I finished J.R.R. Tolkien's The Children of Hurin, edited by Christopher Tolkien. I had not realized when the books' release was announced that this was essentially the story of Turin Turambar. 'Of Turin Turambar' was a story in The Silmarillion about 30 pages in length depending on your version of the book, and a favorite of mine since I first read it. The story is also told in the "Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth" in Part One, Chapter II - Narn I Hin Hurin. This story parallels the new book and is about 90 pages in length.

The Children of Hurin is different than either the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings. To begin, it is a tragedy. The style is also different. It reminds me of reading an age old legend as opposed to an adventure. I'd imagine this was intentional as Tolkien sought to create a mythology for England and the story of the Children of Hurin is the most complete tale of the evil of the first Dark Lord in Angband, Morgoth and his fight against the elves and men. It was probably intended to be distanced from the Lord of the Rings, which was the conclusion of the story and the beginning of the age of men, of which we are the continuation.

For those seeking a LOTR-esque story, this book probably won't meet your expectations, but it does tell a tragic story complete with men, elves, dwarves, battles, and a dragon. I very much enjoyed the added depth this version provided that better explained the character of Turin and the torment laid upon him by Morgoth.