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lau3rie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really loved how the narration of the audio book was done, it helped bring the critical sections of the book to life, and the prose style really lends itself to being spoken rather than read, drawing as it does on oral epic traditions.
It's always a little disappointing to be reading a fragmentary tale knowing how good Tolkien's finished works could be, but it was also fascinating to learn about the evolution of the tale over time.
The story itself is beautiful and harrowing, and I found myself wondering if it could only have been written by someone with a very visceral experience of war.
Well worth checking out, particularly the audio version.
It's always a little disappointing to be reading a fragmentary tale knowing how good Tolkien's finished works could be, but it was also fascinating to learn about the evolution of the tale over time.
The story itself is beautiful and harrowing, and I found myself wondering if it could only have been written by someone with a very visceral experience of war.
Well worth checking out, particularly the audio version.
jala_aldous's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this, I thought Christopher Tolkien did a great job putting it together and giving context for each version of the story. Having read the Silmarillion I wasn't expecting to be suprised but I was completely wrong.
I always thought that the tragedy of the Fall of Gondolin was the tragedy of Beleriand and the First Age: the inevitable fall of kingdom after kingdom, city after city in the face of Morgoth's onslaught. So I was shocked that in the first version Gondolin's ruin was not inevitable at all. My understanding from the Quenta Silmarillion was that if Turgon had heeded Ulmo's warning, Gondolin's people would've been saved but the city was always a gonner. To read about how the city was entirely capable of defending itself and could've held against Morgoth had it not been for the treachery of Maeglin, was a gut punch. It makes you realise that there is a damn good reason Gondolin is considered the greatest city in the history of Middle Earth. This city that could only fall through betrayal.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, given it's written more as a history than a novel but wow the battle was epic, like nothing I've ever read before. It really felt on a biblical scale. The imagery was amazing and felt truly apocalyptic- the image of *balrogs* riding *dragons*- absolutely terrifying!
I remember this from the Silm but it's brought home how the skill of these First Age warriors is leagues above the men and elves of the Third Age. Tuor and Ecthelion killing *nine* Balrogs between them is absolutely insane. First age warriors were built different.
I was shocked by the depth of Maeglin's betrayal in this version. He not only detailed the defenses to the enemy, he also sabotaged Turgon's counter attack and, most cruelly, revealed the location of Way of Escape so there would be no survivors. I've seen some sympathetic takes of Maeglin, however in this version he did everything he could to see the utter ruin of his city and the massacre of his people. I would place him above Fëanor when it comes to ranking the most vile elves in Middle Earth.
Loved Idril, I only wish their was more of her, she's such a great character. I think she is an interesting example of soft power. Sure she was no warrior, but without her there would have been no survivors. Also I love the description of her fighting "like a tigress" when it came to protecting her son.
Tuor is cool too, I enjoyed reading the extended tale of his journey and getting to know him better. I found his attitude when Voronwë warns him that they may be killed on entering Gondolin irrationally funny. My guy is like whelp, "death in the wild certain; and death at the Gate is yet in doubt". So blunt Tuor, man could not be more different from the elves with their flowery language and cryptic answers.
Ulmo proved again that he is the best Valar.
I found Turgon's bits quite a painful read. I really liked him in the Silm, the House of Fingolfin was always my favourite, so to see him blinded by pride and ignoring his daughter's council in place of fucking Maeglin was tough. He certainly isn't his best in this book. If we're being generous, at this point he's lost so many family members to horrible, violent deaths, Idril and Maeglin are all he has left. He's certainly in an unenviable position, but he's always been one of the more rational and measured of Finwë's grandchildren so it is quite disappointing.
The deaths of Rog, Ecthelion and Glorfindel were everything you'd hope for in a book like this, again that biblical scale. All tragic, but talk about going out in a blaze of glory. Rog's story was new to me and it really tugged at the heartstrings. I knew more about Glorfindel, of course, and Ecthelion but it was still quite something to read their ends in full. You can see why their stories become legend in Arda. I don't think anyone does valiant, epic, tragic deaths quite like Tolkien, particularly in the Silm, my god. Glorfindel in particular hurt my heart, just when they think they're safe 😢. That battle gave me chills and the description of the yellow flowers growing from his burial mound, symbolic of the House of the Goldenflower was a lovely detail.
There are so many small details I loved, like the idea of the Gondolindhrim speaking Sindarin with a Quenyan accent. Or the entrance to Gondolin being disguised as a dried up river bed. The description of the Seven Gates was absolutely beautiful. I thought the imagery of Maeglin on Turgon's right and Idril on the left like the devil and the angel on the shoulders of the king was very well done.
I also loved the little Fall of Gondolin- Children of Húrin crossover, with the cousins coming so close but not knowing the identity of the other. Not stopping to talk to Túrin has got to be the best decision Tuor ever made. Still, it would've been a fascinating conversation. These two characters are so fun to compare. It's wild that Morgoth sends orcs hunting for Túrin whilst having no clue Tuor even exists.
I found it very satisfying how the last section of the book links the three books- Children of Hurin, Beren and Lúthien, and Fall of Gondolin by closing with the deeds of their descendents, Earendil and Elwing. Elwing being the granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien, Tuor being the nephew of Húrin and Eärendil being the son of Tuor and Idril. Then by mentioning their sons, Elrond and Elros, you have both a connection to LOTR and the events of the Third Age, and to Numenor and the events of Second Age. All nicely linked. It never fails to amuse me that the entire epic drama of the First Age is essentially Galadriel and Elrond's extended family's feud with Morgoth but also with each other.
My only criticism if the book is C Tolkien's contrasting of the different versions near end felt slightly unnecessary when you've just read them. I can see why he did it for the sake of clarity but having picked out most of the changes and contradictions myself, wading through this bit took me ages and did put me in a bit of book slump. All in all I really enjoyed this book. Would sell a kidney to see this and the other stories from the Silm faithfully adapted to the big screen.
I always thought that the tragedy of the Fall of Gondolin was the tragedy of Beleriand and the First Age: the inevitable fall of kingdom after kingdom, city after city in the face of Morgoth's onslaught. So I was shocked that in the first version Gondolin's ruin was not inevitable at all. My understanding from the Quenta Silmarillion was that if Turgon had heeded Ulmo's warning, Gondolin's people would've been saved but the city was always a gonner. To read about how the city was entirely capable of defending itself and could've held against Morgoth had it not been for the treachery of Maeglin, was a gut punch. It makes you realise that there is a damn good reason Gondolin is considered the greatest city in the history of Middle Earth. This city that could only fall through betrayal.
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, given it's written more as a history than a novel but wow the battle was epic, like nothing I've ever read before. It really felt on a biblical scale. The imagery was amazing and felt truly apocalyptic- the image of *balrogs* riding *dragons*- absolutely terrifying!
I remember this from the Silm but it's brought home how the skill of these First Age warriors is leagues above the men and elves of the Third Age. Tuor and Ecthelion killing *nine* Balrogs between them is absolutely insane. First age warriors were built different.
I was shocked by the depth of Maeglin's betrayal in this version. He not only detailed the defenses to the enemy, he also sabotaged Turgon's counter attack and, most cruelly, revealed the location of Way of Escape so there would be no survivors. I've seen some sympathetic takes of Maeglin, however in this version he did everything he could to see the utter ruin of his city and the massacre of his people. I would place him above Fëanor when it comes to ranking the most vile elves in Middle Earth.
Loved Idril, I only wish their was more of her, she's such a great character. I think she is an interesting example of soft power. Sure she was no warrior, but without her there would have been no survivors. Also I love the description of her fighting "like a tigress" when it came to protecting her son.
Tuor is cool too, I enjoyed reading the extended tale of his journey and getting to know him better. I found his attitude when Voronwë warns him that they may be killed on entering Gondolin irrationally funny. My guy is like whelp, "death in the wild certain; and death at the Gate is yet in doubt". So blunt Tuor, man could not be more different from the elves with their flowery language and cryptic answers.
Ulmo proved again that he is the best Valar.
I found Turgon's bits quite a painful read. I really liked him in the Silm, the House of Fingolfin was always my favourite, so to see him blinded by pride and ignoring his daughter's council in place of fucking Maeglin was tough. He certainly isn't his best in this book. If we're being generous, at this point he's lost so many family members to horrible, violent deaths, Idril and Maeglin are all he has left. He's certainly in an unenviable position, but he's always been one of the more rational and measured of Finwë's grandchildren so it is quite disappointing.
