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Zurbaran1
04-12-2007, 09:21 PM
Wow, this one took me by complete surprise. I received a notice about it from Amazon. As the description says, it's the first new book by J.R.R Tolkien in 30 years. It will be published on April 17 and is 320 pages long. Of course I immediately ordered a copy. Here's some info:

The first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades -- since the publication of The Silmarillion in 1977 -- The Children of Hurin reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, Eagles and Orcs. Presented for the first time as a complete, standalone story, this stirring narrative will appeal to casual fans and expert readers alike, returning them to the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.


The Children of Hurin, begun in 1918, was one of three 'Great Tales' J.R.R. Tolkien worked on throughout his life, though he never realized his ambition to see it published. Though familiar to many fans from extracts and references within other Tolkien books, it has long been assumed that the story would forever remain an unfinished tale. Now reconstructed by Christopher Tolkien, painstakingly editing together the complete work from his father's many drafts, this book is the culmination of a tireless thirty-year endeavor by him to bring J.R.R.Tolkien's vast body of unpublished work to a wide audience.


Having drawn the distinctive maps for the original The Lord of the Rings more than 50 years ago, Christopher has also created a detailed new map for this book. In addition, it will include a jacket and color paintings by Alan Lee, illustrator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and Academy Award-winning designer of the film trilogy.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/Zurbaran1/hurin.jpg

MONSTER
04-12-2007, 10:55 PM
Well Tupac has released a ton of new albums since his death so why can't Tolkien release a new book?;)

I'll have to pick this one up.

Comicboy
04-13-2007, 06:31 AM
I thought you'd know about this. I'd heard rumblings about it for at least 3 months, no name at that time but just that he'd been working on finishing one of his fathers books. I'll be picking it up.

They're Statues!
04-14-2007, 02:39 PM
Looking forawrd to this! Two charcters I have always wanted to know more about:

Morgoth, (as in "a Balrog of Morgoth" from the movie) Sauron is his lieutenant.

And Glaurung, Father of Dragons (think Smaug from the Hobbit only really really bad a$$).

ReturningSon
04-15-2007, 02:44 PM
I own the Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and it is the definitive version of LOTR. Alan Lee is such a great artist and is the only one who comes close to illustrating Tolkien's vision. This "Hurin" shall be interesting...

carbo-fation
04-15-2007, 07:21 PM
2 more days and then I can finally read this!!

JLM
04-16-2007, 08:55 AM
I picked this up at lunchtime and will read it when I've finished my current book.

However, I have sneaked a look at the pictures, and there's some fantastic Alan Lee stuff in there.

Justin
04-18-2007, 12:13 AM
I'll be picking this up as soon as i can! :)

Bullseye
04-18-2007, 11:31 AM
I'll be ordering this for sure.

wktf
04-21-2007, 07:01 PM
I own the Lord of the Rings Centenary Edition and it is the definitive version of LOTR. Alan Lee is such a great artist and is the only one who comes close to illustrating Tolkien's vision. This "Hurin" shall be interesting...

I own this collection as well and proudly display it on my bookshelves. Definitely will be picking up "The Children of Hurin." This is incredible news. Thanks, Zurb, for posting.

rychehitman
04-21-2007, 07:04 PM
anyone read this yet???

carbo-fation
04-28-2007, 05:58 PM
anyone read this yet???

I am in the middle of reading this right now. It is a real easy read and so far, I haven't read any "new" material. Most of this has been either told in the Silmarillon or in the Unfinished tales.
The drawings by Alan Lee are excellent!:buttrock:

JLM
10-22-2007, 04:29 AM
Anyone finished this yet? It's a pretty easy read. I read most of it on a train journey to and from London.

scott
10-22-2007, 08:06 AM
I'll be picking this up to read for my trip to Mexico:thumbs2:

SirConor
10-22-2007, 12:00 PM
I read it over the summer while I was in Scotland (I doubt there's a better place in the world to read Tolkien).

The book is fantastic, I'd say any Tolkien fan is going to absolutely love this. Admittedly, it does not have the depth that LOTR has, but this is essentially a short story! That said, it's still got that Tolkien magic, but I was struck by (and impressed with!) how mature this book is. Its a tragedy through and through, but I won't give away spoilers. Without a greater knowledge of the Silmarrion, it might be a little daunting to get dropped right into Hurin's world and context, so I highly recommend reading the foreword.

Great read!

mwf6171
10-23-2007, 03:27 PM
Great book, I really enjoyed it. I read it while on vacation in Germany this past summer. I really enjoyed the book, it made me want to go back and re-read the Silmarillon.

wktf
06-02-2008, 09:46 PM
I never read Silmarillon but just finished this book today. Just fantastic. Reads almost like a Biblical tale. So happy my wife bought me the deluxe slipcase version. Now, on to Silmarillon!