Children of Hurin is a tragedy, make no mistake by expecting a happy ending. So if desiring to read of this epic Tolkien tome, grab a box of tissues, a mug of ale, and a hobbit sized supper.
Seriously, the ale and supper is important! I absolutely adore Tolkien’s work, and have read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, but his stories are work to get through. So many complex names, and such intricate histories. But if you can get past that, he is a fantastic story teller and linguist. So as a huge fan of the world of Middle Earth, I knew I had to read this book. I enjoyed it, but it is a completely different kind of enjoyment than most of the books I review here. Reading this book is more like reading a Norwegian epic. Historical, dense, and (as the name suggests) epic!
If you are a Tolkien/LOTR/Hobbit/Middle Earth nerd then you should absolutely read this book. I give it a four out of five just because I dislike how long it takes me to read Tolkien. Because the names are so numerous and the material so thick, I often have to re-read paragraphs to remind myself who we are talking about and what is happening.
I agree.. I love the man, but I found myself having to reread sections many times just to make sure I knew what was going on. Once you get past that layer though, there's so much amazing stuff there!
ReplyDeleteExactly!!! :)
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