brycefm's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The main story is only the first half of the book, the second half is mostly notes/editorializing by Christopher Tolkien
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4 stars
The last of the Great Tales, The Fall of Gondolin did not disappoint. There were some awesome battles, and more of Middle-earth was explored.
Christopher Tolkien put so much work into telling the story his father wanted to tell as authentically as possible. He also thought of the readers who don't like footnotes, (because they take some people out of the story) and wrote the book in a way that you can enjoy the story with and without reading the footnotes.
Something that did irk me in this book, and an issue that comes up frequently in classic fantasy, is the complete disregard of woman. As soon as Idril was mentioned, (heck, as soon as a female pronoun was used) I knew she was going to marry someone and that would be her only personality trait. Sure enough, Tuor took a liking to her as soon as he laid eyes on her, and they were married on the very next page (it wasn't that abrupt; a considerable amount of time passed and was indicated in paragraphs between the two events). Another example is of Tuor's mother, who cried when she found her husband's dead body and literally died there on the spot. She wasn't injured or anything. What caused her death? ...sadness?? *confused noises* I can't say this gripe applies to all of Tolkien's works, because Éowyn hardly exists solely for Faramir.
But outside of this, The Fall of Gondolin is another win for Tolkien.
The last of the Great Tales, The Fall of Gondolin did not disappoint. There were some awesome battles, and more of Middle-earth was explored.
Christopher Tolkien put so much work into telling the story his father wanted to tell as authentically as possible. He also thought of the readers who don't like footnotes, (because they take some people out of the story) and wrote the book in a way that you can enjoy the story with and without reading the footnotes.
Something that did irk me in this book, and an issue that comes up frequently in classic fantasy, is the complete disregard of woman. As soon as Idril was mentioned, (heck, as soon as a female pronoun was used) I knew she was going to marry someone and that would be her only personality trait. Sure enough, Tuor took a liking to her as soon as he laid eyes on her, and they were married on the very next page (it wasn't that abrupt; a considerable amount of time passed and was indicated in paragraphs between the two events). Another example is of Tuor's mother, who cried when she found her husband's dead body and literally died there on the spot. She wasn't injured or anything. What caused her death? ...sadness?? *confused noises* I can't say this gripe applies to all of Tolkien's works, because Éowyn hardly exists solely for Faramir.
But outside of this, The Fall of Gondolin is another win for Tolkien.
ethantheent's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Fall of Gondolin has always been the one i’ve struggled to digest the most information of out of the Great Tales. And although this is different than i originally thought it would be (focusing more on the evolution of the story rather than presenting a complete and comprehensive telling like The Children of Húrin) I still loved every second of reading about Tuor and his journey to Turgon’s Halls, especially the scene of Ulmo appearing before him at Vinyamar which i’ve been obsessed with since reading it in The Unfinished Tales.
It can not be overstated how much I love the first age writings they are truly some of my favourite stories of all time
It can not be overstated how much I love the first age writings they are truly some of my favourite stories of all time
lukija's review against another edition
4.0
Oli hienoa, hyväätekevää ja mukavaa palata Tolkienin luomaan maailmaan jälleen kerran.
Turinoin tänne lisää materiaalia lukukokemuksesta myöhemmin.
Turinoin tänne lisää materiaalia lukukokemuksesta myöhemmin.
slferg's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A close look at Tolkien’s history of Gondolin. Parts were written out fully. But there are re-starts and revisions. On the whole this just opens up more of the story to fully appreciate it.
pipareykir's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bibliotequeish's review against another edition
2.0
Considering I was not a fan of [b:The Children of Húrin|597790|The Children of Húrin|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390692771l/597790._SY75_.jpg|5725966] or [b:Beren Lúthien|41015249|Beren and Lúthien|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533061452l/41015249._SY75_.jpg|53286704] its should come as no surprise that this book wasn't a hit for me either.
I was expecting the lord of the rings, and I didn't get that, nor should I.
I realize its not fair to compare the two but its difficult not to.
I was expecting the lord of the rings, and I didn't get that, nor should I.
I realize its not fair to compare the two but its difficult not to.
akindofmagic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ireitlitam's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0