This book is only for the serious JRR Tolkien fan. If you've read the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion, and still want more, then you will probably be interested in this book. It is very different than the above books though. The Hobbit is a very easy read, written for a young audience. Lord of the Rings is a long tale, but keeps you drawn in til the end. The Silmarillion is incredibly complex, and difficult to read, yet fascinating because of all of the history of Middle Earth that it provides. The Children of Hurin is a story of a tragic hero, and it is written in a style that felt kind of detached and cold. Not that it couldn't be an interesting story, it's just written as if someone were telling a story that happened long ago, you never can immerse yourself in it, there are few details, and even the suspense is killed by the chapter headings (ie. "the death of Huron" is one of the titles of a chapter! I wonder what will happen in this chapter???) The characters in the book have nothing to do with the characters of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, but they might be mentioned in The Silmarillion (can't remember). If you are curious, just check this one out at the library, I don't think it would be one that you would re-read. Some of the plot elements near the end of the book would probably not be appropriate for a young reader, (similar to Oedepus if you know what I mean), but they are not graphically described, so they weren't offensive, just not something I'd want my kids to be reading.