Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Children of Hurin cover art

The Children of Hurin

Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Christopher Lee
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.65

Buy Now for $26.65

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

There are tales of Middle-earth from times long before The Lord of the Rings. The story told in this book is set in the great country that lay beyond the Grey Havens in the West: lands where Treebeard once walked, but which were drowned in the great cataclysm that ended the First Age of the World.

In that remote time, Morgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwelt in the vast fortress of Angband, the Hells of Iron, in the North; and the tragedy of Túrin and his sister Nienor unfolded within the shadow of the fear of Angband and the war waged by Morgoth against the lands and secret cities of the Elves. Their brief and passionate lives were dominated by the elemental hatred that Morgoth bore them as the children of Húrin, the man who had dared to defy and to scorn him to his face. Against them he sent his most formidable servant, Glaurung, a powerful spirit in the form of a huge wingless dragon of fire.

Into this story of brutal conquest and flight, of forest hiding-places and pursuit, of resistance with lessening hope, the Dark Lord and the Dragon enter in direly articulate form. Sardonic and mocking, Glaurung manipulated the fates of Túrin and Nienor by lies of diabolic cunning and guile, and the curse of Morgoth was fulfilled.

The earliest versions of this Tolkien story go back to the end of the First World War and the years that followed. But long afterwards, when The Lord of the Rings was finished, he revised and greatly enlarged it, enhancing complexities of motive and character. It became the dominant story in his later work on Middle-earth. But he could not bring it to a final and finished form. In this book, Christopher Tolkien has constructed, after long study of the manuscripts, a coherent narrative without any editorial invention.

©2007 J. R. R. Tolkien Copyright Trust and Christopher Reuel Tolkien (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, UK

What listeners say about The Children of Hurin

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    214
  • 4 Stars
    39
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    216
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    183
  • 4 Stars
    33
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poorly organized

The story and narration are fine, however, the book has 18 chapters while this audiobook is divided into 7 parts. That makes it harder to reference a hardcopy of the book or to know when a chapter is going to end. I would have highly preferred the audiobook have 18 separate chapters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tolkien. Christopher Lee. 'Nuff said.

Christopher Lee is the only person I want to hear reading this tale. I had read it in print before, but his flavour and gravitas make the experience even richer. It is a tragic, desperately sad story, as beautiful as any of the others of Middle Earth. If you have read the Lost or Unfinished Tales, you will be familiar with some of the story and the characters. It seems to me that Christopher Tolkien has edited this version to be a little more action-packed and theatrical, but although it is a good story, I doubt Newline would want to film it: too tragic.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

christopher lee

I will listen to literally anything read by christopher lee. he could be reading VCR manuals and I'd be captivated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Christopher Lee carries the Story

This audiobook took a few runs to finish. I ended up reading physically along with listening. It helped me understand the names & places better, but the narration also helped me continue reading when I got bored of the text. Neither book or audiobook alone would have made it to completion for me without the other.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A Treat For Tolkien Überfans

This First Age tale is easily the most tragic and pathos-infused in the Middle Earth reality. It is told with a degree of gravity that gives it the weightiness of Scripture - almost too serious for the average Fantasy reader. Adding to it's unsuitability for a car ride with the kids: the book is really only understandable/enjoyable when taken in context - it's too intertwined with Tolkien's overall history to be consumed as a standalone (definitely read 'The Silmarillion' before this one).

Fortunately, Sir Christopher Lee's narration is unsurpassed. True, he reads slightly too slowly (listening at 1.15X is highly recommended) - but his diction, cadence, and tone are spot-on and his rich baritone timbre is genuinely chill-inducing. HarperCollins Publishing Inc orchestrated a legitimate coup when they got Lee to read the book.

Altogether, the audiobook merits 9 stars out of 10. It's an outstanding listen for anyone (like me) that can immerse themselves seamlessly into Tolkien's mythology - but a tough read for readers/listeners who are less familiar (or were led here by a love for the action/whimsy of 'The Hobbit' or 'The Lord Of The Rings').

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Greek tragedy in middle earth!

This is a much darker tale than the other books but I enjoyed it a lot. Christopher lee is a fantastic narrator too. Killed the performance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sir Christopher Lee is excellent.

Saruman's voice narrates a great tale of woe that passed long ago, during the First Age. Great praise indeed to his performance, and praise too of his lore.
Keep safe a map of Beleriand. At times, many locations are named swiftly, and they come all at once, like a thunder issuing forth from the peaks of Thangodrim.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb!

Christopher Lee's love and respect for the material are plain to hear. He speaks the languages of the mythology as if they're his own, and the sound of his voice is a pleasure to listen to.

As for the story, I read the version in The Silmarillion as a teenager and remember enjoying it, but hearing it now on its own, fully fleshed out, in my thirties, it seems far more epic and far more tragic. I just couldn't wait to get to the next chapter.

Wonderful job all round.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Would not dare to change anything.. Just perfect!!

I wish the great Christopher Lee would read each and all the books from JRR Tolkien. The passion, the tone, the pace....just fantastic!

My two recommendations; 1. Have the printed version handy as with any Tolkien's books, the names of people and places can be a little confusing, no matter how amazingly enunciated. Sitting with the book while hearing so nicely narrated was such a great experience!! 2. Use the bookmark option in the app, as the audiobook is divided in a different way to the actual book, so if you want to start a specific chapter, you want to make sure it is bookmarked, as it will not necessarily coincide with the audio chapters (i.e. Chapter 1 of the audio book contains chapters 1-4 of the book)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Great Tragedy

A tale of deep tragedy and woe. An amazing story and a pleasure to listen to narrated by Sir Christopher Lee. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful