Narn I Chin Hurin: The Tale of the Children of Hurin
by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Book Reviews of Narn I Chin Hurin: The Tale of the Children of Hurin
Book Review: The Children of Húrin
Summary: 5 Stars
The Children of Húrin is a tale dating from the early years of J.R.R. Tolkien's life and mythical worlds. It is a story he began work on as early as 1918 and continued to write on and off for the rest of his life. It is a story that consumed much of his son Christopher's life and a story Christopher, late in his years now, almost didn't finish either. All this together makes The Children of Húrin a book that consumed two writer's lifetimes, and this begs the question was the effort worthwhile? Was Middle earth not yet finished without The Children of Húrin. Is The Children of Húrin the crowning achievement in a monumental series?
Arguably, the answers to those questions will differ depending on to whom you are speaking. Devoted Tolkien fans who have read not only The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings but also The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales and were left hungry for more will undoubtedly consider The Children of Húrin to be a crowning achievement, if only because of the way it brings the story of Middle earth full circle with its earliest roots. Critics and those who aren't true fans of Tolkien's master works may think otherwise, finding it failings and flaws to be too many to overlook. Nevertheless it is nearly impossible to read The Children of Húrin and not see the genius of the young man who would later become the great man whose works readers around the world have come to love.
So what is the story about? The Children of Húrin takes place in Middle earth 6,000 years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is largely the story of Húrin, an exile wandering among outlaws in Beleriand, a region that by the time of The War of the Ring had long since sunk beneath the Sea.
During the First Age, Elves and Men (the Eldar and the Edain) were locked in combat with the Great Enemy Melkor/Morgoth. At the Tale's beginning Morgoth has conquered much of Beleriand and now rules this land from his fortress of Angband in the mountains of Thangorodrim. While the Elvish kingdoms of Doriath, Nargothrond, and Gondolin are hidden and for the moment safe, the Edain haven't been as fortunate and are now scattered.
Húrin is the Heir of the House of Hador. He seeks to rally Men to continue the struggle. Morgoth captures Húrin and places a curse on his family. Húrin's children Túrin and Nienor must deal with the curse and its consequences throughout the rest of their lives.
The book has good battle sequences as well as an interesting story. There's a Gollum-like character (the petty-dwarf Mim), a great fight with a dragon, and plenty of character development. While putting the story together, JRR Tolkien's son, Christopher, didn't add any connective prose of his own, and knowing this, I expected it to be less refined and more of a patchwork, as the text comes largely from his father's notes, drafts, and such, but this is not the case. The narrative is very complete. It's darker than LoTR, and much like a greek tragedy.
As the book is full of characters and names, any one not familiar with pre-LoTR material may have trouble. As far as style, the prose is eloquent although deliberately more archaic than LoTR. Still, this a real gem for any Tolkien fan. After finishing, I couldn't help wonder what Tolkien might have accomplished if he had ever written another true novel after LoTR.
This is very highly recommended, and much easier reading than you might expect. There's only one footnote in the book. As always, a well detailed map is included. Plus there is an Index of Names at the back of the book to help the reader keep track of who is who.
As a final note, don't skip the Introduction, written by Christopher Tolkien. The introduction does a fair job of preparing the reader who hasn't read The Silmarillion for what is to follow.
Book Review: Only deepens further the legend and legacy of Middle Earth
Summary: 5 Stars
J.R.R. Tolkien exploded to new heights of popularity in the mainstream with the release of the film translations of his famed THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Sales of the series soared, and interest in all things Tolkien knew no bounds. Now, a few years removed from that mass media frenzy, Christopher Tolkien has decided it's time to return the focus of the Tolkien legacy where it belongs: on the printed word.
Christopher opens THE CHILDREN OF HURIN with his own commentary; he says he did as little as possible to insert his own ideas or inferences into the piece, pulled together from extensive but scattered notes left by his late father. The tale of Túrin has been mentioned in minor variations in more than one previous work, but this marks the first time that the full story has been told and likely will be the last full-length journey to Middle Earth.
THE CHILDREN OF HURIN does not read as straightforward as THE LORD OF THE RINGS and by no means should it. This tale, which is older than the Middle Earth of the War of the Ring and older than the power of the dark lord Sauron, tells of lands long since drowned by the rising of the sea. It is mythological, mythic in size and scope, and thus told with reverence, as all stories of long-ago heroes are told.
However, this does not keep the story from accessibility. Previously, the posthumous works such as UNFINISHED TALES or THE SILMARILLION were criticized heavily for the dry and near-religious presentation, so drastically different from THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS as to be unreadable by the masses. Initially, names will come fast and furious, but once you become accustomed to the various places and characters, the reading will progress quite smoothly. Included in the book is a map that comes in handy and an index of names to help you keep things straight.
This is a tale worthy of the telling, and one that was intensely important to Tolkien. Beren and Lúthien were oft-spoken of in THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and Túrin was mentioned only in passing, but his legend and curse were vital to Tolkien's world.
THE CHILDREN OF HURIN is a tragedy and a tale of great sorrow, and its sadness begins early on for the child Túrin, whose younger sister, Urwen, dies from the illness that comes from the Evil Breath. Her death is a great blow to the melancholy Túrin. Their father, Húrin --- the lord of Dor-lómin --- marches with his men against the forces of Morgoth, the original Dark Lord. His men are slain by the orcs, and he is taken as a prisoner to the Dark King's sanctuary. There, Morgoth lays a curse upon his children, Túrin and Niënor, saying, "Upon all whom you love my thought shall weigh as a cloud of Doom, and it shall bring them into darkness and despair."
And so the doom of Man is set. Túrin is sent to Doriath, where he lives as the foster-child of the elven king Thingol (the father of Lúthien the Fair), long an ally of Húrin. There he grows to manhood but longs to take up arms against Morgoth. Fleeing Doriath, as he fears a punishment from the king (which never comes), Túrin takes up with brigands, eventually coming to see that more is needed of him --- and of the men who would follow him --- if he truly is to take after his father. Thus he begins to show his quality, and starts his rise in the legendarium of Middle Earth.
Part ancient epic (such as "The Kalevala"), part Oedipus, part Romeo and Juliet, and even part Beowulf, THE CHILDREN OF HURIN draws from a deeper well than most fantasy fiction and will move you on multiple levels. It is horrendously tragic and yet at the same time a wholly beautiful work that only deepens further the legend and legacy of Middle Earth.
--- Reviewed by Stephen Hubbard
Book Review: A Hauntingly Tragic Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
J.R.R. Tolkien first began work on The Children of Hurin in 1918; which he laboured upon until his death in the late 1970s, but sadly left unfinished. Tantalizing fragments of the saga have appeared in The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, but only now with the publication of The Children of Hurin is a more complete tale finally being told. The work of editing the manuscripts together into a cohesive whole fell to his youngest son Christopher Tolkien, whom I may say has done an admirable and commendable job. The Children of Hurin is much gloomier, melancholic and fatalistic than either The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings and is also quite elegiac and hauntingly descriptive. During my formative years I devoured copious amounts of fantasy novels, but quickly grew bored of the genre almost as a whole which I felt had become predictably repetitive. Only one fantasy author has given me constant delight and pleasure over the years, and that is Tolkien, for while most fantasy is pulp published, derivative and formulaic the works of said author are truly original and I think "classic literature" of the highest order.