The deaths of Rog, Ecthelion and Glorfindel were everything you'd hope for in a book like this, again that biblical scale. All tragic, but talk about going out in a blaze of glory. Rog's story was new to me and it really tugged at the heartstrings. I knew more about Glorfindel, of course, and Ecthelion but it was still quite something to read their ends in full. You can see why their stories become legend in Arda. I don't think anyone does valiant, epic, tragic deaths quite like Tolkien, particularly in the Silm, my god. Glorfindel in particular hurt my heart, just when they think they're safe 😢. That battle gave me chills and the description of the yellow flowers growing from his burial mound, symbolic of the House of the Goldenflower was a lovely detail.
There are so many small details I loved, like the idea of the Gondolindhrim speaking Sindarin with a Quenyan accent. Or the entrance to Gondolin being disguised as a dried up river bed. The description of the Seven Gates was absolutely beautiful. I thought the imagery of Maeglin on Turgon's right and Idril on the left like the devil and the angel on the shoulders of the king was very well done.
I also loved the little Fall of Gondolin- Children of Húrin crossover, with the cousins coming so close but not knowing the identity of the other. Not stopping to talk to Túrin has got to be the best decision Tuor ever made. Still, it would've been a fascinating conversation. These two characters are so fun to compare. It's wild that Morgoth sends orcs hunting for Túrin whilst having no clue Tuor even exists.
I found it very satisfying how the last section of the book links the three books- Children of Hurin, Beren and Lúthien, and Fall of Gondolin by closing with the deeds of their descendents, Earendil and Elwing. Elwing being the granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien, Tuor being the nephew of Húrin and Eärendil being the son of Tuor and Idril. Then by mentioning their sons, Elrond and Elros, you have both a connection to LOTR and the events of the Third Age, and to Numenor and the events of Second Age. All nicely linked. It never fails to amuse me that the entire epic drama of the First Age is essentially Galadriel and Elrond's extended family's feud with Morgoth but also with each other.
My only criticism if the book is C Tolkien's contrasting of the different versions near end felt slightly unnecessary when you've just read them. I can see why he did it for the sake of clarity but having picked out most of the changes and contradictions myself, wading through this bit took me ages and did put me in a bit of book slump. All in all I really enjoyed this book. Would sell a kidney to see this and the other stories from the Silm faithfully adapted to the big screen.
dumacdwarfking's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
csetters's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
debralewi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
loves_nurse's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
For the deep dive reader. A heavy tome, not quite finished, yet the story of beginning of middle earth. Told with voices from both father and son Tolkein. A masterful feat considering how deep into the Lore that they both lived.
christianholub's review against another edition
3.0
Another fun book expanding one of the great "Lost Tales" from the early days of Middle-Earth. I think this one is a better fit for well-read Tolkien nerds ("Beren and Luthien," from last year, would make a better starting point, as would "The Silmarillion" itself) but still very enjoyable.
Here's my EW story on how the book came to be, even after Christopher Tolkien declared last year that "Beren and Luthien" would be his last: https://www.ew.com/books/2018/08/27/fall-of-gondolin-jrr-tolkien/
Here's my EW story on how the book came to be, even after Christopher Tolkien declared last year that "Beren and Luthien" would be his last: https://www.ew.com/books/2018/08/27/fall-of-gondolin-jrr-tolkien/
georgemavrakis's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of the great tales of the Elder Days. Begins with the story of the founding of the city of Gondolin, the coming of Tuor until its fall to the forces of Morgoth. I liked it a lot, especially the presentation of the houses of the Gondolin and the siege of the city.
The book starts with the full story and then some versions of the story are presented. So, if anyone wants to just read the story, he can stick only in the Original Tale chapter. Later chapters tell the evolutions of some parts of this story.
Recommended!
The book starts with the full story and then some versions of the story are presented. So, if anyone wants to just read the story, he can stick only in the Original Tale chapter. Later chapters tell the evolutions of some parts of this story.
Recommended!
mystical_emerald's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
szunyogver's review against another edition
Its weird to make a book out of the notes of the author that he probs did not intend to publish