Morgoth – DaneCobain.com

J. R. R. Tolkien – The Children of Hurin | Review

Title: The Children of Hurin

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 320

Rating: 8/10

J. R. R. Tolkien – The Children of Hurin

This book is an interesting one because, despite it being written by J. R. R. Tolkien, it was released when I was in my teens, and so I devoured it almost immediately after its release. Edited by Christopher Tolkien from his father’s notes, it’s also interesting to see how Christopher, the author’s youngest son, was just as involved and enthralled by Middle Earth as his father was.

Children of Hurin tells us more of the history of Middle Earth, in the days when Morgoth was the Dark Lord, and there is at least a little bit of crossover here between references from elsewhere in the series, but to me it felt almost entirely original, and whilst it still clearly retained all of the hallmarks of Tolkien’s writing, it was also softened somewhat by the contemporary editing, which is one of the factors that made me enjoy this book almost as much as (if not more than) the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.

That’s the thing with Tolkien’s work – once you feel at home in Middle Earth, it doesn’t matter which period in time you’re reading about. After all, many of the characters cross between timelines due to their immortality or their status as a hero of legends, and so reading any of Tolkien’s books is like picking up a bucket of water from a waterfall. If Tolkien himself had been immortal, I can imagine him living out his days writing endless additions to the world of Middle Earth, without ever running out of unfinished story lines and ideas that he hadn’t executed.

Overall, then, I’d definitely recommend this to you if you’re a fan of Tolkien’s – I read this before I read The Silmarillion, and while I liked both, I’m glad I did.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Click here to buy The Children of Hurin.

J. R. R. Tolkien – The Silmarillion | Review

Title: The Silmarillion

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 448

Rating: 7/10

J.R.R. Tolkien – The Silmarillion

I wanted to give this book an 8/10, but I just can’t bring myself to give it that extra mark because of how taxing it can be to read. It’s typical of Tolkien, wordy and full of names and places that you sometimes struggle to remember, but the writing is also beautiful and moving, and incredibly evocative of a time in Middle Earth that you’ll struggle to read about anywhere else.

The Silmarillion is largely focused on following the story of the three Silmaril, the jewels that were created by Feanor and later set in to the crown of Morgoth, the dark lord who makes his abode in the fortress of Angband. That said, a lot of peripheral characters come in and out of the tale, and you’ve probably heard of them from elsewhere, perhaps in the tales of old that are sprinkled throughout the Lord of the Rings.

See, if Lord of the Rings covers Middle Earth’s equivalent of the First and Second World Wars, then The Silmarillion takes a look at the lores and legends of the ancient Celts, the Romans and the Viking invaders. And it’s not for the casual reader, although it’s also not as intimidating as a lot of people make out – if you enjoyed The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, then this is just part of the extended universe. It’s certainly no more or less difficult to read than any of Tolkien’s other work, and his son Christopher has done a fantastic job of assembling together a coherent collection of stories.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Because really, that’s what we have here – a collection of stories, roughly meshed together to form a history and a backdrop to the trilogy that the author is most well-known for. It’s like the Bible of Middle Earth, a necessary read for any serious fan but far too deep for the casual reader who’s only seen the films.

It comes with a few interesting extras too, like Tolkien’s thoughts on pronunciations, as well as a glossary of the names of people and places that are referenced within. One of the interesting things about Tolkien’s work is that names evolve with time, and something that once had one name will end up with another after a major event. Minas Tirith was once called Minas Anor, and Wikipedia notes that it’s also known as the White City, the City of the Kings and the Mundburg.

As long as you’re prepared to expend the necessary mental effort to keep up with things, then you’ll enjoy it. If not, better read something else.