European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 22, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 scene stars and stripes sunday april 22 2007 j co o i co Tolkien writes again celebrated authors son edits new Middle Earth Saga six thousand years before the Fellowship of the ring Long before anyone had even seen a Hobbit the elves and men of Middle Earth quaked at the Power of the dark lord Forgoth hunted by Easterling and ores they fled to the fastness of Narg Thrond and to the deep forests of Rethil and Doriath among them a hero emerged Strong and courageous he was but Foolhardy and impetuous his name was Turin son of Hurin his Story released last week by Houghton Mifflin is a publishing event it is the first new Book by the creator of the lord of the rings in 30 years the publisher Calls it the culmination of an Effort to bring to the Public the vast body of work Jar Tolkien had left unpublished and largely unfinished when he died in 1973 Tolkien began writing the children of Hurin 99 years ago abandoning it and taking it up again repeatedly throughout his life versions of the tale already have appeared in the Sil Maril lion unfinished tales and As Narra Tive poems or prose sections of the history of Middle Earth series but they were truncated and contradictory outside of Tolkien scholars and Middle Earth fanatics few read them these works were after All largely unreadable dense Hardt follow histories and legends of Tolkien vast imaginary world crammed with complicated genealogies unfamiliar geography and Hardi pronounce names readers who took up such books hop ing for another rings Saga or charming yarn such As the Hobbit abandoned them after a few pages the children of Hurin is the Book for which these readers have been longing it is the fruit of 30 years labor by Christopher Tolk Ien the authors son who has devoted much of his life to editing and publishing the work his father left behind by meticulously combining and editing the Many published and unpublished versions of the tale he has produced at last a coherent vivid and readable narrative Houghton Mifflin has treated the work Well hiring Alan Lee who won an Academy award for Art direction for the lord of the rings the return of the King to create stunning color illustrations the Story unfolds in a Region far to the West of where Frodo and Sam Wise would later roam in a land destined to be swallowed by the sea in the cataclysm that would end the first age of Middle Earth but even then it was an ancient land filled with legends and half remembered histories As the tale begins Forgoth has destroyed a vast army of elves and men and taken one of its leaders Hurin prisoner the dark lord tries to Bend Hurin to his will but the great Man defies him so Forgoth pronounces a curse on Hurvins children Turin and his sister Tienor a previously unpublished Book by Jar Tolkien pictured Here in 1967 was released tuesday the children of Hurin was edited and restructured by Tolkien son Christopher from a Man who admired old Anglo Saxon and Norse sagas a Sample in this Way before the summer had passed the following of Turin had swelled to a great Force and the Power of an band was thrown Back word of this came even to Nargo Thrond and Many there grew restless the Story is Short by the standards of the first chapter resembles the is the lord of the rings covering us Mari lion dense and confusing enough 259 pages the rest of the Book consist to discourage casual readers but stick ing of an introduction and appendix in with it and the Story soon becomes which Christopher Tolkien explains How readable and engaging he went about his work the details Are dont expect an uplifting ending like unlikely to be of interest to the casual the one to the lord of the rings How Reader but the Bottom line is this Chris Ever this is a gloomy tale Hurvins Gopher Tolkien says that in reconciling children doomed to failure by Turins the various versions of his fathers Story hubris and of course the curse the Story is told in the archaic style to which Tolkien fans Are accustomed he added no new material save for an occasional transition the words he says Are virtually a his fathers us today bestsellers key fiction a nonfiction hardcover paperback t 1 the secret by Rhonda Byrne nah 2 1 heard that song before by Mary Higgins Clark Foj 3 the Road by Cormac Mccarthy up 4 hot stuff by Janet Evanovich Leanne Banks up 5 two Little girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark up 6 everyday pasta by Giada Delaurentiis nah 7 the measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier nip 8 gone by Jonathan Kellerman up 9 at risk by Patricia Cornwell up 10 eldest inheritance Book ii by Christopher Paolini up 1 1 the memory keepers Daugh Ter by Kim Edwards of Fps 12 Junie b first grader dumb Bunny by Barbara Park Art by Denise Brunkus Fth 13 Mckettrick heart by Linda lae Miller of Fri 14 Nineteen minutes by Jodi Picoult Fth 1 5 Paula Deen it aint ail about the Cookin by Paula Deen Sherry suib 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