Fantasy

The Children of Húrin

The Children of Húrin

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-10 08:55:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：J.R.R. Tolkien
  • ISBN：0007246226
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Summary

This tale of Middle-earth's First Age， which appeared in incomplete forms in the posthumously published The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales ， also edited by Tolkien's son， Christopher， only hinted at the depth and power of the tragic story of Túrin and Niënor， the children of Húrin， the lord of Dor-lómin， who achieved renown for having confronted Morgoth， who was the master of Sauron， the manifestation of evil in the Lord of the Rings。

Six thousand years before the One Ring is destroyed， Middle-earth lies under the shadow of the Dark Lord Morgoth。 The greatest warriors among elves and men have perished， and all is in darkness and despair。 But a deadly new leader rises， Túrin， son of Húrin， and with his grim band of outlaws begins to turn the tide in the war for Middle-earth -- awaiting the day he confronts his destiny and the deadly curse laid upon him。

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Reviews

A。R ，

This was one of the saddest， most tragic tales I have ever read。 A tale of friendship， of arrogance and pride。 Tolkien understood， far more than most authors， what true torture is。 Rape， pain， all the evils you can think of？ They do not compare to what Hurin experienced。 I have read grimdarks that do not show you true despair such as in this book。

Igor Neox ，

Magnificent！

Maria Jesus ，

Super triste

Sebi ，

Definitely a totally underrated Tolkien story！

Heather M ，

"read children of hurin first to ground yourself in the world"， they said。 "read children of hurin first， it will put you in the ground"， they should have said "read children of hurin first to ground yourself in the world"， they said。 "read children of hurin first， it will put you in the ground"， they should have said 。。。more

Fadi Antwan ，

Maybe it’s a mercy that Tolkien never finished his writings。 If we got more stories of this caliber （or even higher？）， my brain would have just melted from the sheer awesomeness。

Chels S ，

An utterly DEVASTATING warning against pride。

Hana ，

Once again I have no clue what to rate this， because 1） I’m finding it increasingly difficult to consider any of these stories individually from the wider Legendarium， and 2） I have wildly mixed feelings about this。Tolkien’s prose is as skilful as ever and the story is undeniably well-crafted: the themes and symbolism and character work are so layered and nuanced。 On the other hand， this is Tolkien’s great Tragedy （the Oedipus comparisons just write themselves…）， and for all its thematic resonan Once again I have no clue what to rate this， because 1） I’m finding it increasingly difficult to consider any of these stories individually from the wider Legendarium， and 2） I have wildly mixed feelings about this。Tolkien’s prose is as skilful as ever and the story is undeniably well-crafted: the themes and symbolism and character work are so layered and nuanced。 On the other hand， this is Tolkien’s great Tragedy （the Oedipus comparisons just write themselves…）， and for all its thematic resonance， it’s just a miserable read。Would I recommend this？ For fans of Game of Thrones， grimdark fantasy， people who say Tolkien’s work is ‘always too black and white’: absolutely， go forth。 But this has nothing even resembling a happy ending， so if that is what you go to Tolkien for…CW: incest; death; violence; suicide; attempted rape （off-page）; period-typical ableism 。。。more

Jared - Jarock on Discord ，

A wonderful tragedy told by the father of modern fantasy。 I've remembered most of the beats of Children of Hurin from the Silmarillion and it was worth it to read this expanded story。 I'd rate it higher if I was more of a fan of tragedy。 A wonderful tragedy told by the father of modern fantasy。 I've remembered most of the beats of Children of Hurin from the Silmarillion and it was worth it to read this expanded story。 I'd rate it higher if I was more of a fan of tragedy。 。。。more

