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lord of the rings children of hurin middle earth christopher tolkien alan lee unfinished tales children of húrin hobbit and the lord read the silmarillion tolkien fan dark lord jrr tolkien lost tales beren and luthien elder days turin turambar hobbit and lotr story of turin tolkien works elves and men
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S E Lindberg
4.0 out of 5 stars very Tolkienesque... but much more dark/grim than most people have read
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2017
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In short, The Children of Húrin is very Tolkien... but much more dark/grim than most people have read. I own the Alan Lee illustrated version and the audiobook narrated by none other than Saruman-actor Christopher Lee. Extremely dark! A dense read made easier by the narration and tenor of Lee. Listening to C.Lee while looking at A.Lee's illustrations is a great experience.

If anyone thinks JRR only wrote happy fairytales, then they will be surprised by this ultradark tale. On the other hand, Tolkien-tropes/style are still very much present:
1) A dragon, Glaurong, terrorizes Middle Earth (reminiscent of Smaug in the Hobbit)
2) Evil villain-god Glaurong is a servant of Morgoth, once named Melkor whose lieutenant Sauron appears in LOTR; Morgoth has a large role in this book.
3) Forbidden man and elf-woman relationships, in this case Turin has a few relationships with women, and elves, but one relationship echoes that of Aragorn & Arwen from LOTR ... which echoes that of Bereth and Luthien in and Tale of Tunuviel
4) Abandoned Dwarf place: in the Hobbit and LOTR we were treated to ruined Dwarf holds (Erebor and the Mines of Moria); here we have the petty-dwarf Mim and his abandoned hold Amon Rûdh.
5) Secretive Elf places: in the Hobbit and LTOR, we had Rivendell and Lothlórien... here we are graced with Doriath and Nargothrond)

These Tolkien-tropes reinforced my take on the Hobbit and LOTR's themes; if you've read those and are entertaining reading the Silmarillion, I suggest reading Hurin first. It is easier to read than The Silmarillion and expands the milieu well.

The Children of Húrin really extends the World of the Hobbit and Return of the King. Easier to read than the Similarion, but still pretty thick. From this I learned lots of nuances (like Elrond is half-human). Would make an awesome movie (which will not happen :( ). Highly recommended.
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A. A. Green
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book. I had just read The Silmarillion and ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2017
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Good book. I had just read The Silmarillion and was a bit hazy on some of the details (SO many names, places, name variants, etc.). This book covers a portion of the same events and characters in The Silmarillion but was much easier to follow. Thus, it was helpful as well as enjoyable. I read the book while following along with the Audible audiobook narrated by the great Christopher Lee (who portrayed Saruman the White in The Lord of the Rings). Excellent combination reading experience. Highly recommended for Tolkien fans.
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BALACOBACO
5.0 out of 5 stars I hated" it! Wait, let me explain....
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015
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This book is fantastic, it will grab you by the throat. I read it in two days, two weeks after I read The Silmarillion for the first time.

So, why I said "I hated it"? Simple: after reading this book, I just imagined if (IF!!) Tolkien could have published more works in his lifetime, works like this one that spread things that happen in The Simarillion. Imagine a whole book about Beren and Luthien, about Eol, about the dog from Valinor, about the Valars, some books about the details of one of the battles, about the battle between Elves and Dwarfs... gosh, the options were infinite...

But it was not so... I do not see this book as a false attempt, a false job just to get cash for the state. It is a very good stand-alone book, everyone that like fantasy I think would enjoy it.

Also, the dialogues.... Here we have much more dialogue than in The Silmarillion, and, not surprisingly, they are very good. Tolkien was a master of the craft, every word counted.

Just loved this book.

Bear in mind that this book is kind of an expanded version of the tale already contained in UNFINISHED TALES, under the name "Narn I Hin Húrin" (the longest chapter in that book, by the way). The differences between the versions are clearly explained by Christopher Tolkien at the end of "The Children of Húrin".
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Cooking Light
5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Enjoyable Read
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2015
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If you are a LOTR fan, you've got to read this! Its readability is about the same as the trilogy (ok, maybe a little slower), but definitely easier to read than the Silmarillion. It's great for reading aloud to other people, but I don't expect children under 10 to love it (the Hobbit would work better in that case). The writing is polished and the characters are developed and interesting. The main plot was not too surprising -- it features a classic tragic hero trajectory. Keep in mind that this is Christopher Tolkien's work, and it is consistent with his father's style (bittersweet endings, very nostalgic, good versus evil, predictable outcomes). This book doesn't have the "every character you ever loved might die brutally" plot twists that George R. R. Martin loves to employ, because this story isn't about shocking/complex plots, but rather, the slow unfolding of a character's life. It really is quite beautiful.
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Philip R. Columbus
4.0 out of 5 stars Good but lacking personality.
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2019
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As someone who read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings 50 years ago while a freshman at college, I have avidly followed things Middle Earth. The culmination was, of course, the amazing job done by Peter Jackson in bringing the books to life on the screen. And that’s where the problem lies with this book and many of the others Tolkien the younger has. That is, his books have no life to them. The characters all appear to be cardboard cutouts of heroes and villains moved across a sterile landscape. Unlike this book, LOTR has dynamic characters with wildly varying personalities. The descriptions of people and places are vibrant and engaging. Reading LOTR makes you want to join your friends on their adventures because the writing is so engrossing that you feel part of the story. This book, unfortunately, offers none of that feeling. The bottom line is that LOTR makes me want to read more about Middle Earth. However, if I had read this first, I am not sure I would have finished it nor would I have clamored to read LOTR. It is great background material and beautifully and meticulously researched but it doesn’t pull you in to a new reality like LOTR does.
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William Mumford
4.0 out of 5 stars Different finish to Beren and Lúthien + The Fall of Gondolin
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2020
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I purchased The Children of Húrin hardback to replace a paperback copy which I had gifted away, having since purchased Beren and Lúthien & The Fall of Gondolin as hardbacks.

