If you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, and have read and re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, you will certainly want to read The Children of Hurin. Set between the events of The Silmarillion and The Hobbit, The Children of Hurin expands on the story of Turin, who gets a mention in The Silmarillion. Significantly, Tolkien never completed The Children of Hurin during his lifetime. His son Christopher gathered his father's notes and manuscripts to cobble the book together.
Cobble. That sounds a little bit derogatory. But the fact is, I did not enjoy The Children of Hurin very much. At times, the phrase "fan fiction" came to mind. At times, I was just bored. I never got pulled into the story or the characters. If I had a better memory, or was more of a student of Middle Earth lore, I'm sure I would have thrilled at some of the references and genealogies. My conclusion: The Children of Hurin has its place in Tolkien's Middle Earth canon, but will be a disappointment to most readers of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
2016 Reading Challenge: A book by C. S. Lewis or J. R. R. Tolkien
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