Marco Lloyd ，

Great book！ If you like the macabre， this is Tolkien’s Hamlet。

Max ，

Can’t remember anything but it was good

Grace ，

always devastating

Liam Carroll ，

This was a great read and an awesome dive into the story of [primarily] Túrin [but also] Niënor。 It’s a piteous story really and one of heroism and stubbornness。 It was an enjoyable edition to reading about middle earth and definitely a great option to continue reading Tolkien。 I wasn’t a fan of how three different chapters were titled “the death of [character]” especially given that all three characters were ones whose death you did care about in some capacity。 So nobody wants to go into the ch This was a great read and an awesome dive into the story of [primarily] Túrin [but also] Niënor。 It’s a piteous story really and one of heroism and stubbornness。 It was an enjoyable edition to reading about middle earth and definitely a great option to continue reading Tolkien。 I wasn’t a fan of how three different chapters were titled “the death of [character]” especially given that all three characters were ones whose death you did care about in some capacity。 So nobody wants to go into the chapter knowing。 Having said that， I think most people （myself included） will have read the Silmarillion before reading this anyway so you know that each of those characters will die。 If you don’t plan on reading the Silmarillion - or have tried and just cant do it （I get it， it’s a challenge） - this is still a great option to continue your journey through middle-earth after LOTR and although The Silmarillion would offer you far greater context， I think you’d still be able to read it without having read The Silmarillion。 However， if you are reading this book without first reading The Silmarillion maybe don’t read the chapter titles。 Save yourself the spoilers within them。 My last comment I’ll word in a way that readers will understand but those who haven’t read it ideally won’t:I commend Tolkien for the way he did this。 Because that part of the plot that makes you go “OMG EWWWWW” was written in a way that I felt care and pity rather than disgust。 I mean as you think about it that shifts but in the moment as a reader I was aware it was gross but I was not grossed out by them。 Know what I mean？ 。。。more

Jason Walker ，

I really enjoyed this！ It’s very well paced and balances out the tragedies （there are many） that follow Túrin nicely。 Túrin himself is not the most sympathetic protagonist but the figures that feature in his journey are very well crafted and enjoyable to read about （specifically Beleg （🏳️‍🌈））。 Despite being very much a fantasy book it is less fantastical than Tolkien’s other works。 It really feels as though someone is traversing through a world that is nothing new to them; an interesting perspec I really enjoyed this！ It’s very well paced and balances out the tragedies （there are many） that follow Túrin nicely。 Túrin himself is not the most sympathetic protagonist but the figures that feature in his journey are very well crafted and enjoyable to read about （specifically Beleg （🏳️‍🌈））。 Despite being very much a fantasy book it is less fantastical than Tolkien’s other works。 It really feels as though someone is traversing through a world that is nothing new to them; an interesting perspective compared to the nature of discovery in his other works。 I can definitely see myself both recommending this and reading it again。 。。。more

Andrii Korpalo ，

Трагічна， але， як на мене дуже життєва історія。 Якщо не працюєш над своїми помилками， вони будуть повторюватись і кожен раз і гіршими наслідками。

Justin Paul ，

Best of Tolkien。 Simply amazing。 Tragic。 Dark。

Ricki ，

I respect this book more than I like it。 It's super sad and almost nothing good happens in it， but it's well-written， compelling， and has that classic tragedy pathos， like stories of King Lear。 It also has major Icelandic saga vibes。 I probably like it as much as the Lord of the Rings novels。 My enjoyment was four stars for most of the book， but in the last quarter it just got too depressing。 I respect this book more than I like it。 It's super sad and almost nothing good happens in it， but it's well-written， compelling， and has that classic tragedy pathos， like stories of King Lear。 It also has major Icelandic saga vibes。 I probably like it as much as the Lord of the Rings novels。 My enjoyment was four stars for most of the book， but in the last quarter it just got too depressing。 。。。more

Fabian ，

Easily one of the best， if not my favorite Tolkien Story :）

Vincent Lemieux ，

Excellent。 Many surprising turns。 Darker and sadder than the LoTR or the Hobbit

Marcelo Gonzalez ，

The first chapter of this book reads like a chapter of Numbers from the Hebrew Bible with ancestral names thrown out and never thought of again， but it picks up steam in the second chapter only for it all to come to a screeching halt 50% of the book and then regain

Jlhamri ，

Unbelievably incredible but almost unbearably sad。 One of Tolkien’s best

Vasyl Kerimov ，

Так і не зрозумів， як той Моргот всього досяг。 Таке враження， що йому просто поталанило。

Omar Amat ，

This was a great read， it echoed for me a lot of great works among them Wagner's ring （maybe to Tolkien's dismay） This was a great read， it echoed for me a lot of great works among them Wagner's ring （maybe to Tolkien's dismay） 。。。more

