Reviews

The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien

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bioarla's review against another edition

5.0

The last of the Great Tales set in the Middle Earth narrates the journey of a man, Tuor son of Huor, to Gondolin, the hidden city of Noldor ruled by King Turgon. Sent on a mission by Ulmo and guided by the elf Voronwe, Tuor is able to reach the last kingdom of the Noldor elves, but fails to convince Turgon to leave the city and ask the Valar for a pardon and help against Morgoth. Tuor is however allowed to stay in Gondolin, and here he falls in love with Idril, Turgon’s daughter. Their marriage and the birth of a son, Earendil, will trigger the treachery (as per the Curse of Mandos) that allows Morgoth to locate Gondolin and send an army of orcs, dragons and Balrogs to destroy it.

The story is written in the same epic style of [b:The Silmarillion|7332|The Silmarillion|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565193934l/7332._SX50_.jpg|4733799]. It's been years since I last read one of [a:J.R.R. Tolkien|656983|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564399522p2/656983.jpg]’s book and this felt like going home after a long time. The narrative transport you to Middle Earth: you’re there walking along with Tuor and Voronwe, you’re astonished at discovering Gondolin lying on top of Amon Gwareth, and you fight Balrogs with Ecthelion and Glorfindel. It’s simply epic and despite the outcome, there’s one of the best battle scene ever described in the Middle Earth universe.
The second part of the book includes all the editing works done by Christopher Tolkien, comparing the different versions of the tale of Gondolin that his father wrote or just sketched during his life. It may result perhaps less interesting, unless you’re a super-fan.
A must-read for fan of Tolkien’s Middle Earth world!

fth0tfitzgerald's review against another edition

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God! Ligesom "Beren and Lúthien" var den en smule repetitiv, men det var forventet. Det var spændende at høre mere om selve kampen for at holde Gondolin, og Tuors rejse dertil. Derudover var jeg glad for at lære mere om Ecthelion og Glorfindel.
Christophers noter bagerst i bogen om Earendils navn var også spænende, især Frodos brug af Earendils navn i Shelobs grotte.

sealreads's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lifebydaph's review against another edition

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3.5

⭐️3.5⭐️ || this story spoke a bit less to me than the children of húrin and beren and lúthien, but it was still very interesting and i enjoyed it nonetheless

briandbremer's review against another edition

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adventurous informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is by far the least complete of the "trilogy" of books Christopher Tolkien published near the end of his life. The early version of the story that begins the book lacks the refinement of J.R.R.Tolkien's best writing and the story at the end, which has that, ends when Tuor arrives in Gondolin. That's a bit of a problem for a book that's purportedly about Gondolin's Fall.

To be clear, it's definitely worth reading if you love Tolkien and you can piece a completed tale together by reading the last version and then skipping to the middle of the original. But it's a book where it's value is getting more of Middle Earth rather than the story being told.

areejx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

The story of the fall of Gondolin is good but it was told multiple times throughout the book. It felt like I was reading a thesis paper; the lost tale and the last version of the fall of Gondolin was kept on being compared, and bits on both stories were repeated many times (like, I know, I read it, you don't have to say it again), it feels like a student was required to write a thousand characters so he just kept on repeating everything over and over again. It dragged on until the end.