Tolkien's "The Children of Hurin"

Last night I finished reading Tolkien's The Children of Hurin. I wish that Tolkien had made more honorable characters, especially Turin. Sometimes (just as I wanted to in the Silmirillion) I wanted to strangle him for being so dishonorable, rash and cruel. I had forgotten, too, that Turin unwittingly married his sister.

But, though the plot is a bit depressing, I have always been a big fan of Glaurung the dragon. It struck me while reading this new book, that Tolkien never intended for his dragon to be envisioned with wings. In the chapter 'death of Glaurung' the beast had to leap over the river, not fly. I guess wings would have given him too great an advantage over Turin.

This book joins my favorites, in part due to the wonderful illustrations by Allen Lee! There is some good dialogue and action, but the story will not come as a surprise unless you have not read The Silmirillion or if--like me--you forgot many of the details.