The arc of the story follows one Turin (son of Hurin, of the House of Hador) in the remote first ages of Middle Earth, and of his formative encounters with the Elves. As a child tragedy repeatedly befalls Turin which slowly but surely gives him a gravely aloof persona; and as he passes into manhood he becomes intolerably proud, haughty and defiant. In his restless wanderings throughout the lands of ancient Middle Earth the ill-fated Turin invariably brings disaster upon those whom he befriends, through rash deeds and reckless behavior. Turin is plagued by woe for many of those dear to him will die tragically, thus he becomes revered and loved, yet at the same time accursed. This misfortune stems from a dreadful curse Morgoth has laid upon his father Hurin and his immediate bloodline. In time Turin gains renown as a slayer of Orcs and a champion of justice, ever wielding his masterless and treacherous black sword Gurthang. The novel recounts of Turin's dealings with conniving Petty Dwarves and his valiant battles against bloodthirsty Orcs, brutish Easterlings and of his confrontation with the ever cunning Glaurung the Dragon. All are either allies or servants of the malevolently evil Morgoth, mentor and master of Sauron. Turin battles valiantly against his dark fate; for although he is noble, kind and honest he is way too quick to temper... thus Morgoth's evil designs inevitably come to fruition. However Turin does achieve one final if tainted victory; for he tirelessly pursues Glaurung and finding the beasts weak spot, slays him, but as life drains from the wounded Dragon it reveals a shocking truth to Turin. This revelation is too much for him to bear and guilt ridden, grief stricken and crestfallen Turin commits suicide by impaling himself upon his sword... so ends the life of a noble soul.
The Children of Hurin is a thoroughly captivating tale of friendship and betrayal, forbidden love and bravery in the face of adversity that will be a welcome addition to Tolkien's literary oeuvre. In the back of the book there are extensive genealogies, appendices, a list of names and places and a revised map that will give one a deeper appreciation of this truly refined novel. Although The Children of Hurin is neither as majestically sweeping or descriptively engaging as The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings it nonetheless still recounts a captivating tale, and is far superior to the best works of most modern fantasy authors. With beautifully ethereal illustrations by Alan Lee to accompany the text this novel is a great pleasure to read and hopefully it will fire ones imagination and sense of romanticism; and proves yet again why J.R.R. Tolkien is considered the undisputed grandmaster of the fantasy genre.
Book Review: A darkness lies behind us, and out of it few tales have come
Summary: 5 Stars
Just when you think they can't find another draft, note, poem or shopping list written by J.R.R. Tolkien, something new pops up.
But in the case of "The Children of Húrin," the result is a surprisingly solid and lucid story, full of familiar characters from other books about the history of Middle-Earth. Tolkien's timeless, formal prose and richly-imagined world make this novella pop from the pages, especially without his son's stuffier footnotes.
It opens with the story of Huon and Hurin, heroic brothers who lived back in the first age. But when battling the terrible Morgoth (the Middle-Earth Satan), Huor is slain and Hurin is taken prisoner by Morgoth, who torments and curses him. The Easterlings overrun his lands, and in fear for her son and unborn baby, Hurin's wife Morwen sends her son away to be fostered in Doriath.
And so Turin grows up in Doriath, until the day when he feels the need to go out and defend his distant family. His adventures take him through Middle-Earth, encountering great elves, orcs, lives with outlaws, and Mim the petty-dwarf. But his life is cursed by Morgoth -- as is the mysterious girl he falls in love with -- and his downfall will be one of horror and disgrace, even as he slays the most terrible dragon in Middle-Earth, Glaurung.
This book is actually a jigsaw puzzle -- Tolkien worked on the interrelated stories and poetry throughout his lifetime, but he never quite finished a solid cohesive story. So Christopher Tolkien cobbled together these various stories with Tolkien's unfinished works, pasted them together, and the result was "The Children of Húrin."
Surprisingly, the resulting story is very solid and strong, with a darker finale than "Lord of the Rings." While the main storyline is about Hurin and his son, it's sprinkled with familiar characters, such as Melian and Morgoth. And the rich, tragic storyline is full of noble elves, great human heroes, ancient lost cities and even a vengeful, talking sword.
