By: J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: April 2007
ISBN: 0618894640
Reviewed by: Bill Alberts
Review Date: August 2008
Set in the first age of Middle Earth, The Children Of Hurin recounts the life of Turin, Hurin’s son. Nearly 7,000 years before the Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit, men and elves struggle against Morgoth, the enemy who has placed a curse on Hurin’s family. Raised as a fosterling by a king of elves, Turin tries to escape the doom set upon him and in doing so ensnares friends and family in the evil plots and designs of Morgoth. For the avid Tolkien reader, The Children Of Hurin adds yet more detail and substance to J. R. R. Tolkien’s creation. The same stunning and descriptive language used in both the Lord Of The Rings and The Silmarillioninvests the reader in the tale.
The Children Of Hurin is not an easy book to read, but like Beowulf or Le Morte d’ Arthur it is well worth the effort. It is rare to find such mythic and compelling work among the flotsam and jetsam of current fantasy writings. For those who love the “old” tales, or for those who love mythology, The Children Of Hurin is a must read.
Quill says: Christopher Tolkien (J. R. R. Tolkien’s son) has brilliantly edited, compiled and presented his late father’s unfinished works. One can only hope that there are more gems yet to be mined from that source!
