The Fall of Gondolin

By: Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien

Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Presented for the first time as a standalone work, the epic tale of The Fall of Gondolin reunites fans of The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings with Elves, Balrogs, Dragons & Orcs and the rich landscape unique to Tolkien’s Middle-earth. This brand new unabridged audio book is read by Timothy West & Samuel West.

Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable, is central to the enmity of two of the greatest powers in the world.

Morgoth of the uttermost evil seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city of his Elven enemies, while the gods in Valinor refuse to support Ulmo Lord of Waters' designs to protect it.

Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Túrin, and guided unseen by Ulmo he sets out on the fearful journey to Gondolin to warn them of their coming doom. Then Morgoth learns through an act of supreme treachery all that he needs to mount a devastating attack on the city, with Balrogs and dragons and numberless Orcs.

©2018 J. R. R. Tolkien (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Never did [Tolkien] write a more sustained account of battle. With dragons and fiery balrogs galore, the attack on Gondolin makes Peter Jackson’s souped-up cinema battles look like tabletop games." (The Times)

"It’s a load-bearing pillar in the grander narrative that eventually came to encompass better-known works. Tolkien explicitly expressed his wish later in life that the three Great Tales of Middle-earth’s early days — The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin — along with The Lord of the Rings and other writings, should be considered as 'one long Saga of the Jewels and the Rings'." (Entertainment Weekly)

"The text is rife with references to characters and creatures that come to play a role in The Lord of the Rings...one passage in particular seems to set up one of the most famous scenes from the LOTR trilogy." (Time)

inside the mind of J R R Tolkien

This story has numerous versions, which make difficult to follow, without considerable effort. Tolkien has a style that draws you in, and makes uou want more of the story.

Loved the extra insights!

It was cool to hear the extra insights and notes that Tolkien had to be able to understand better how all of these stories were created.

Wonderful tale and a great narration

A great dive into Tolkien's world and the dual narrator scheme works wonders. A must for all Tolkien fans

pronunciation

I have a hard time with pronunciation of the names but over all a fun listen.

Good but short

Main story was really good. After that is changes that J. R R tolkien made which takes away from the main story. I do wish the main story was longer. But again another solid book.

Excellent

One of my favorite books. The narrators are outstanding, they make the book feel magical in a way

Another facet in jewels created by JRR Tolkien

Like all of Tolkien's tales, you are drawn into the details as a secret unfolding, as history heretofore whispered but long remembered, time before time.

A Fascinating Look at a Great Tale.

This was a genuinely interesting look at the formation of a pivotal story in Tolkien's greater legenarium.

As much as history of the writing-of as a story

Be warned, about two-thirds of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin are dedicated to the writing of the story, narrating previously unpublished versions, fragments, and explanation how it call came to be. The final, extended and beautifully written (and narrated) version of the Fall of Gondolin is the first section of the book, about two hours.

What follows is different versions of that same tale, along with detailed explanations. This may not be everyone's cup of tea but if you are a fan of Tolkien's work, this is a great listen.

I personally found the extended sections somewhat detrimental to my overall enjoyment of listening but the first chapter containing the Fall of Gondolin itself is a beautiful, poignant tale that deserves a listen. You can definitely sense how this was the prototype for the Siege of Minas Tirith in "Return of the King".

Another fantastic book for Tolkien fans

I love what Christopher did here with what he had to work with. It's slightly sad that JRR did not finish some of his most interesting works when dealing with the First Age. Regardless, it is definitely worth a read and listen!