The book is as excellent as I remember it being, and the full colour illustrations by Alan Lee are as extraordinary as ever. For any fan of Tolkien, be it from film or book, this is a must read.

I was disappointed to find out that between publishing this and Beren and Lúthien that the publisher had decided to change the finish of the dustjacket. I now have two lovely looking books on my shelf in a nice matte, textured finish with debossed, lettering and a white logo/text on the spine with this sat beside it in a horribly reflective gloss all over and mismatched lettering on the spine.
I am pleased that the latter two publications came in a much nicer dustjacket but am rather disappointed to find that The Children of Húrin was never updated to match - unless there is a copy out there somewhere which I have never found! If this does exist I will be sure to be replacing my copy (again).

Edit: I've now discovered that there is a new edition and have it on my shelf! Careful when ordering from Amazon if this does matter to you, as it seems to be pot luck as to which one you'll get.
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AnnSAmerica
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2018
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I battled through the Silmarillion as a teenager. I truly didn’t enjoy it because it was so different from the Hobbit and LotR. It’s only now do you really appreciate just how complex and beautiful the world Tolkien conceived actually was.

This is a great historical book set in the 1st Age of Middle Earth, before Sauron and his Rings, before Hobbits and Gandalf etc. It is a stand alone story, but it fills in historical gaps that are aluded to in the LotR.
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A. Gibb
3.0 out of 5 stars Archaic Text
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2020
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Written in an archaic text style that takes a little time to get into the rhythm of. The CoH is a tale from the 1st age of Middle Earth, and so is set thousands of years before TLORs; the style of the text reflects this, almost biblical.

As a narrative it’s a sweeping tragedy, spanning a full (human) lifetime of the cursed Turin. Place names and peoples take some understanding, and without being a Tolkien scholar you either have the choice of constant references to the maps and appendices or just going with it and hoping that you catch the drift. Either way it’s still a well constructed tale, albeit one pieced together from notes and partially finished works by the original authors grandson. Taking a step back from this and judging the book as a stand-alone piece of fiction, it’s certainly engaging and like many a piece of tragedy a bit like watching a car crash in slow motion.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic but probably only for dedicated Tolkien fans.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 18, 2013
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"For a man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it."
As a HUGE Tolkien fan - I love this book. To me, it is another glimpse into the intricate world and history of Middle Earth; a world so in-depth and rich in history, languages and legends that I cannot comprehend how it could all have come from just one mans imagination.
This tale is taken from the Silmarillion and tells the story of the elf friend Hurin and the curse put upon him and his family during the rule of the great enemy Morgoth, to whom Sauron was but a servant. His son, Turin, endures many sorrows due to the curse, and despite his rash and headstrong character, you find yourself wanting things to just go right for him. Although, being a tale of ancient middle earth, a sorrowful ending is a certainty.
I just love the detail and depth involved in Tolkien's world and therefore love most of his works. I would recommend it to fans of Lord of the Rings, however it can be confusing with the unfamiliar places, names etc and for people who haven't read the Silmarillion, it could be very confusing.
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C. Nicholls
4.0 out of 5 stars Tolkien mythology made easier to read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2011
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First of all, let me state that I enjoyed this book, and found it far easier to read than the Silmarillion. I struggled with the the Silmarillion, finding it a dense and impersonal series of stories without any real character development, though this of course is only my opinion. Children of Hurin has been extended from the version featured in the Silmarillion, and I found that this makes it both more readable and accessible, and a worthwhile read for those, like me, who found Tolkien's earlier published material on the first and second ages of middle earth rather dry. Dialogue in particular helps this version to create more understandable characters than the earlier version. Although I read this probably three years after the Silmarillion I do feel that my brain was triggered to remember what I'd read previously, making it more understandable.

As for the story, I would have to say that it is by no means perfect. I certainly wouldn't compare it to The Hobbit, or Lord Of The Rings, both of which I love. This is much darker, and more depressing, perhaps too much so, and I felt the end was rather hurried, though that is a minor criticism. If you're a fan of Tolkien's work I would suggest giving it a go, especially if you found previous Tolkien mythology hard to stick with, as this combines these tales of earlier ages of middle earth with an easier novelistic style. Though this has no bearing on the quality of the story I must say I found it rather short, making it pleasant to read, though if I had forked out the £18.99 RRP when it first came out I think I would have felt somewhat short-changed! One final point is to know that the map is folded at the back of the hardback version; I did not discover this until near the end of the book, which was irritating because I found the geography quite hard to comprehend!

Overall a good, tragic novel, quite unlike Tolkien's most well known works, but I'm definitely glad I read it, because it fleshed out the skeleton of the story which was presented in the Silmarillion.
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