Matthew John Andreoni ，

This story was so good。 Oedipus + Beowulf + LOTR = this book

Ernest ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Although I really enjoyed this book， it is not a recommended read for everyone。 For most people， it will be frankly pointless。The book is a nice self-contained myth that sits within the story of the First Age described at length in the Quenta Silmarillion - it is in fact an expansion of one of the Silmarillion chapters that bears the same title。 Although the book's introduction and first few chapters do an okay job at introducing the story in its wider context with a very brief overview of the s Although I really enjoyed this book， it is not a recommended read for everyone。 For most people， it will be frankly pointless。The book is a nice self-contained myth that sits within the story of the First Age described at length in the Quenta Silmarillion - it is in fact an expansion of one of the Silmarillion chapters that bears the same title。 Although the book's introduction and first few chapters do an okay job at introducing the story in its wider context with a very brief overview of the story of Húrin and where this all sits in the war with Morgoth， the reader who has not recently read the Silmarillion or at least a summary of it will be quite lost。 This is indeed very distant from the Lord of the Rings， taking place in a part of Middle Earth that doesn't even exist anymore in LOTR， and so it can feel very ungrounded。This particular myth is also one of the most repeated ones in the main Tolkien books。 There is a 25 pages or so chapter covering it somewhat briefly in the Silmarillion， this standalone book， and another 135 pages long version in Unfinished Tales， which is almost half the page count but also in much smaller print than the standalone book， so it must be of relatively similar length。 The Silmarillion chapter is so short that I really did not mind re-reading the story in this much more voluminous book， but I am thinking of skipping the Unfinished Tales version when I start that book （and would then read that one if I ever were to want to read the tale again）。 So if you just read Unfinished Tales I doubt this book will bring much more to the table than the version you found there， although the stand alone book seems to be the definitive and most complete version of the tale。All in all we see this book is mostly for people who have read the Silmarillion， but not Unfinished Tales yet （or at least not the Narn I Hîn Húrin bit）， and who liked the tale enough to want to dig deeper into it。 A narrow audience then。This all being said， this is one of the most readily readable Tolkien books one can find， provided you know the wider context of the Silmarillion a bit。 His excellent prose truly shines here as it is not hindered by his usual encyclopaedic style， and this makes the book a really engaging read that does a great job of transporting you to its wild landscapes and of telling a story without losing focus。 The story itself is great， with visible inspiration from the great real-world myths。 From heir of a celebrated but headless House of men （as Húrin is in captivity in Angband， Morgoth's northern fortress during all this）， to refugee and adopted son of the King of Elves in Doriath， to high captain defending the Northern Marches against the Orcs， to fugitive living in the wild with the outlaws after being wrongly accused of murder， not knowing he has been pardoned by the Elves， to famed Black Sword captain of a whole Orc-killing band hosted by the petty dwarf Mîm on Amon Rudh， to protector of the Elven kingdom of Nargothrond which he fails to defend from the ancestor of all dragons Glaurung （who's wingless）， to marrying Niniel， in truth unknowingly his sister Nienor bespelled into amnesia by Glaurung， to the slaying Glaurung， Túrin son of Húrin， main hero of the story， do be going places。 The tragic end， with Nienor recovering her memory upon Glaurung's death， thinking Túrin dead and casting herself to her death in the river， then Túrin stabbing himself shortly after upon realizing the tragedy that took place， is very reminiscient of the classic myths。 So are the numerous examples of betrayal， passion murders， and accidental murders of friends and family。A good one that's not for everyone。 4/5 。。。more

Carlos Delgado ，

No está mal， aunque creo que se debe de leer primero El Silmarillion para poder entender un poco de donde salen todos los nombres que aparecen， además de la historia de los pueblos de elfos y hombres; también lugar en donde se ubica la historia， ya que es una región distinta a la Tierra Media aunque claro， en el mismo mundo。 Sin esto， podría ser muy pesado de leer。 Solo cerca del final tiene relevancia el título， si no creo que sería mejor el de "Túrin， él mil veces desgraciado" No está mal， aunque creo que se debe de leer primero El Silmarillion para poder entender un poco de donde salen todos los nombres que aparecen， además de la historia de los pueblos de elfos y hombres; también lugar en donde se ubica la historia， ya que es una región distinta a la Tierra Media aunque claro， en el mismo mundo。 Sin esto， podría ser muy pesado de leer。 Solo cerca del final tiene relevancia el título， si no creo que sería mejor el de "Túrin， él mil veces desgraciado" 。。。more

Alantie ，

Beautiful and tragic。Seriously， have tissues ready when you read this one。 If you’ve read the Silm you know the story but CoH fleshes it out and gives more detail to the tragic events that befall Turin and Nienor。Definitely some of Tolkien’s best work in building a myth that harkens back to familiar Classic tragedies but also making a story purely his own。

