海角大神

"The Children of H煤rin," the "latest" book from the long-deceased fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, raises some interesting questions about originality in fiction, mostly because the novel is edited from incomplete manuscripts by the author's son, Christopher Tolkien. In fact, the basic story of "H煤rin," which takes place in Tolkien's Middle-earth about 6,000 years before the events of "The Lord of the Rings," has already appeared in "Unfinished Tales" and "The Silmarillion," both compiled posthumously. But no matter. With the publication of "The Children of H煤rin," we now have a definitive version of one of Tolkien's earliest "backstories." That story concerns T煤rin and his sister Ni毛nor 鈥� the children of H煤rin. They've been cursed by Morgoth, a baddie who's warring against the elves. He's also punishing them for H煤rin's defiance, and sends the wingless dragon Glaurung after them. Begun in the 1920s, years before Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit" and "Rings," "H煤rin" bears the mark of a beginning writer still unsure of his voice: whether to copy the high-style of an archaic tall tale, or attempt a more psychologically satisfying novel, like "Rings." As it is, readers may not identify with the characters in "The Children of H煤rin" or tolerate the bygone diction, even if they're wowed by the heroic exploits. Grade: 叠鈥