The Children of Hurin

[Aidan of the tavern]

Well I don't know about you but I read this book and thought it was absolutely fantastic. For me it was just one of those books you read and then nod to yourself saying "yep, that was fantasy". It was back in Arda or whatever the Tolkien world is called, but because it was way back in the early days it felt like new territory for me as the reader, and it was also nice to focus on one main protag for a change. The grim darkness I thought was pulled off perfectly, and it was really interesting having such a flawed protag to follow.

So yeah, as you can tell I've got nothing but good stuff to say about it, how did you Scribes find the book?

 

[Ireth]

I haven't read it yet, but by golly I WANT to! I love the story of Turin in the Silmarillion, for all its utterly heartbreaking content, and I think a more story-like version as opposed to the textbook-ish account would be nothing but awesome. Now if only there was a similar expanded version of the tale of Beren and Luthien, my life would be awesome.

 

[ArielFingolfin]

I loved it! A terribly tragic story, but still beautiful all the same. I never even read the Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales version anymore when I'm reading those books; I just skip over it and read the full thing afterwards.

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

I haven't read it yet, but by golly I WANT to! I love the story of Turin in the Silmarillion, for all its utterly heartbreaking content, and I think a more story-like version as opposed to the textbook-ish account would be nothing but awesome. Now if only there was a similar expanded version of the tale of Beren and Luthien, my life would be awesome.

I haven't finished the Silmarillion yet so I don't know how much it mentions, but the story of Turin is just told in such an incredible way for me. I think it takes a certain honing of skill to write something incredibly dark and do it well.

 

[Ivan]

My first thought was that this book was going to be simply a lighter version of what is in the Silmarillion, but I will have to take a look.

 

[ArielFingolfin]

My first thought was that this book was going to be simply a lighter version of what is in the Silmarillion, but I will have to take a look.

It's the tale told in more depth. A lot of it is the same, but there's more to it, like more from his childhood.

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

I went over it again a while ago and something struck me. I've heard some critics describes Tolkien's characters as "too black and white". Well if anyone agrees with this they need to read the book. There are so few clear-cut good and bad guys, everyone's really grey which I think is fantastic. When I read the COH I thought Thingol was an intriguing character, and to be honest thought he was a good person. I'm not dropping any spoilers here, but when I read the Silmarillion, notably the story of Beren and Luthien, I ended up seriously rethinking my views on the character. Mim is another interesting one, not very likable, and he does some awful things, but at the same time he came across to me as something of a wounded animal.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I went over it again a while ago and something struck me. I've heard some critics describes Tolkien's characters as "too black and white". Well if anyone agrees with this they need to read the book. There are so few clear-cut good and bad guys, everyone's really grey which I think is fantastic. When I read the COH I thought Thingol was an intriguing character, and to be honest thought he was a good person. I'm not dropping any spoilers here, but when I read the Silmarillion, notably the story of Beren and Luthien, I ended up seriously rethinking my views on the character. Mim is another interesting one, not very likable, and he does some awful things, but at the same time he came across to me as something of a wounded animal.

Most comments directed towards Tolkien's characters & their good vs evil stance are usually concerning Sauron. Although I agree that there are several good examples of morally grey tendencies, those characters still lean heavily towards the good...but with dabbles of grey. It's the concentration on Sauron as a characterless Dark Lord (and his opposites Gandalf, hobbits, etc.) that causes people to miss those bits of grey in other characters. Sauron is merely an embodiment of evil, nothing more.

 

[druidofwinter]

I have read it. and i must say it is pretty great! there are some book's that you read and say "that is true fantasy" and this is one of those. i believe Tolkien was the father of fantasy, and so far he is unparalleled. the silmarillion is my all time favorite book. to all who haven't, go read it!

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

I have read it. and i must say it is pretty great! there are some book's that you read and say "that is true fantasy" and this is one of those. i believe Tolkien was the father of fantasy, and so far he is unparalleled. the silmarillion is my all time favorite book. to all who haven't, go read it!

Agreed. Awesome username by the way!

 

[Karin Rita Gastreich]

A friend of mine gave me this in audiobook about a year back, narrated by Christopher Lee. I loved the story, and also loved Lee's interpretation. If you like audiobooks, I'd recommend this one highly.