to agree. However, it also gives the book an archaic flavor. You really feel like you're reading an ancient story, not just a fantasy novel. I'll admit that The Children of Hurin is a tough read, but it is worth your effort.

I disagree with some of the reviewers here in that I think it is extremely helpful, if not necessary, to have read the The Silmarillion first. While The Children of Hurin stands alone as a story, it does reference characters in The Silmarillion, particularly Morgoth and several of the Vallar. What I would recommend is reading The Silmarillion up until the chapter about Hurin and Turin, and then switch to reading this book.

Gets better after chapter 4

a nice and different experience to read, this is the first book i read by tolkien's work, and now i am exited to go back and read the rest starting with The Silmarillion.

it really amazes me the deep and wide imagination the author has, the work of the tolkien is not just stories, he created a full world.

piece of Art.

Where's the music?

Christopher Tolkien has done a great job editing the prequel material to the Lord of the Rings to produce this dramatic and stirring tale of a tragic warrior. The book earns a place on my fantasy bookshelf because no fan of the LOTR could fail to find this of interest.

But although J.R.R.Tolkien was a great writer, it does not follow that this is a great book nor would it have any interest to the reading public were it not by Tolkien. For one thing it is written in his worst style, one modeled after the Icelandic sagas, which I label Bombastic High Fantasy. Some of the dialog is so thickly larded with metaphors artificial, obscure and mixed that it is impossible to extract the meaning from the words. One becomes dependent on the reactions of the other characters; thus if someone storms out of the hall one can guess there was something insulting in the preceding passage. This may be believable in the courts of kings or elven lords, but in outlaw caves it strains the reader's credulity.

The style and the melodramatic quality of the story had the same effect of an opera libretto from the depths of the Romantic Era. I kept expecting an orchestra to strike up in grand fashion with music worthy of Beethoven or Wagner. I think this might make a pretty good opera; I've mixed feelings about the work as a novel. At first I thought that this book might have remained unpublished; I didn't think it added to Tolkien's reputation as a writer. The quality of the writing did not engage my emotions and I found the characters to be overdrawn.

But about a third of the way through the book, I found my reading had adapted to the style of the tale and I began to enjoy it as Bilbo might, listening to the elves sing the story in Rivendell. The story was uneven and fragmentary and certain themes repeated, because that's how legends are. THE CHILDREN OF HURIN represents an important way station in the growth of Tolkien as a writer. The book has been superbly illustrated by Alan Lee. It's a cultural treasure of Middle-Earth come down to our time and well worth the effort to those who are interested in that place.

Posthumous "Practice Book"

I just finished reading The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien. The experience of reading this book brings to mind a long held belief of mine. Namely, that books that are published posthumously in the name of a well-known author were not published in the author's lifetime for good reason.

If a well-known author has a book that they feel is worthwhile they will publish it in their own lifetime. Books published by relatives or estates at a later time are almost always an attempt to 'cash in' on the fame of the deceased relative, however well-meaning they might seem.

Now this might be different in the case of an author who was little-known in their lifetime, or who found fame only late in life. They might still have 'unpublished jewels' among their effects. However, I believe that a well established and popular author has every chance to publish anything note-worthy once they are successful. If they have not published something that they formerly wrote, we can assume that they consider that work to be a "practice book" and not one they want brandished about in their name!

This is what I think J.R.R. Tolkien would feel about The Children of Hurin; no doubt a 'practice book' that he had no intention of publishing once he discovered his wonderful literary voice and story telling ability.

If you pick up this book expecting to hear more wonderful tales from J.R.R. Tolkien, the great story teller who we all know and love, you will be greatly disappointed!

Expect an ancient, dark tale...

Loved The Hobbit. Enjoyed the epic nature of The Lord of the Rings. Couldn't get through The Silmarillion.

Which brings me to The Children Of Hurin. Before you attempt to read it, you should either:

1) be committed to learning more about Middle-Earth;

2) be a fan of the third-person, runic, tale-telling style ("Thus going forward in the way she first ran, she came to the river Teiglin, and stayed her thirst; but no food she found, nor knew how to seek it, and she was famished and cold" [p. 214]);

3) like ancient tales of battles, dragons, curses,dark lords, and interactions of elves, dwarves, orcs, and humans;

4) be a J.R.R. Tolkien fan or biographer; or

5) be stuck in an airport with nothing else to read.

The Children of Hurin is about a family with a terrible curse, and the curse leads to no happy endings.

This is the tale. Enjoy as you are willing and able.