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The Children of Hurin cover art

The Children of Hurin

Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Christopher Lee
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Publisher's Summary

There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings. The story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.

In that remote time, Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband, the Hells of Iron, in the North; and the tragedy of Túrin and his sister Nienor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves. Their brief and passionate lives were dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bore them as the children of Húrin, the man who had dared to defy and to scorn him to his face. Against them he sent his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire.

Into this story of brutal conquest and flight, of forest hiding-places and pursuit, of resistance with lessening hope, the Dark Lord and the Dragon enter in direly articulate form. Sardonic and mocking, Glaurung manipulated the fates of Túrin and Nienor by lies of diabolic cunning and guile, and the curse of Morgoth was fulfilled.

The earliest versions of this Tolkien story go back to the end of the First World War and the years that followed. But long afterwards, when The Lord of the Rings was finished, he revised and greatly enlarged it, enhancing complexities of motive and character. It became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book, Christopher Tolkien has constructed, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention.

©2007 J. R. R. Tolkien Copyright Trust and Christopher Reuel Tolkien (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, UK

What listeners say about The Children of Hurin

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felt like was reading an epic Shakespeare tragedy

this extended story and narration made me love a Lay i previously was less of a fan of. so glad i got this. Christopher Lee makes it. no doubt.

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Superb!

Christopher Lee's love and respect for the material are plain to hear. He speaks the languages of the mythology as if they're his own, and the sound of his voice is a pleasure to listen to.

As for the story, I read the version in The Silmarillion as a teenager and remember enjoying it, but hearing it now on its own, fully fleshed out, in my thirties, it seems far more epic and far more tragic. I just couldn't wait to get to the next chapter.

Wonderful job all round.

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1 person found this helpful

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Sir Christopher Lee is excellent.

Saruman's voice narrates a great tale of woe that passed long ago, during the First Age. Great praise indeed to his performance, and praise too of his lore.
Keep safe a map of Beleriand. At times, many locations are named swiftly, and they come all at once, like a thunder issuing forth from the peaks of Thangodrim.

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Simply fantastic

Fantastic expansion of one of the most memorable stories in the Silmarillion. Christopher Lee adds gravitas to the story with his masterful performance, making it feel as though Saruman himself is delivering the narrative.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Only for hard-core Tolkien fans

Christopher Lee is the voice of this Audiobook and he was my main motivation for finishing it.

The story is hard to follow and I cant recommend it to anyone thats not completely obsessed Tolkien. Many Characters change names more than once. Deep lore is given to places and people who play no role in the main story. You probably won't recognize any places or people from the main series. This book is more similar to Dantes inferno or the Bible than your average Tolkien adventure.

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Very dry, hard to follow

I wouldn't recommend this book. it was slow and all over the place. Hard to follow. Far to many sub plots.

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A dark Tolkien adventure

Definitely different from LOTR and The Hobbit but still good nonetheless. Plus, having Christopher Lee reading is a rare treat. Worth a listen for any fan of Middle Earth.

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Tolkien. Christopher Lee. 'Nuff said.

Christopher Lee is the only person I want to hear reading this tale. I had read it in print before, but his flavour and gravitas make the experience even richer. It is a tragic, desperately sad story, as beautiful as any of the others of Middle Earth. If you have read the Lost or Unfinished Tales, you will be familiar with some of the story and the characters. It seems to me that Christopher Tolkien has edited this version to be a little more action-packed and theatrical, but although it is a good story, I doubt Newline would want to film it: too tragic.

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Fantastic

Christopher Lee obviously does a fantastic job. And the story is very good. Very dark. Akin to on of Shakespeare's tragedies, but in the realm of Middle Earth.

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an instant classic! memorable performance.

Christopher Lee did an absolutely fantastic job! his pronounciation is great and his voice is so fitting.

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1 person found this helpful