A review by ceallaighsbooks
The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“‘They have fired the hall,’ said Túrin. ‘To what purpose is that?’
‘They? No, lord: she, I guess,’ said one, Asgon by name. ‘Many a man of arms misreads patience and quiet. She did much good among us at much cost. Her heart was not faint, and patience will break at the last.’”

TITLE—The Children of Húrin
AUTHOR—JRR Tolkien
EDITOR—Christopher Tolkien
PUBLISHED—2007
PUBLISHER—HarperCollins

GENRE—fantasy
SETTING—Middle-earth
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—war, epic Anti-Hero tragedy, the treachery of evil, faith vs. fear, Morgoth’s curse, free will vs. fate, Men, Elves, Orcs, Maiar, Valar, Dwarves, & Dragons, accidental incest, mentors & foster family, epic world-building, various quest storylines, inherited trauma, redemption, environmental conservation & the spiritual landscape, lies vs. truth

“‘…For I am Glaurung!’ Then he drew her eyes into his, and her will swooned. And it seemed to her that the sun sickened and all became dim about her; and slowly a great darkness drew down on her and in that darkness there was emptiness; she knew nothing, and heard nothing, and remembered nothing.”

Summary:
“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 Niënor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves.”

My thoughts:
Every time I read this story, and I think about how it’s one of Christopher’s favorites, I try to expand my perspective a little bit more to accommodate for the sympathy I think is necessary to find for these characters in order to appreciate the value of this story. Túrin is unlikeable, pitiable, frustrating, and literally doomed, but more and more I find that I have a lot of sympathy and maybe even a little empathy for a man who was put in an almost impossible situation being cursed by Morgoth.

On this reading I focused on the relationship between Túrin and Beleg and how hard Beleg fought for Túrin and how deeply they loved each other in spite of them living in an age, in a situation that didn’t really give them the space they needed to just enjoy their lives and their friendship in peace together. Their scene together on page 146 was particularly beautiful… and heart-breaking.

I also loved the different types of redemption offered, the glimpses of real heroic deeds coming from characters whose time on the page was briefer than others, and the dragon was *really* scary—probably one of the strongest villains in all of Tolkien’s works.

I would recommend this book to readers who have read and enjoyed the first six books recommended below and want to read more from Tolkien’s Middle-earth. This book is best read in community! My favorite thing about Tolkien’s work is how much food for thought and deep conversation it offers.

Final note: Looking forward to reading The Fall of Númenor with the group next in January! or February… or whenever we’re meant to be starting that…

“Let the unseen days be. Today is more than enough.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Season: Winter, although it’s kind of bleak so maybe Summer would be better… 😅

CW // war deaths, torture, slavery, death of parent/s, accidental incest, accidental fratricide (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)

Further Reading—
My recommended reading order for Tolkien’s Middle-earth-related works:
  • THE HOBBIT
  • THE LORD OF THE RINGS
  • THE ADVENTURES OF TOM BOMBADIL
  • THE SILMARILLION
  • UNFINISHED TALES
  • BEREN AND LÚTHIEN
  • THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN <—
  • THE FALL OF GONDOLIN
  • THE FALL OF NÚMENÓR
  • HISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH (A 12-book series)—This can be read at any point after finishing THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and in any order, tbh.