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A review by mbates185
The Fall of Gondolin by J.R.R. Tolkien
5.0
While much of the text isn’t new material, I was very excited when Christopher Tolkien announced that he was giving treatment to the last of the “three great tales of the First Age,” which also happens to be my favorite of the three. I never have been all that interested in reading the History of Middle-Earth books in the past, as I was more interested in the canonical information than the development of the lore, but last year’s Beren and Lúthien piqued my interest in learning more about the evolution of these tales. I did not hesitate to preorder and, I can happily say, I was not disappointed either.
I have always been fascinated by certain aspects of this tale: the hidden city if Gondolin as the last beacon of hope against the coming darkness, Tuor’s (and Eärendel’s) longing for the sea, the dramatic entrance of Ulmo into the tale, and ultimately the fall of the titular city, all working to set up the tale of the biggest hero of the First Age, Eärendel, and his quest to finally unite the remnants of the elves and men with the might of the Valar and rid the world of Morgoth’s presence (though not his influence). The tale itself has a pretty bleak ending, but hope is not lost.
Tolkien presents the different versions of the tale here with little introduction to each (most of the background of these manuscripts was explained in Beren and Lúthien), but provides a section on the evolution of the tale after each text is finished; this really illustrates how little the main beats of the tale changed throughout the years between JRR Tolkien’s initial conception and his final vision for the history of Middle-Earth.
I had read what Christopher Tolkien dubs the “Final Version” in the past, loving every second of my favorite tale in descriptive detail. It as really enjoyable to reread all these years later, though I was left with a sad longing for more at the end, as Tuor finally glimpses Gondolin amid the snow. It really is a shame that JRR Tolkien never managed to finish it.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anybody that loves the lore of Middle-Earth or Tolkien’s writing. For those unfamiliar with the First Age and the Silmarillion, I would suggest reading the Silmarillion up until the sections covering the “three great tales” (the Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and the Fall of Gondolin) and read all three of the “full” versions of these tales in the corresponding standalone books instead.
I have always been fascinated by certain aspects of this tale: the hidden city if Gondolin as the last beacon of hope against the coming darkness, Tuor’s (and Eärendel’s) longing for the sea, the dramatic entrance of Ulmo into the tale, and ultimately the fall of the titular city, all working to set up the tale of the biggest hero of the First Age, Eärendel, and his quest to finally unite the remnants of the elves and men with the might of the Valar and rid the world of Morgoth’s presence (though not his influence). The tale itself has a pretty bleak ending, but hope is not lost.
Tolkien presents the different versions of the tale here with little introduction to each (most of the background of these manuscripts was explained in Beren and Lúthien), but provides a section on the evolution of the tale after each text is finished; this really illustrates how little the main beats of the tale changed throughout the years between JRR Tolkien’s initial conception and his final vision for the history of Middle-Earth.
I had read what Christopher Tolkien dubs the “Final Version” in the past, loving every second of my favorite tale in descriptive detail. It as really enjoyable to reread all these years later, though I was left with a sad longing for more at the end, as Tuor finally glimpses Gondolin amid the snow. It really is a shame that JRR Tolkien never managed to finish it.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anybody that loves the lore of Middle-Earth or Tolkien’s writing. For those unfamiliar with the First Age and the Silmarillion, I would suggest reading the Silmarillion up until the sections covering the “three great tales” (the Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and the Fall of Gondolin) and read all three of the “full” versions of these tales in the corresponding standalone books instead.