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The Children of Hurin cover art

The Children of Hurin

By: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Christopher Lee
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Summary

There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings. The story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.

In that remote time, Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband, the Hells of Iron, in the North; and the tragedy of Túrin and his sister Nienor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves. Their brief and passionate lives were dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bore them as the children of Húrin, the man who had dared to defy and to scorn him to his face. Against them he sent his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire.

Into this story of brutal conquest and flight, of forest hiding-places and pursuit, of resistance with lessening hope, the Dark Lord and the Dragon enter in direly articulate form. Sardonic and mocking, Glaurung manipulated the fates of Túrin and Nienor by lies of diabolic cunning and guile, and the curse of Morgoth was fulfilled.

The earliest versions of this Tolkien story go back to the end of the First World War and the years that followed. But long afterwards, when The Lord of the Rings was finished, he revised and greatly enlarged it, enhancing complexities of motive and character. It became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book, Christopher Tolkien has constructed, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention.

©2007 J. R. R. Tolkien Copyright Trust and Christopher Reuel Tolkien (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, UK

What listeners say about The Children of Hurin

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An Epic and Griping Tale

An excellent tale read by Christopher Lee who's voice brings it to life. I'd recommend reading/listening The Silmarillion first so that you can truly understand and respect the gravity of the events that happen in this book. Part of this tale is told there but not nearly all of it.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Such a sad tale

This is a well written tale and the narrator does a very good job. Tolkien fans will find enjoyment in the expansion of the world. But it is just so sad and to be honest somewhat predictably so, that it took away some of the pleasure for me. I guess I like to see the good guys win and live happily ever after.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

The Children of Hurin - not easy listening.

This is not a pick up and leave type of book and I don?t mean it?s a ?can?t put down? type of story; I mean it takes a lot of concentration to get into the story and once you are into it you can lose the thread very easily, there are so many names that it really does become hard to follow. I thought it would be a real treat to listen to Christopher Lee telling a new Tolkien tale, but unfortunately it did not meet with my expectations - Christopher Lee has a unique diction that regrettably seems to get in the way of the story telling. A great deal of effort is given over the pronunciation of the names and places, but he never seems to get comfortable with them. I have been a huge fan of Tolkien for almost as long as I have been able to read, but I would not recommend this to anyone new to Tolkien or to Audible books.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A truly epic, tragic saga

I have just finished listening to the audiobook version of "The Children of Hurin" by J.R.R. Tolkien- told in elegant and bold prose, at times bordering on poetry akin to the style of Old Norse Sagas.

Read by Christopher Lee (who played Saruman the White Wizard in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy)- a powerful voice equal to the telling and with much of the nobility and bearing which flow from Tolkien's words- the story is conjured in to life and absorbs you into the legendarium. His pronounciation is rich, his tones varied and evocative delivering a powerful narrative experience.

Those with an ear for a good tale, whatever the ending or the style will cherish this story and those whos imaginations have been piqued by Tolkien's writing in the past shall not be disappointed. I was enthralled by this book and I heartily recommend it!

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Fantastic insight into the past of Middle Earth.

The Children of Hurin is, like most of Tolkien's books, set in the same Universe as the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is however set in much earlier age, long before Wizards and Hobbits appear on the scene.



It picks up the story about mid-way through the Samarillion and follows in much greater detail the history of men and elves and follows particularly the family of Hurin, a king of men and their continuous striving against Morgoth.



Christopher Lee has a fantastic voice and really brings the characters alive in this gripping epic tale of misfortune and determination to not be beaten by an overwhelming evil.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Chris Lee is a legend - but cringeworthy at times

Would you try another book written by J. R. R. Tolkien or narrated by Christopher Lee?

Naturally, he inspired generations and intricately wrought a universe so tantalisingly close enough to ours to be the escape for millions with intricate characters and sword craft, wizardry, elves and of course the little people.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Children of Hurin?

Chris Lee voicing a vulnerable young girl. Cringeworthy. Story wise however it is the fateful memory regain of one of the doomed towards the end.

What three words best describe Christopher Lee’s performance?

Bone rattling, cringeworthy, over acted.

Could you see The Children of Hurin being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Please don't.

Any additional comments?

The story is not Tolkiens finest. With occasional hiccups in the continuity and without a map it is at times rather difficult to follow. Seriously drags on a bit in the beginning as well. It is very strange that he paints a Sauronesque all powerful evil force who then goes twenty years without apparently doing anything.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Couldn't get past the awful narration

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If I could have finished the book. I really wanted to hear this story, I am a Tolkein fan and have never read this one. The narration made the story sound like one, very boring, never ending monotone list. I stuck it out as long as I could but realised I had not taken any of what I had heard in, so I gave up.

How could the performance have been better?

As an actor, Christopher Lee was great, but he is not a narrator. To be fair, it would be hard to make long lists of names interesting but I don't think he even tried.

Any additional comments?

I am sure this is a very good story, I will be looking for the book to read but the audio version was sadly not for me

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of Tolkein's finest but a little slow to listen to.

I read this book a couple of years ago and thought it was genuinely one of Tolkein's best so I wanted to 'read' it again via audiobook. However, I felt Christopher Lee's narration was very slow and a bit awkward. I know how much of a fan Lee was of Tolkein's work but some parts of the book needed more pace and punch than he could offer. Still worth getting the audio book, but slightly disappointed.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly voiced and written

Narration was perfect, story was well written and extremely enjoyable to listen to. I happy to to listen to again and will have to get more books by J.R.R Tolkin

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

it's ok but too narrative

I enjoyed it at times but too many descriptions and not enough dialogue for my taste

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5 people found this helpful