Review: "The Children of Húrin"

Practically everyone knows who J.R.R. Tolkien is these days. If you don't, you might live in a jar...under a rock...with a blindfold over your eyes and your fingers in your ears. The best of the rest of us recognise him to be quite simply one of the greatest literary authors of all time.

Some say he is the father of modern fantasy writing as we know it and I'm not inclined to argue with them. The man makes such masterpieces in his life as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings...and yet nearly 34 years after Tolkien's death his fan base does nothing other than exponentially grow.

Of course, having a list of posthumous publications as long as the arm of an Ent doesn't hurt, and it's largely in thanks, if that be your view, to his son, Christopher Tolkien. Chris has devoted (seemingly) his life to the digestion of everything his father ever wrote, whether it be a full manuscript typed on loose sheets of paper or the premise of a book hand-written in within the margins of a college textbook.

These notes and bits and pieces of the work of J.R.R. Tolkien that never saw the light of a publishing company prior to the author's death are now taken by his son and painstakingly poured over, meticulously transcribed, and in all other ways combed over with a very fine tooth into something cohesive that Tolkien's rabid fan base are waiting to lap up like so many starving dogs waiting for someone to throw them a bone. I count myself amongst them...I am one such puppy.

In the past, Christopher Tolkien has given us The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, and not least of all The History of Middle-earth. His latest endeavour...for apparently the last 30-odd years...has been The Children of Húrin, published 17 April 2007. (3 days ago)

I've read it...absorbed it...digested it. Not that it was a particularly daunting task, mind you, when you compare it to things like the latest instalments of the Harry Potter series of books which are getting on to the length of a standard dictionary, or indeed when you read works of Tolkien himself such as The Silmarillion, which reads very like a history book instead of a fantasy novel. Nor even when you consider the fact that the story of Húrin and his offspring has already been told, albeit in brief form, in previous works.

No, TCOH was not a particular difficult read, but it was absolutely 'unputdownable', as people like to say these days. Having a great Tolkien classic told, once again, in the form of a story...a novel...was extremely refreshing. I read the bulk of it this morning when I woke up. (The first two chapters I read the night previous)

It's a tragic tale, as are many of Tolkien's stories. The tale of Beren and Lúthien, for example; or more famously amongst those that haven't delved deeper into Middle-earth is the tale of Aragorn and Arwen. Tragedy seems to plague so many of Tolkien's most famous characters, and this tale is no different.

It revolves, primarily, around a young man named Túrin, who is the son of Húrin. If you're getting confused by the similarities of names already, don't fret. I won't delve too deeply in this review. Basically, Húrin defied the Enemy, Morgoth. (Seen LOTR? Think Sauron's predecessor and boss...he's a big bad-ass) He was captured by Morgoth and tortured as a means of information extraction...only he didn't break under the pressure.

So instead of killing Húrin like most normal baddies, Morgoth shows just how evil he is by keeping him alive, cursing his children, and then granting him the ability of far sight and hearing so that he is forced to watch his children's tragic lives unfold from afar whilst still prisoner and incapable to escape or do anything to help them...even if they are at death's door.

Yep...he's really mean. (Spoilers to follow....you've been warned)

Enter Túrin. Here's a kid that saw his daddy go off to war and never return, and decides to grow up to be just like him and fight the enemy. Along the way is told the tale of TCOH, which basically consists of Túrin (and to a lesser extent, his siblings) getting utterly crapped on the whole of his life. He moves all over Beleriand (think of it as California of Middle-earth...before it slides off into the ocean) seeking refuge and solace from his tormented life. He lives with the elves of the south, but he ends up accidentally killing one of the king's counsellors and flees in order to preserve what he believes to be his endangered freedom.

He moves on and eventually ends up wild and untamed, living off the land and living for himself...joining a band of savages. They kill innocents and ravage farms...a real bunch of creeps. While he doesn't actively participate in the maniacal goings-on, he doesn't do much to stop it until he manages to kill their captain and take over. It's about this time that he hears from an old Elf-friend from the south that the King has pardoned him and never wished him harm. In his pride he cannot return, but turns his band of 'soldiers' into orc-killers. His friend joins him in his fight against the enemy, but during a tragic happenstance, Túrin mistakes him for an enemy and kills his own best friend.

He moves on to live with the elves in the North in their hidden fortress. He becomes high-ranked in the King's council and even falls in love. But it's not to last. Not only does the enemy end up finding out where the fortress is, but he sends in a giant dragon to completely decimate it...and and everyone.

****End Spoilers****

The tragedies continue like this for the remainder of the book. Just when poor ol' Túrin gets his head above water, something comes along to crap on everything again. This is not an upbeat story. For every step forward, the poor guy seems destined to take three steps back...and it's all thanks to this curse that Morgoth laid on the children of Húrin because of his defiance.

This was an emotionally compelling tale and extremely readable. There was action, love, drama, and even humour, all wrapped up in a tragic little package. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi/fantasy, and especially to anyone who calls themselves a fan of Tolkien's works. It took Christopher Tolkien a long time to put this story between its own covers, but the result is exceptional and worthy to be sitting on the same shelf as those J.R.R. Tolkien Classics we've come to know and love.