By: J.R.R. Tolkien Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Houghton Mifflin Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 320 Publication Date: April 17, 2007 Release Date: April 17, 2007
Amazon.com: The first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades--since the publication of The Silmarillion in 1977--The Children of Húrin reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, Eagles and Orcs. Presented for the first time as a complete, standalone story, this stirring narrative will appeal to casual fans and expert readers alike, returning them to the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.
Adam Tolkien on The Children of Húrin
How did a lifetime of stories become The Children of Húrin? In an essay on the making of the book, Adam Tolkien, grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien (and French translator of his History of Middle-earth), explains that the Húrin legends made up the third "Great Tale" of his grandfather's Middle-earth writing, and he describes how his father, Christopher Tolkien, painstakingly collected the pieces of the legend into a complete story told only in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien. "For anyone who has read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings," he writes, The Children of Húrin "allows them to take a step back into a larger world, an ancient land of heroes and vagabonds, honour and jeopardy, hope and tragedy."
A Look Inside the Book
This first edition of The Children of Húrin is illustrated by Alan Lee, who was already well-known for his Tolkien illustrations in previous editions (see our Tolkien Store for more) as well as his classic collaboration with Brian Froud, Faeries, and his Kate Greenaway Medal-winning Black Ships Before Troy, before his Oscar-winning work as conceptual designer for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy brought him even greater acclaim. Here's a quick glimpse of two of Lee's interior illustrations for The Children of Húrin. (Click on each to see larger images.)
Questions for Alan Lee
We had the chance to ask Alan Lee a few questions about his illustrative collaboration with the world imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien:
Amazon.com: How much of a treat was it to get first crack at depicting entirely new characters rather than ones who had been interpreted many times before? Was there one who particularly captured your imagination?
Lee: Although it was a great honor to illustrate The Children of Húrin, the characters and the main elements of the story line are familiar to those who have read The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, and these narratives have inspired quite a few illustrators. Ted Nasmith has illustrated The Silmarillion and touched on some of the same characters and landscapes. This was the first time that I ventured into the First Age; while working on The Lord of the Rings books and films--and The Hobbit--I've had to refer back to events in Middle-earth history but not really depict them.
I'm drawn to characters who bear similarities to the protagonists in myths and legends; these correspondences add layers and shades of meaning, and most of the characters in this story have those archetypal qualities. However, I prefer not to get too close to the characters because the author is delineating them much more carefully than I can, and I'm wary of interfering with the pictures that the text is creating in the reader's mind.
Amazon.com: The Húrin story has been described as darker than some of Tolkien's other work. What mood did you try to set with your illustrations?
Lee: It is a tragic story, but the darkness is offset by the light and beauty of Tolkien's elegiac writing. In the illustrations I tried to show some of the fragile beauty of the landscapes and create an atmosphere that would enhance the sense of foreboding and impending loss. I try to get the setting to tell its part in the story, as evidence of what happened there in the past and as a hint at what is going to occur. My usual scarred and broken trees came in handy.
Amazon.com: You were a conceptual designer (and won an Oscar) for Peter Jackson's film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings, which I think we can safely say had a bit of success. How does designing for the screen compare to designing for the page?
Lee: They both have their share of joys and frustrations. It was great to be part of a huge film collaboration and play a small part in something quite magical and monumental; I will always treasure that experience. Film is attractive because I enjoy sketching and coming up with ideas more than producing highly finished artwork, and it's great having several hundred other people lending a hand! But books--as long as they don't get moldy from being left in an empty studio for six years--have their own special quality. I hope that I can continue doing both.
Amazon.com: Of all fiction genres, fantasy seems to have the strongest tradition of illustration. Why do you think that is? Who are some of your favorite illustrators?
Lee: A lot of excellent illustrators are working at the moment--especially in fantasy and children's books. It is exciting also to see graphic artists such as Dave McKean, in his film Mirrormask, moving between different media. I also greatly admire the more traditional work of Gennady Spirin and Roberto Innocenti. Kinuko Craft, John Jude Palencar, John Howe, Charles Vess, Brian Froud ... I'll stop there, as the list would get too long. But--in a fit of pride and justified nepotism--I'll add my daughter, Virginia Lee, to the list. Her first illustrated children's book, The Frog Bride [coming out in the U.K. in September], will be lovely.
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Book Description: The first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades -- since the publication of The Silmarillion in 1977 -- The Children of Hurin reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, Eagles and Orcs. Presented for the first time as a complete, standalone story, this stirring narrative will appeal to casual fans and expert readers alike, returning them to the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.
The Children of Hurin, begun in 1918, was one of three 'Great Tales' J.R.R. Tolkien worked on throughout his life, though he never realized his ambition to see it published. Though familiar to many fans from extracts and references within other Tolkien books, it has long been assumed that the story would forever remain an unfinished tale. Now reconstructed by Christopher Tolkien, painstakingly editing together the complete work from his father's many drafts, this book is the culmination of a tireless thirty-year endeavor by him to bring J.R.R.Tolkien's vast body of unpublished work to a wide audience.
