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A review by michaeljohnhalseartistry
The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
5.0
I recently finished my fifth book of the year, The Children of Húrin, or, if you’re a super-nerd like me, Narn i Chîn Húrin. Tolkien fans might remember this tale from The Silmarillion, which condensed the tragedy into a single chapter. And while admittedly not my favourite tale from The Silmarillion (I’m a sucker for anything Maedhros), it is one of the tales with the most lasting impression, mostly because of how tragic the story is.
I don’t want to give away spoilers on here, but I’ll just say that of all Tolkien’s Middle Earth stories, this one is the most heartbreaking. It follows Túrin, the son of Húrin as he struggles helplessly against the curse that Morgoth (Sauron’s master/lover… well not really lover, but I ship it) placed on the children of Húrin, which brings tragedy and sorrow wherever he goes.
It’s not something you’d want to pick up and read if you’d just read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. It’s part of Tolkien’s expanded works and reads like The Silmarillion, that is, almost like a history text. There’s little dialogue, and lots of references to places within Beleriand, and is very reflective of Tolkien’s writing style. But that’s also why I loved it. The Silmarillion is one of my favourite books, and was more influential to me as a fantasy writer than The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.
I also really liked this book, because as some of you might know, I’m a sucker for tragedy. And I can not stress the amount of agony in this book. It’s very Shakespearean, the level of tragedy that befalls the characters, and I LOVE it. I’ve learned to write and adapt tragedy into my own works, albeit with a little more emotional heaviness than Tolkien uses.
In the end, I think I might be biased on this one. I grew up on Tolkien, I grew up with Túrin Turambar and felt Melian’s anguish at Thingol’s death and totally shipped Fingon and Maedhros. And these books will always be my favourites.
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FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, PHOTOS, AND MY OWN NOVEL SERIES, CHECK OUT MY BLOG:
www.michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse
I don’t want to give away spoilers on here, but I’ll just say that of all Tolkien’s Middle Earth stories, this one is the most heartbreaking. It follows Túrin, the son of Húrin as he struggles helplessly against the curse that Morgoth (Sauron’s master/lover… well not really lover, but I ship it) placed on the children of Húrin, which brings tragedy and sorrow wherever he goes.
It’s not something you’d want to pick up and read if you’d just read The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. It’s part of Tolkien’s expanded works and reads like The Silmarillion, that is, almost like a history text. There’s little dialogue, and lots of references to places within Beleriand, and is very reflective of Tolkien’s writing style. But that’s also why I loved it. The Silmarillion is one of my favourite books, and was more influential to me as a fantasy writer than The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.
I also really liked this book, because as some of you might know, I’m a sucker for tragedy. And I can not stress the amount of agony in this book. It’s very Shakespearean, the level of tragedy that befalls the characters, and I LOVE it. I’ve learned to write and adapt tragedy into my own works, albeit with a little more emotional heaviness than Tolkien uses.
In the end, I think I might be biased on this one. I grew up on Tolkien, I grew up with Túrin Turambar and felt Melian’s anguish at Thingol’s death and totally shipped Fingon and Maedhros. And these books will always be my favourites.
---
FOR MORE BOOK REVIEWS, PHOTOS, AND MY OWN NOVEL SERIES, CHECK OUT MY BLOG:
www.michaeljohnhalse.wix.com/michaeljohnhalse