Books of 2008, Part XI

Okay, so this week I read The Children of Húrin, by J.R.R. Tolkein. This was one of the dozens of stories he left unfinished at the time of his death. It was finished by his son, Christopher, and released last year, I think.

The story takes place some 6500 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, in a Middle-earth that will one day be reshaped by a cataclysmic event known as the War of Wrath. The tone is very different from that of LOTR or The Hobbit--where the former was a heroic epic, and the latter a more lighthearted children's story, Children is more like a Greek tragedy. (with accidental incest, even!)

The story revolves around Túrin, son of Húrin, and his attempt to escape the curse that Morgoth Bauglir placed on him as punishment for his father's refusal to serve. Túrin devotes his life in defiance of Morgoth's increasing influence, even as all of his plans fall prey to his curse, one by one.

Tolkein seemed to believe that people can't escape the fates that life has for us all. Túrin, like Frodo Baggins, tries at first to refuse the path that fate lays out for him, though, of course, he must eventually submit to it. I'm kind of curious about why Tolkein seems to believe this.

The Children of Húrin is a pretty short story, and the first 30 pages or so is all names, places, peoples, and reads like one of those "begat" books in the Bible. But stick with it, (and refer to the handy index of names in the back of the book once or twice) and soon you'll remember how fun it is to be back in that Middle-earth mindset, with its quaintly archaic language. This book is nowhere near as exciting or as fun as LOTR, but it has its own pleasures, and it's a unique fantasy story where the hero doesn't always win.