Having drawn the distinctive maps for the original The Lord of the Rings more than 50 years ago, Christopher has also created a detailed new map for this book. In addition, it will include a jacket and color paintings by Alan Lee, illustrator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and Academy Award-winning designer of the film trilogy.
Another great tale This book is placed in a setting that is thousands of years before the lord or the rings, but after the similarion, the foreword really places this book well and gives you adequate background information so the similarion does not have to be read before this book.
Its an exciting action packed story that follows the lives of Hurins two children all set in a very dark atmosphere of death and destruction. I wont say more because I do not want to spoil this great read.
This hardcover comes with an illustrated jacket, a fold out map of the lands, as well as a few fantastically drawn images which are full color and monotone dispersed within the pages and chapter beginnings. Its really a great package and helps you visualize the story as well.
Written with the aide of his father's massive amounts of unfinished works and notes this story was artfully pieced together and reads smoothly, its one of those that you start at night and are still reading by sunrise books. your going to like this!
One of my favorite stories of all time First and foremost I'm a Tolkien fan. I've read mostly all his writing, and I like all of it, (though I haven't read Roverandum or Leaf by Niggle or whatever they're called). His fantasy, in my opinion, is top notch. So that should give you some idea of my personal biases. But on to the present book.
If there could be any criticism on Lord of the Rings, it would be one of two things - either the book is too long (or, as some of my friends have said who have tried to read it and didn't like it, "Tolkien spends 2 pages writing about scenery!!"), or the author is too "kind" to his characters. Personally, I think Tolkien's writing style is pleasing to read. I enjoy the descriptions of Middle Earth, since Tolkien is such a good writer, but I can see how it can wear on readers who are more interested in dialogue or characters. As to the second criticism, I also understand, although I like the way Lord of the Rings ends.
Anyway, those "problems" or "criticisms" or whatever you want to call them are absent in The Children of Hurin. The book is completely, more than any other book I have read I think, character driven. It is a relatively short read, though packed full of story - there are no 2 to 3 pages of fluff (though, as I said, I would have no objection).
The book is about the life of Turin, the son of Hurin, a man who has been captured and his family cursed by (drumroll...) "The Dark Lord" Morgoth. Throughout his life, Turin experiences many sorrows - encountering death, driven out of his village, surviving alone, warrior, betrayer, unjustly accused, broken hearted. His fate is doomed by Morgoth's evil will. Wherever he goes, sadness follows him. BUT, Turin's strength of will is remarkable, and the transformations he undergoes are interesting. I will not say the book ends happily, but I will say the story ends beautifully. I'll put it this way. You may read the book and feel sad at the end, but you won't feel cynical. You won't feel pessimistic or depressed (at least I don't think the book gives that affect). Instead, you'll feel that, though you just read a sad book, it really illuminated some very good things about life. By being sad, it adds value to happy things.
I actually think this book gives us a better understanding of how good of a STORYteller Tolkien was. Sure, everyone knows he can write well, but, if there were any doubts about his talents as a creater of complex, compelling, original tales, those are undoubtedbly dispelled in this book.
Never before have I read a book of such an appealing length (being not too short or not too long), dealing with so much going on, written so well, filled with such classic scences.
Certainly one of my favorite stories.
Fantasy-tastic.... After getting in to this book (it is NOTHING like LOTR, more like Silmarillion) I was sad when it ended.
I really hope that Chris can put together the rest of his fathers notes and bring us another story.
It's better than lord of the rings It's very depressing but once I began reading I couldn't stop. There are bits where I saw huge chances for the characters to have a good life; it's a pity they didn't. when Beleg died I almost couldn't bear to even pick up the book, but after I finished I just had to read it all over again. Children of Hurin is the best book in the world. I really swear.
Heart Felt Epic in a Long Lost History A complete and fluid epic has finally arrived from the history of Middle Earth. Strong and sad characters pitted against a bitter fate. Just, another heart breaking lay as only the elves could write. The story of Hurin's children is put together in a flowing narrative form that traces over many of the other great stories of the early ages of Middle Earth.
My only negative is that the story left me wanting to know more about the times prior to and leading up to the war of the Ring. I guess that most of that history is lost in a fantastically imagined realm we will never fully comprehend.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
How did a lifetime of stories become The Children of Húrin? In an essay on the making of the book, Adam Tolkien, grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien (and French translator of his History of Middle-earth), explains that the Húrin legends made up the third "Great Tale" of his grandfather's Middle-earth writing, and he describes how his father, Christopher Tolkien, painstakingly collected the pieces of the legend into a complete story told only in the words of J.R.R. Tolkien. "For anyone who has read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings," he writes, The Children of Húrin "allows them to take a step back into a larger world, an ancient land of heroes and vagabonds, honour and jeopardy, hope and tragedy." 
We had the chance to ask Alan Lee a few questions about his illustrative collaboration with the world imagined by J.R.R. Tolkien: 
