The Children of Hurin

Today I finished The Children of Hurin by Tolkien. I have read the Hobbit but have not yet read any of the Lord of the Rings. This book is somewhat dark in that many of the main characters die, but the evil in the story is ultimately conquered and vanquished by the book's end.

This is a great story of struggle against evil, and the struggle personally between doing right and wrong. Turin is the son of Hurin and most of the story revolves around his life after being sent away to live with the Elves to avoid being killed or captured by the advancing Orcs. Turin learns sword-fighting among other necessary skills to live and survive in the world of that time. He becomes great but kills another man and flees to avoid the punishment. From there his adventures begin, and he becomes what he was attempting to avoid. In the end, Turin is the hero.

In this book, Tolkien continues to portray the good that is expected of all people. He portrays the evil as those would subdue and enslave others including the innocent. Tolkien's writings speak to so much of our world's issues today.

Great book. Highly recommended.

5 stars