which is better? Children of hurin or The silmarillion?

[Master of maps]

I just thought i would like to find out which book out of the children of hurin and the silmarillion everybody liked best. feel free to explain why. I would love to hear your opinions.
MWAAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAA!!!!!!!

 

[Confusticated]

The Silmarillion



It's more inclusive ​

 

[Gothmog]

The Silmarillion was originally intended to be an 'Overview' of the history of Middle-earth and therefore would include abridged versions of the stories. So to compare an expanded or 'Full Version' of one of the stories with this overview is in my opinion impossible. Each one has its own merits.

Had JRRT been able to finish his work on The Sil., it is possible that we would have had a completely different style of book since it seems that he had changed his view on what it would be and even stated to one publisher that it would be a book about the same size as TLoR. If this were the case then the full versions of CoH., TFoG., BaL. and others may have been included.

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

I just thought i would like to find out which book out of the children of hurin and the silmarillion everybody liked best.

I dislike COH less simply because it has dialogue. Other than that, they are — to me — equally depressing.

Barley

 

[YayGollum]

I could guess what everyone's favorite of the two would be (everybody but the Master of maps person went with The Silmarillion? Somebody voted for Children Of Hurin), but only the Confusticated lady informs us of her favorite. Mine would also have to be The Silmarillion, mostly because it gives me a lot more information to work with, and Children Of Hurin wasn't one of my favorite stories from that book. Only two children? Neither especially fun? Hurin was more interesting. Too bad the book wasn't Hurin And Immediate Family Members.

 

[Master of maps]

ummmmm, i voted the silmarillion, not the children of hurin....

 

[Durin's Bane]

ummmmm, i voted the silmarillion, not the children of hurin....

And you voted for the Sil becase...?

 

[Master of maps]

It is the better, more informative novel out of the two...

The children of hurin was good, but it was in truth only a small section of the silmarillion's larger story.

 

[Mr. Istari]

I just finished reading COH and I must say it was an amazing book. I really loved it and would recommend it to any fan of Tolkien... Yet I still had to vote for the Sil because, like Master of maps said, it (the Sil) contains a much more complete and evolving story while COH is only a small part in the big picture. Nonetheless, the Children of Hurin was a great read.

 

[Master of maps]

i agree..... the children of hurin was an awesom book, and it was nearly as good as the silmarillion, but it was only one chapter in a very large series.
Unfortunatly JRR died before he could finish his prep work on the silmarillion, so it had to be condensed largely. This means that there is a possibility that he was meaning to eventually turn each part of the silmarillion into a book just like COH.

 

[Halasían]

As a stand-alone book, Children of Hurin wins hands down.
As a Middle Earth historical reference sort of book, the Silmarillion.

I found Children of Hurin an easier & much more enjoyable read.

 

[Snaga]

I think Children of Hurin is more approachable, although I find it hard to be sure I'm right about that, since I knew the story so well before I even picked it up. I think as a standalone novel it is actually quite flawed, since its approach to giving you the immense backstory is incredibly clunky. Compare, for example, the marvellously artful way that JRRT introduces it in Lord of the Rings.

By contrast the Silmarillion is the backstory. It is without doubt a more difficult work, but when it gets going (and get used to the fact it isn't a conventional novel), its is very moving and I think it reaches heights that CoH does not, through its sheer scope.

My problem with Children of Hurin is that it doesn't seem to be one thing or the other. Neither the lofty remoteness of Silmarillion, nor the intimate story-telling of Lord of the Rings. Clearly a problem for Christopher Tolkien to do any more, within the confines of the material available to him - and he should be thanked for publishing the story in a final form. I feel fairly sure that JRRT would have not been satisfied with this story - indeed, if he had been, he would have probably published it himself.

That, though is obviously true of the Silmarillion too!

 

[Master of maps]

The silmarillion wasnt a conventional novel, as you said, but by all means, i think it wins boy more than its sheer scope.
It has many more plot points, and much more history to tell than the children of hurin does.

 

[Curufin]

I voted for The Silmarillion. Not even a contest, in my mind. Loathed and detested Of Túrin Turambar in the Sil, and I groaned when I heard there was going to be a book made out of it. I knew I had to read it, but that didn't mean I wanted to...

That said, I was somewhat pleasantly suprised. I don't like Túrin any better than I did to start with (probably less), but the story itself was interesting and gave you more of an insight into Túrin's character and motivations than you get in Of Túrin Turambar.

But The Silmarillion wins hands down. It's a beautiful book of epic proportions, and while some of Christopher Tolkien's choices distress me, there is absolutely no comparison between the two in my mind.

Oh yeah, and there are more Ñoldor in The Silmarillion.

 

[Illuin]

Strange question; only because The Children Of Hurin was part of The Silmarillion. Hmmm.

 

[Maedhros]

When you say The Silmarillion you mean the one that CT published, which has a part of the recently published Children of Húrin?
The Sil has to be better just because it already has part of the other in there.
Both works are tragedies, in a way Túrin reminds me of Oedipus in the play Oedipus Rex, in which he is really not a bad guy, but the choices that he has made (some driven by pride others not) seem to lead him the way to his doom.
Both are heroes. Oedipus defeated the Sphinx while Túrin defeated Glaurung. Both married their family Oedipus married Yocasta his mother (hence the Oedipus complex) while Túrin married his sister Nienor.
In one case, the bringer of doom was the Oracle, while with Túrin, it was Morgoth.

 

[Ithrynluin]

I'm not gonna vote.

If we're looking at content, then definitely The Sil, as it contains so many well-loved stories.

If we're looking at form, then definitely TCOH, because it's simply the more readable of the two, dialog being the most important contributor. Also, reading this book made me appreciate the story of Turin much, much more, especially keeping in mind that Of Turin Turambar is my least favorite part of The Sil.

 

[Illuin]

from the Blue Wizard
"especially keeping in mind that Of Turin Turambar is my least favorite part of The Sil."

Interesting. That was one of my favorites. Well, I have so many favorites….but I was truly engrossed in that one and found it to be just superb Tolkien mythology at its best; as tragic as it was. Well, as Yogi says regarding baseball; "Every pitch pleases somebody".

 

[Luke Sineath]

I don't think it's appropriate to compare the two works in terms of which is "better." They each have different goals.

I will say that I think I enjoyed both of them more than LotR.

 

[Bucky]

The Silmarillion....

Although, ever since Unfinished Tales came out, I've been reading the long version of the Harn I Hin Hurin right interspersed into the Silmarillion.

I guess next time I read the Silm, I'll just pick up CoH at that chapter instead & go back to The Silm afterwards - makes sense, no?