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The Children of Húrin
 
 

The Children of Húrin [Kindle Edition]

J. R. R. Tolkien , Christopher Tolkien
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)

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Review

“A masterpiece…an extraordinary book. As in The Silmarillion you feel yourself in the presence of a personal genius.” A.N. Wilson, The Telegraph

"I hope that its universality and power will grant it a place in English mythology" Independent on Sunday

"The darkest of all Tolkien's tales. Alan Lee's illustrations complement the writing splendidly" Times Literary Supplement

'"Deserves to eclipse all his other posthumous writings, and stand as a worthy memorial to the imagination of Tolkien" The Times

’For those in search of a soulful, seamless read the rehabilitation of this sober tale will be gratefully received…a worthy addition to one of the most cherished mythologies in English literature.’
The Observer

‘Christopher Tolkien has brought together his father's text as well as he can. It has a strange atmosphere all of its own.'
The Guardian

"A bleak, darkly beautiful tale played out against the background of the First Age of Tolkien's Middle-earth . . . grand, epic storytelling and a reminder, if one was needed, of Tolkien's genius in creating an imaginary world that both reflects and deepens a sense of our own mythic past." - Washington Post Book World

'The final episode, in which an incestuous passion and a battle with a great dragon enfold each other, has a power quite unlike anything else. When Hurin is released from captivity, and makes his way to his children's graves to meet, one last time his wife, the result is a coda more moving than I'd have thought Tolkien capable of creating.'
The Daily Telegraph

'The language is authentically Tolkien. Its aim is to tell a good story, and it does so. It is well crafted: Christopher Tolkien has skilfully pieced the fragments together.'
The Economist

'It is dry, mad, humourless, hard-going and completely brilliant. My ten-year-old read it in a day and a half and has not shut up about it since. Tolkien is always dismissed as a conservative, but what's striking about this book is how modern it seems. It comes with lavish and lovely artwork by Alan Lee.' The Independent

'This is the darkest of all Tolkien's tales. Alan Lee's illustrations complement the writing splendidly.' TLS

Independent on Sunday

"I hope that its universality and power will grant it a place in English mythology"

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 1101 KB
  • Print Length: 322 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0007252234
  • Publisher: HarperCollins (20 April 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B002RI93QK
  • Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #21,572 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Father's Hurin 24 Aug 2008
Format:Hardcover
This is a tale of unrelenting tragedy. Drawn from the history of the First Age of Middle-earth, it tells of how Morgoth, the original Dark Lord to whom Sauron was but a lieutenant, wreaked appalling vengeance upon the family of the man Hurin, chiefly for his refusal to betray a great hidden city of the elves who were his allies. Readers acquainted with the story from a more summary version published three decades earlier in THE SILMARILLION will have some idea what to expect. They will also understand the part these events ultimately did play in the fall of virtually every elven kingdom in the vast land of Beleriand before it sank beneath the sea, still millennia prior to the events recounted in THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

This new telling, however, differs from the former in at least two respects. First and most obvious, it greatly develops the details so that we come to know the doomed players more intimately, better appreciating both their flaws and their virtues, and thus feeling the tragedy more personally when it manifests itself in turn after turn of their lives.

Second and perhaps more subtle is what this version leaves out. THE SILMARILLION continued the story further, revealing later events which, while not negating these present disasters, at least mitigated them somewhat, suggesting that evil's triumph was indeed only for a season. (There were also poignant touches, such as the extraordinary future of a certain gravesite, which lent a melancholy beauty to the sorrow.) Here, however, Christopher Tolkien, the author's son and editor, chooses to end the tale at a point which before had occurred in mid-paragraph. When I first glanced through HURIN and then reacquainted myself with the earlier publication, I seriously questioned this decision.
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73 of 76 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A beginners guide to The Children of Hurin 22 Jun 2007
By Tremas
Format:Hardcover
I have read the other reviews left and find myself slightly amazed the diversity of views. It is clearly a love-it or hate-it phenomenon. For readers of the Silmarillion, the over-arching storyline is familiar, as it is summarised in this work, please read my companion review. The Children of Hurin is a piece by Christopher Tolkien, who also completed the Silmarillion on his father's behalf and this installment is one of the three main works that Tolkien wished to see completed in the epic tragedy that the Silmarillion was to be: Of Beren and Luthien (which is complete), The Children of Hurin and the Fall of Gondolin. In the foreword, Christopher Tolkien underlines the fact that this book is written for devotees of the existing series of tales, and particularly dedicated fans. Although I cannot claim to be as devoted as those who can quote sections of the story, my enthusiasm comes from exploring and forgetting some details as a casual reader. This separate publication is highly recommended to read as a bridging work, for Lord of the Rings fans to become familiar and confident to attempt The Silmarillion. I acknowledge from another reviewer that, without background of characters in the early chapters, the sudden introduction of names and places that have no reference on Middle Earth can be daunting and imposing (indeed, these tales are set in Beleriand, a region west of the Westernmost shores of Middle Earth that became destroyed before even Bilbo Baggins was born.) I would highly recommend a list of Dramatis Personae for future editions and a brief summary of their character to make this transition easier.

