Has anyone here read The Children of Hurin?

I read it a few months ago. I liked it, but it can be a little dry at times. It doesn't quite read like a textbook, as with The Silmarillion, but it occasionally falls into the fictional history lesson trap.

It's a great read for fans of Lord of the Rings, though.

 

I agree with the above. The Silmarillion reads like a Middle Earth Bible, and it's waaay too long. However, Children of Hurin is pretty interesting because there's an actual story that you can follow with some pretty cool bits too it.

My only annoyance with it is the bloody names. I'm fine with the fact that Tolkien's naming convention creates unpronouncable and very long names like (and I'm making one up) Uthbraegeronoth, of the Vutii, he who the Elves call the Punctual etc. but in Hurin, the phrase "I have many names" is given a whole new light, as all the characters go about picking up a new set of names and titles every chapter. It gets very confusing.

However, if you ever want to make a learned comment about LoTR, it's a must read.

 

I've read the Narn i Chîn Húrin from The Unfinished Tales and I loved it. There was recently a book called the Children of Húrin published but I've never read it nor taken a look at it. It sounds like it would be pretty much the same as what's inside of Unfinished Tales.

A great story if you don't mind remembering several different names for the different characters and their weapons.