And Tolkien's writing is somewhere between his "Silmarillion" style and his "Lord of the Rings" style -- it's formal and archaic, but he includes strong descriptions ("A flash of white swallowed in the dark chasm, a cry lost in the roaring of the river") and dialogue ("You are one of the fools that spring would not mourn if you perished in winter". One of the best scenes is when Morgoth and Hurin argue about theology and the "circles of the world" on a tower.
Despite the formality of his writing, the characters really pop out of their stories -- Turin is fierce, passionate and tragic, and his last scenes are absolutely stunning. His noble father and moody mother also come across well, and we get plenty of other colourful characters, from snitty elves to the evil Morgoth himself, who torments Hurin by forcing him to see everything Morgoth sees.
Since the actual story is only about two hundred pages long, it's fleshed out considerably by Christopher Tolkien's introduction and appendices, which explain about the writing and construction of the stories and poems, as well as a pronunciation guide, and a series of family trees.
And Alan Lee provides several beautiful drawings (both black-and-white and color), including Doriath's forests, eagles carrying Hurin and Huor, elven smiths, the dragon, Elf warriors, and finally the death of Turin, over a grey river under some burned trees.
Despite its brevity, "The Children of Húrin" is a stunning, brilliant piece of work, full of Tolkien's vibrant storytelling and memorable characters. Definitely a must-read.
Book Review: Finally, Middle Earth Lore in a format fun to read!
Summary: 4 Stars
So, it seems that somehow JRR Tolkien has come back from the dead to publish a new book that will put the legions and legions of pulp fantasy books around today to shame (no offense towards modern fantasy!). After some time editing, Christopher Tolkien has released "The Children of Hurin", the long tale version of the story of Turin Turambar from the Silmarillion.
Few quick facts about the book. Yes, it is the "long tale" version of that book but it still isn't very long. Counting the introduction (which I agree with others, this is VERY valuable and informative), and the appendixes (mainly made up of geneologies and glossaries taken from The Silmarillion, I think) the book is about 350 pages. It comes illustrated with artwork by Alan Lee, which is a very nice addition. However, It's sad that right now no cheaper version is available then the $26 hardcover illustrated version. For those who don't know, here's a very quick and mainly spoiler free synopsis- the book is about Turin Turumbar, son of the warrior Hurin. Turin's life is cursed by the dark lord of the time, Morgoth, due to the actions of his father. The curse follows him around no matter where he goes, and brings most of his action, good intention or not, to evil.
I've read the book and I can honestly say that this is undeniably JRR Tolkien's work, not some thrown together attempt to make some money for the Tolkien estate (though I'm sure it will do that, too). Don't believe me? Just read the first few pages. The writing is very much the style that would be expected for a JRR Tolkien, though more like the Silmarillion than the Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit.
The book delivers on many levels, but fails on a few. First I'll start with the good things.
The book reads a lot like an Old English epic, but there's a bit more character depth. Unlike Lord of the Rings, this book only has 1 main character as opposed to twelve. So this one character is a lot more developed then most of the characters in the Lord of the Rings. Secondly, though the story will probably be old for a few, I feel that this book is the most enjoyable version of the tale of Turin that can be read. Finally, the writing is simply stellar in the book, as well as some of the dialogue. The Children of Hurin contains some very memorable passages, like Turin's conversations and reuninciation with Sador, the meeting with Glaurung, and Hurin's mockery.
As for the bad, well... the book is too short! Ironically, Tolkien could have spent more time describing environments, character's appearences, and fight scenes. However, when describing characters in this book he focuses mainly on their geneology. And though many fight scenes are wonderfully written, some are lacking, i.e. "Turin drove the goblins back through the forest". Finished. The End. Fight Over.
So this book is very enjoyable to read, very interesting, probably one of Tolkien's more philosophical works. The Children of Hurin is one of the best tales from Middle Earth, and I'm glad to see it published in this format. Yet it could be longer and more descriptive. Still, Children of Hurin has every right to hang with JRR's other books. I would love to see a "long" version of some of the other tales, such as "Beren and Luthien", published.