Having outlined some of the flaws here, I think it is important to balance up unmentioned strengths of the works.
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109 of 115 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Good... but... 27 April 2007
Format:Hardcover
I've been a fan of Tolkien for years and enjoyed this book very much. But I think I only did so because I have allowed myself to become some immersed in the Tolkien mythology. For me, I liked the extra richness it brought to stories we already know and reading it had that comforting feeling of slipping under a warm blanket on a cold day.

Having said that, I'm not entirely sure that The Children of Hurin actually adds all that much to the story as previously presented in the Silmarillion. Yes, there was a bit more dialogue, but the sweep of the narrative was still very broad and there wasn't actually anything much new here.

Perhaps more seriously, one of the reasons I think I liked the book was because I know the mythology and back story from the Silmarillion, including all the different names and characters, inside out. My suspicion is that if I'd come to it 'cold' as it were, the procession of new names and references to other parts of the mythology would have been close to impenetrable - as some of the other reviews on this page suggest.

So. Here's the rub. There's not a great deal of 'added value' here if you've already read the Silmarillion, unless you're a Tolkien obsessive like me. But at the same time, you kind of need to have read the Silmarillion first for half of the text to actually mean anything to you at all.

I AM a Tolkien obsessive and so did enjoy The Children of Hurin. And I just can't bring myself to give it less than '4' for this reason. But part of me wonders whether it really deserves a '3' for the weaknesses I've just mentioned...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
I found this book gave me very good insight into the world of middle earth and its mysteries of deep lore
Published 1 month ago by Vanessa Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Voice
I enjoyed the books so I bought the Audio book. The story is very tragic. Christopher has a magical voice that just matches the story. It's almost musical.
Published 1 month ago by RR
5.0 out of 5 stars The Children of Húrin
Bought this book as a birthday present for my son in law, he loved it, and the price was right too.
Published 2 months ago by amanda joy
4.0 out of 5 stars Children of Hurin Box Set
Found the books in very good condition. Even though I have two of the books The Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales I had not read Children of Hurin. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Faizal
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Really good story by Tolkien, right up there with the Hobbit in my opinion. It's well worth a read whether as part of the wider Middle Earth saga or just as a stand alone story.
Published 2 months ago by Stephen O'Hara
5.0 out of 5 stars Well received
This was a gift for a ten year old - he was very excited to have the set, even though he already had one of the books!
Published 3 months ago by donnatello
3.0 out of 5 stars Hard going
I am a big fan of Lord Of The Rings and of The Hobbit. Found this one to be similar to The Silmarillion, in that it is very much like reading a history book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Rich
5.0 out of 5 stars Tragic and cinematic
This review has also been posted on Goodreads. Also, warning: spoilers ahead.
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It isn't often that a book makes me cry. In a public place. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Miriam Joy
5.0 out of 5 stars Tolkein
I am a very big tolkein fan having read the hobbit and lord of the rings twice. I was diasappointed with the book as were other tolkein fans that I leant it to
Published 3 months ago by Ms. Patricia Hayman
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic if underrated story
I think this book would be an excellent point for starting to read further into Middle-earth if one is interested in doing so after having read The Hobbit and The Lord of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mears
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