Christopher Tolkien to finish lost Middle Earth novel

[Aiwendil]

Littlemanpoet wrote:

I can see ending the tale with Turin's death; it's the Hurin/Morwen ending that seems wrong. What really seems especially wrong is how Morgoth's freeing of Hurin is simply told in an overly discursive style rather than shown.

All of which is to say that CT is just too hung up on not touching his father's works at all. If a story is going to be told, it ought to be told as best it can, even if editing and revision is necessary. The lack thereof is why JRR is probably rolling in his grave that his son would publish such a underwritten story as is.

I agree with the first part of what you say but not the second. JRRT did write a full account of Morgoth freeing Hurin and Hurin coming to Brethil ('Wanderings' in HoMe XI). But that was to be the beginning of the next tale, not the end of this one. Personally, I think CT made the right choice in not including 'Wanderings', but I think he made the wrong choice in including the short epilogue.

Maedhros: You quite correctly point out that a full account of Hurin's meeting with Thingol does exist. But I think that William Cloud Hickli's point stands - to reconcile the 'Lost Tales' text with 'Wanderings' requires a bit more editorial intervention that CT seems willing to perform.