J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the most prolific writers of all time, continues to usher readers into his imaginary world with his acclaimed novels about the Middle Earth, hobbits, and elves. And he is about to fascinate readers once again with another of his great tales — The Fall of Gondolin.
Tolkien’s “The Fall of Gondolin” will see the light of day in August, the third in a trilogy of posthumously published stories by the creator of Middle-earth. It follows on from “The Children of Húrin“, published in 2007, and “Beren and Lúthien“, released in 2017.
Like those volumes, this one will include drawings and color plates by “The Lord of the Rings” illustrator Alan Lee. The author’s son, Christopher Tolkien, edited the forthcoming book.
According to John Garth, author of Tolkien and the Great War, The Fall of Gondolin was written while Tolkien was recovering at a hospital right after the Battle of Somme. This was during the First World War wherein the armies from the British and the French empires fought against the German empire.
The story focuses on Tuor, who sets out on a fearful journey from the land of his birth to the “beautiful but undiscoverable” Elven city of Gondolin, where he weds the king’s daughter and has a son before a devastating attack on the city by the evil power of Morgoth. It is described as “… a quest story with a reluctant hero who turns into a genuine hero.” That eventually became a “…template for everything Tolkien wrote afterwards.”
J.R.R. Tolkien is said to have described “The Fall of Gondolin” as “the first real story of this imaginary world” of Middle-earth, and together with the other two stories, regarded it as one of the “Great Tales” of the Elder Days, happening long before the events of “The Lord of the Rings.”
The 304-page book will publish on August 30.
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