After a long break, Hall of Fire finally returns to host a discussion on the very recently released Children of Hurin. Scrupulously edited together from JRR’s manuscripts by Christopher Tolkien, the tragic tale of Hurin’s children is not new to many fans of Tolkien’s writings, having been previously revealed in one form or another in the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle Earth.
However, Children of Hurin presents the tale without the severe abridgement of the Silmarillion, or the confusing annotated form that is present in Unfinished Tales and HOME.
Has Chris Tolkien succeeded in editing together – from diverse manuscripts written decades apart – a tale that is easier going than the archaic, name-filled Silmarillion? Does the introduction of a gloassary of characters help ease those used to the more reader friendly style of Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit into the story? And what of the choice of tale? Children of Hurin is, as Chris Tolkien states – one of the three keystone tales of the First Age that JRR worked on the most. It’s also extremely dark, presenting the reader a protagonist who, through his reckless deeds and fiery nature, is difficult to like, much less cheer on. Indeed, many people say they would you have preferred to see a book telling the story of Beren and Luthien instead.
And what of the artwork of Alan Lee? Does it mesh well with the material and the style of the tale? Would you have preferred to see Ted Nasmith or John Howe?
The gory details
Date: Sunday 6 May 2007
Time: 7PM EDT
Location: The TORn IRC server: irc.theonering.net in #thehalloffire How long: Between 30 minutes and an hour, but you’re welcome to just pop through!
Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help.
America:
7.00pm EDT (New York)
6.00pm CDT (Chicago)
5.00pm MDT (Salt Lake City)
4.00pm PDT (Los Angeles)
Europe:
12:00 Midnight GMT (London)
1.00am Monday (Paris)
Asia-Pacific
6.00am (Monday) Perth
9.00am (Monday) Brisbane
9.00am (Monday) Sydney
11.00am (Monday) Wellington
Where?
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
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