Fatemeh Ghazanfari ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 。ساده، روان و به طرز غم‌انگیزی زیباست。 آسون شروع کرده ولی همون لحظهٔ اول با یه سری اسم رو‌به‌رو شدم که قبلاً نشنیده بود。 حوصله یادداشت برداشتن هم نداشتم و فقط جلو رفتم و هرچی بیشتر رفتم جلو جذاب‌تر شد。 مصایب یه طفل و واکنش‌هاش برام جالب بود مثل موقعی که کادوی تولدی که پدرش بهش داده بود رو می‌ده به خدمتکارش و یا اون‌جایی که با مادرش در مورد سرنوشت پدرش صحبت می‌کنه。 در کل از The fellowship of the rings و the two towers جذاب‌تر بود برام。 یه چیز دیگه هم این‌که فهمیدم تالکین هم در کشتن شخصیت‌های محبو 。ساده، روان و به طرز غم‌انگیزی زیباست。 آسون شروع کرده ولی همون لحظهٔ اول با یه سری اسم رو‌به‌رو شدم که قبلاً نشنیده بود。 حوصله یادداشت برداشتن هم نداشتم و فقط جلو رفتم و هرچی بیشتر رفتم جلو جذاب‌تر شد。 مصایب یه طفل و واکنش‌هاش برام جالب بود مثل موقعی که کادوی تولدی که پدرش بهش داده بود رو می‌ده به خدمتکارش و یا اون‌جایی که با مادرش در مورد سرنوشت پدرش صحبت می‌کنه。 در کل از The fellowship of the rings و the two towers جذاب‌تر بود برام。 یه چیز دیگه هم این‌که فهمیدم تالکین هم در کشتن شخصیت‌های محبوب کم از جورج مارتین نمی‌آره。 فکر کنم یه جا خوندم جورج کوچولو از اون لحظه‌ای که فکر کردیم گندالف می‌میره خیلی ناراحت می‌شه یه جورایی این روش تأثیر می‌ذاره تا سرنوشت شخصیت‌های محبوب رو ظالمانه بنویسه。 و در آخر مادر خانواده به فرزندان‌ش می‌رسه و tragedy-ever-after زندگی می‌کنن。 。。。more

Marta Knapp ，

I love Tolkien， but Hurin's tale is my least favorite in the Silmarillion， and he didn't earn any favors in this extension of his story， but I love Beleg， and the more of him I get， the better。 I love Tolkien， but Hurin's tale is my least favorite in the Silmarillion， and he didn't earn any favors in this extension of his story， but I love Beleg， and the more of him I get， the better。 。。。more

Connor Daley （CJDsCurrentRead） ，

This is one or part of Tolkien’s ‘great tales’， and it is apparently one of the earlier things he worked on， continuously altered， and made further notes on， until his death。 The editing work from his son included completing the work and making it a cohesive linear story for readers， and was published in 2007。 This is also a part of the Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion。 I had intended to read through some more of Tolkien’s work prior to September， and the release of The Rings of Power。 When This is one or part of Tolkien’s ‘great tales’， and it is apparently one of the earlier things he worked on， continuously altered， and made further notes on， until his death。 The editing work from his son included completing the work and making it a cohesive linear story for readers， and was published in 2007。 This is also a part of the Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion。 I had intended to read through some more of Tolkien’s work prior to September， and the release of The Rings of Power。 When I realized it was already august， I knew I had to get it in gear。 Now the great tales aren’t the storyline from tRoP， but I still wanted to conquer them as I have already read the appendices before。 Due to time， I decided to go with the audio， which sadly means I missed the great illustrations on this first read through， but it is narrated by the late Christopher Lee…his performance is explosive。 However it was a bit weird， because the audio is broken into 7 chapters for an 18 chapter book， with seemingly no reason whatsoever for it。 Tolkien called this The Lay of the Children of Húrin， a lay being a narrative poem （typically sung）。 In many ways it also comes off as very epic， both in the style of poem， and the things happening。 I really found myself thinking about this quote from Tolkien’s son （about Jackson’s LotR trilogy）: “They eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25。” And although film cannot mimic the lyrical and powerful nature of Tolkien’s ability to write， this story includes some heavy things， descriptions， and themes that would almost read more as George R。 R。 Martin。 It’s for that reason I kept thinking of the quote。 Tolkien writes of dismemberment， torture， orcs beheading huge groups of people， humans hanging large groups of orcs from trees， suicide， unwitting incest。 I mean there’s a lot to digest， but a lot of these things kind of resonated with me as the kind of violence translated into Jackson’s films。 Regardless of that， or with that being said， Tolkien still gives us the history， or almost overview of the story。 The description is light， not exactly glossing over things， but he does not dwell on action and terror stroke by stroke。 A huge battle is simply talked about as having happened， you’re never really inside the moment。 It’s for that reason that Tolkien always translates into history for me。 This is much more linear than the Silmarillion as a whole， but they can still be viewed as almost textbook like writing。 None of this is meant as a negative in any way though， as I absolutely love Tolkien and I absolutely loved this story。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Children of Húrin

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Children of Húrin&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Children of Húrin&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0