The Children of Hurin
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4.2 • 41 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The 'Great Tale' of The Children of Húrin, set during the legendary time before The Lord of the Rings. Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwells in the vast fortress of Angband in the North; and within the shadow of the fear of Angband, and the war waged by Morgoth against the Elves, the fates of Túrin and his sister Niënor will be tragically entwined. Their brief and passionate lives are dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bears them as the children of HÚrin, the man who dared to defy him to his face. Against them Morgoth sends his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire. Sardonic and mocking, Glaurung manipulates the fates of Túrin and Niënor by lies of diabolic cunning and guile, in an attempt to fulfill the curse of Morgoth.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What could be more apropos than hiring the face of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings to read Tolkien's newly complete version of these pre-Rings tales? Christopher Lee, the British actor beloved for his role in Peter Jackson's trilogy as well as his numerous turns in Hammer fright films, reads Tolkien's Rings precursor as if still in full makeup. Booming and vaguely menacing, Lee sounds like Sauron around the campfire, entertaining his minions with a tale of adventure and woe. Even Lee cannot sound entirely convincing bellowing some of Tolkien's invented languages, but his reading is suitably ominous. Tolkien's son, Christopher, who edited his father's book, also contributes a preface and introduction he reads himself. His voice phlegmy and rough provides a taste of what it might have sounded like had the author himself been available to read his own work. Simultaneous release with the Houghton Mifflin hardcover (reviewed online).
Customer Reviews
Great book
The book was really good but he had a very bummer ending
A Masterpiece of Tragedy
A sombre tale, carefully woven together from fragments found in the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. It is possibly the most tragic, poignant and human of all the tales of Middle-Earth, presented in Tolkien's timeless prose and surpassing the Lord of the Rings in all but scope.
Sparse illustration compared to physical one
I bought this in hardback and decided to switch to the ebook edition. Can't say it's a big win because all the wonderful illustrations (except for genealogy and maps) are missing in action. I'd expect parity or an option to pay for an enhanced edition with all the content.