"Long before Sauron forges the one ring, Middle-Earth lies under the shadow of the dark lord Morgoth"- from the back cover
Húrin has vanished during the Battle of Many Tears, and the band of brave Elves and men defeated. As Morgoth's orcs advance and darkness descends on the land, Húrin's son, Túrin, is sent south to live in Doriath among the elves. He grows mighty but is proud and restless, and seeks to strike back at Morgoth through any means. He leaves the elves and embraces a transitory life, living first with outlaws, then in Nargothrond, eventually rising to leadership in both places as they battle orcs and encounter the dragon Glaurung. He has many successes, yet tragedy and sorrow follow him wherever he goes. And after many years, his mother and sister (Morwen and Niënor) have finally come south to look for him. Can the children of Húrin defy with will of Morgoth?
Tolkien left many unfinished/abandoned tales that his son, Christopher, spent a lifetime editing and releasing. Some, like The Book of Lost Tales, I found too unfinished to be worthwhile. The Children of Húrin, however, appears to be the most polished/completed tale outside of Tolkien's main works (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion). Or, to be more accurate, Christopher was able to piece together a reasonably complete tale from the various iterations left by this father. I therefore enjoyed this more than I thought. The prose is eloquent; the style is of old. Like all of Tolkien's works, this is not a suspenseful, action-packed fantasy (there is no "narrative urgency," per Christopher), but a moving tale of valor and pride; of good and evil; of hope and tragedy.
Final thought: I see here how Tolkien's heart lay in the realm of Medieval literature (which, of course, was his passion and vocation as a Professor). This tale and its delivery reminds me of Arthurian literature.
Rating: A
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