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I was very excited to begin the audio book of The Children of Hurin. I love JRR Tolkien's work and wanted to see if his son Christopher could do his father justice. The book captured my attention from the beginning and held it to the end. I will admit to being a Tolkien addict, but had I listened to this book not knowing it was a Tolkien work, I still would have been captured. This is dark tale about a family that is cursed, but I felt they were done in more by their own rash actions and stubborn attitudes. Good advice was always given but never heeded. At times I was amazed at the direction the characters took, almost always the wrong direction. This review is for the audio book and that concerns the narration. I have also listened to The Lord of the Rings which was narrated by Robert Inglis. The Children of Hurin is narrated by Christopher Lee. Mr. Lee's voice and ability to portray mulitple characters was not as polished as Mr. Inglis. Mr. Lee's voice is much lower in tone and at times his words were somewhat difficult to hear. As the book moved along I adapted to Mr. Lee and was better able to pick up each word. Still, I enjoy Mr. Inglis narration much more. Christopher Tolkien narrated the forward. I would have been delighted to hear this portion of the book read by Mr. Tolkien, but his voice and word delivery was so hard to decipher, I finally gave up and moved on to the book. That was a pity. I will try again but it was painful to listen to. Still, I loved this audio book and am very glad to have listened to it. It brought me another view of Middle Earth and an account of the First Age that I had never heard.Read full review
I've listened to the recorded books version on "The Lord of the Rings" many, many, times. This recorded version of "The Children of Hurin," is not as good, but it's close. The preface being read by Chris Tolkien himself was an unexpected suprise. The rest is read by Chris Lee, who is a titan of the film world, as well as a respected Tolkien buff. However he's a screen actor not a voice actor, and he proves all of these facts the first time he says the name "Tolkien." His diction could cut stone. The case is nice. It comes with Alan Lee's art all over it. There is a map included. do yourself a favor and buy a hard copy. The iTunes download is convenient, but lacks the art and such. If you aren't familiar with the story on "The Children of Hurin," it's great. It reads like Beowulf or Gilgamesh. On the light end of the "Silmarillion" or the heavy end of The Lord of the Rings. Dragons, Orcs, Elfs, Men, a Dark Lord, battles, love, death, betrayal, and oaths. Umm... also incest, a man killing his best friend, attempted rape, nudity, and a little something called petty dwarfs. Overall I recommend the book as well as the recorded book.Read full review
This was my first audiobook and I couln't have made a better choice. It has been many a year since I read the Silmarillion and the tale of Hurin had passed from my memory. I was not sure if I would like this or not, but once I started it, I was spellbound. I listened to each part multiple times for maximum absorption (because I wanted to not because it was hard to follow) and followed along on the "Encyclopedia of Arda" website as best I could to fully grasp the tale and follow along on the maps. This really maximized the experience for me. The narration could not have been better. Christopher Lee was spectacular and really completed the experience. I wish it were Christopher Lee reading the unabridged LOTR audio book I just purchased.
If you loved the Lord of the Rings movies, but are unfamiliar with the literary pillars on which they are built, you probably would not enjoy this book at first. Tolkien described his middle-earth as a work of history, albeit a feigned history and this book reads like a textbook at first. An expanded work of the Tale of Turambar from the Silmarillion would not instantly appeal to anyone who was not already thirsty for more information about these remote characters. Be that as it may, The Children of Hurin read by Christopher Lee, who played Saruman in the New Line movies, is a something that I needed to hear and that's why I bought it as soon as I could find it for less than retail price. $50 for any set of CD's is too much.
I liked the Story already, but Christopher Lee brought it to life well. Not the best reader in the world, but it works. Christopher Tolkien read the intro, and was hard to understand, but I bought the book for the story. And was happy with the outcome. However, The book would have been much better read by Bog Inglis or Robert Shaw. Tom Young
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