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A review by vingilot
The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien
5.0
All the versions of Tolkien's most tragic tale, no not because of content, Turin still takes that particular cake, but because he never truly finished any version of it.
"But what" I hear you say "Isn't there a perfectly passable version of this story published in the Silmarillion?" Well my friend I am here to tell you there just is not. Compared tot he rich narratives found in this book, the published version is quite poor indeed. From Denethor's heroic last stand where drowns the balrog in his own fountain, to the actual agency of Idril some of this stuff is truly amazing, and should be incorporated into any Tolkien's fan's headcanon.
So why was it not incorporated more into the Silmarillion, did Christopher cheat us for all these years? No... Sadly these versions are incompatible with the post Lord of the Rings state of the legendarium. A true pity that we will never see this in it's full glory.
But read this book, it is the closest you will be able to get,
"But what" I hear you say "Isn't there a perfectly passable version of this story published in the Silmarillion?" Well my friend I am here to tell you there just is not. Compared tot he rich narratives found in this book, the published version is quite poor indeed. From Denethor's heroic last stand where drowns the balrog in his own fountain, to the actual agency of Idril some of this stuff is truly amazing, and should be incorporated into any Tolkien's fan's headcanon.
So why was it not incorporated more into the Silmarillion, did Christopher cheat us for all these years? No... Sadly these versions are incompatible with the post Lord of the Rings state of the legendarium. A true pity that we will never see this in it's full glory.
But read this book, it is the closest you will be able to get,