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The Children of Hurin

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Christopher Lee
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Publisher's summary

Painstakingly restored from Tolkien’s manuscripts and presented for the first time as a fully continuous and standalone story, the epic tale of The Children of Húrin will reunite fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, eagles and Orcs, and the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkie

There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings, and the story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.

In that remote time Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband, the Hells of Iron, in the North; and the tragedy of Túrin and his sister Nienor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves.

Their brief and passionate lives were dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bore them as the children of Húrin, the man who had dared to defy and to scorn him to his face. Against them he sent his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire. Into this story of brutal conquest and flight, of forest hiding-places and pursuit, of resistance with lessening hope, the Dark Lord and the Dragon enter in direly articulate form. Sardonic and mocking, Glaurung manipulated the fates of Túrin and Nienor by lies of diabolic cunning and guile, and the curse of Morgoth was fulfilled.

The earliest versions of this story by J.R.R. Tolkien go back to the end of the First World War and the years that followed; but long afterwards, when The Lord of the Rings was finished, he wrote it anew and greatly enlarged it in complexities of motive and character: it became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book Christopher Tolkien has constructed, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention.

©2007 J. R. R. Tolkien Copyright Trust and Christopher Reuel Tolkien (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, UK

Featured Article: Galadriel—A Lord of the Rings Character Guide


Galadriel is one of the most significant characters both in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and the wide history of Middle-earth more generally. If you've listened to The Lord of the Rings or seen any of the film adaptations, then you're likely well aware of who Galadriel is. But what, exactly, makes her so important? What is her history? This character guide is here to answer all of your questions about the powerful Elf Galadriel, the Lady of Lórien.

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What listeners say about The Children of Hurin

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Christopher Lee!! Aaaaaaaahh!!!!

His narrating is as good as his acting! I could see the sadness of the scenes when he read the tragedies and the best part is I can lock my phone, go into dead zones, and never stop hearing the story! 1st book heard kn audible and I am in love!

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Beautiful Tragedy

This is a great standalone story by Tolkien read very accurately by Christopher Lee who knows all the correct pronunciations of the words. I will say it was very difficult to get into in the first few chapters because I didn't know anything about the layout of Beleriand or its inhabitants, so I had this as a companion to the physical book. As the book goes along, you will get sucked into the story.

Lee's narration really grew on me.

Not for the faint of heart!

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Good for Tolkien and ancient literature fans.

This was a fun listen for Tolkien fans. If you like ancient tragedies, you'll like this.

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this is a gem

a must have for any tolkien fan. a wonderfully composed story and a performance for the ages by Christopher Lee.

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Loved it

This is my favorite Tolkien tale, and Christopher Lee does it justice. His reading may seem overly dramatic at times, but it works for this book, which reads like a greek tradegy.

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Great listen

Great book, it’s even better being read by Christopher Lee! It is most enjoyable to listen to.

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Great Story!

Christopher Lee is great on his performance and the book story is just amazing and tragic!

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One of the most tragic story I have ever heard.

An absolutely amazing performan of Sir Lee and a masterful peace of Tolkien. nothing could go wrong with this audiobook.

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The legend building

I liked the story...I've always been a Tolken reader. The legends of old cultures is well developed in kind as his other work.

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Not Lord of the Rings but still fun

Certainly not Lord of the Rings or even the Hobbit but it is a fun look at a different time in Middle Earth. Lee is awesome to listen to and honestly he probably could read a microwave manual and make it enjoyable lol. If you are a Tolkien fan go ahead and put this on the list.

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