The Fall of Gondolin Kindle Edition

A young British army officer, drawn and pale after a severe bout of trench fever, lay recuperating in hospitals for months in late 1916 and 1917. Although his body was weak his imagination and intellect remained strong, and he began writing out a story which had been haunting him. A beautiful city in a hidden mountain valley occupied by Elves (or Gnomes as he then called them); a powerful enemy searching for the city with every demonic force at his disposal; a noble wanderer who finds his way to the city, falls in love with its king's daughter, and becomes one of its chief defenders; the city's betrayal by an envious relative of the king; and finally its capture and destruction by bestial warriors using horrible metallic weaponry, leaving only a few survivors, including the hero and his family, to make their escape. That young officer was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and the tale of the Fall of Gondolin became a central part of the mythology he had determined to write for England.

Tolkien wrote and rewrote The Fall of Gondolin several times during his lifetime, though he was never able to produce a final version which completely satisfied him. After his death in 1973 his son Christopher assumed the task of organizing and finishing his father's mythology, publishing The Silmarillion in 1977, a twelve volume "History of Middle-earth" containing most of his father's versions of his various tales during the 1980s and 1990s, and more recently three single volumes devoted to the "Great Tales"of The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, and now The Fall of Gondolin. In the preface to this final volume Christopher wrote that "in my ninety-fourth year The Fall of Gondolin is (indubitably) the last," bringing tears to my eyes and to those of his countless other admirers, but also inspiring our admiration and deep gratitude.

The Fall of Gondolin consists of a number of different versions of the tale written by Tolkien at various periods. There are inconsistencies in some of the names, and inevitably characters and events appear, vanish, sometimes reappear or are heavily altered. One aspect remains apparent throughout: the sheer beauty of Tolkien's writing. This is especially impressive when we remember that Tolkien first wrote of Gondolin in his mid-twenties. Accompanying and enhancing Tolkien's words are the magnificent illustrations provided by Alan Lee, including eight color plates and many smaller drawings at the head of each chapter. Christopher Tolkien provides explanatory Notes throughout the book, with more Notes and additional material at the end, including a lengthy annotated list of Names, a Glossary of English words used by Tolkien which are now considered obsolete, archaic, or rare, and a short genealogy and map. He also includes a short quotation from The Hobbit which made me somewhat teary-eyed, as many years ago that book was my first introduction to Tolkien and the very first reference to Gondolin.

The Fall of Gondolin and the two other Great Tales are indispensable for Tolkien scholars, but those who are just beginning their journey through Middle-earth, Beleriand, and Valinor in the First Age would be better served by starting with The Silmarillion. As most who read and love him can attest, Tolkien's words never grow stale.

In “The Fall of Gondolin”, Christopher Tolkien continues his project of editing his father’s three great tales of the First Age of Middle Earth. He writes in his introduction, “When the time had come, as I supposed, to end at last this long series of editions it occurred to me to try out, as best as I could, a different mode: to follow, using previously published texts, one single particular narrative from its earliest existing form and throughout its later development” (pg. 13). In this, Tolkien follows the method he used in “Beren and Lúthien” (2017) rather than that of “The Children of Húrin” (2007), which told a more-or-less coherent story adapted from the various alterations (using the appendix to explain those changes).

The story focuses on the secret Elven city of Gondolin and the arrival of Tuor, one of Húrin’s kinsfolk, who comes to the city at the behest of Ulmo, the Vala who rules over the waters and the sea, in order to warn of Morgoth’s planned attack. Turgon, who built the city, refuses to abandon it and Tuor settles among the people. Tuor weds Idril Celebrindal and fathers with her Eärendel the Mariner. Their union is the second between Elves and Men following that of Beren and Lúthien (and thus also helps to foreshadow the union of Aragorn and Arwen). At the time of Morgoth’s sack of Gondolin, Tuor defends Idril and Eärendel as they flee the city under the onslaught of Morgoth’s Balrogs and fire drakes. Glorfindel defends them against a Balrog in the mountains, enabling them to flee to the sea.

In his conclusion, Tolkien refers to the Lost Tale of Eärendel, never written, before discussing how it relates to the “Fall of Gondolin”. Though he cautions, “To set out and discuss these often contradictory outlines in their clipped phrases would be contrary to the purpose of these two books [the present one and ‘Beren and Lúthien’]: the comparative histories of narratives as they evolved” (pg. 241). He does, however, focus on the two main variants of the conclusion in order to complete his story. As the final of the three tales of the First Age, “The Fall of Gondolin” more than measures up to expectations. J.R.R. Tolkien’s prose is as ever a delight to read and Alan Lee’s illustrations compliment the text as no other. A must-read for Tolkien fans.