The coming holiday season, especially Yule, is a very appropriate time to enjoy The Children of Hurin, by J.R.R. Tolkien—the first complete book by Tolkien since The Silmarillion in 1977.

Tolkien had started the story before 1920 and made several revisions after, but did not finish it before his death in 1973. His son Christopher edited the manuscripts and was able to complete the tale.

The time of the story is from the First Age of Middle-Earth—before that of Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, The Hobbit and the The Lord of the Rings. Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, is trying to conquer Middle Earth, but is being resisted by the Elves and, eventually, Men. Hurin is the first Man to defy Morgoth, and for that, Morgoth places a curse upon Hurin and his family. This curse affects Hurin’s son, Turin, and his daughter Nienor, and most of the book focuses on the struggles of his children.

This is a much darker tale than Lord of the Rings, and traits and concepts that seem forgotten in today’s time, such as honor, luck, valor, loyalty, courage, and duty, play great roles in the story. Even the style of writing harkens back to a time long forgotten, yet is somehow familiar and elemental and right. Thus it is perhaps not a light reading, but one that is nevertheless very satisfying.

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