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The Tale of the Children of Hurin

Editor: J.R.R. Tolkien
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
$26.00 Cloth (313 p.)
ISBN: 9780618894642
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Reviewed by David White, Customer Service Bibliographer

Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien have waited many years for The Tale of the Children of Hurin. While not of the caliber of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this book is a far cry from the Silmirillion, or the various volumes of Tolkien writings published since the author’s death.

The preface and introduction explain how the story was rebuilt from disparate sources by Tolkien’s son Christopher. They do much to help explain the changes in flow throughout the story. There are sections rich in detail, followed by others so skeletal it is clear they were culled from a greater – and different – narrative by Christopher as the only method of keeping the story line flowing at all.

Tolkien’s work is always rich in arcane names, but as Turin (the son of Hurin) attempts to escape the curse laid on him through his father, he assumes aliases and titles that make it hard to keep up with the narrative. At different times throughout the book, Turin is know as: Thurin (the Secret), Adanedhel, Agarwaen, Mormegil (The Black Sword), Gorthol (The Dread Helm), Neithan (The Wronged), Turambar (Master of Doom) and the Wildman of the Woods. As one for whom names take some time to sink in while reading – I found this could get pretty confusing.

The Tale of the Children of Hurin is a classic tragic tale, much darker than Tolkien’s other well-known works. Turin is one of Tolkien’s only anti-heroes, but that doesn’t lessen the bond between him and the reader. As the book’s conclusion rapidly builds, its inevitablility helps the reader appreciate Turin all the more.

Highly recommended for literature and general fiction collections.