The Fall of Gondolin

Name: The Fall of Gondolin
Brand: Harper UK
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.27 (73 reviews)
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
ISBN: 9780008302795

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien

Narrator: Timothy West, Samuel West

Unabridged: 8 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 11/14/2019

Categories: Fiction, Fantasy, Epic, Literary Fiction, Sagas, Fairy Tales & Legends, Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Presented for the first time as a standalone work, the epic tale of reunites fans of & 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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sean Barrs on May 05, 2020

I was delighted when I heard about the release of this book because in Beren and Lúthien Christopher Tolkien erroneously stated that it was going to be the last restoration of his father’s work he undertook. He changed his mind. And I thank him for it because this is a glorious tale, showcasing much......more

Goodreads review by Persephone's Pomegranate on March 03, 2025

SPOILERS Wandering into a dark forest and becoming enchanted (Stockholm Syndrome'd) by an immortal bad boy is how many fanfics on Wattpad and Archive of Our Own begin. Tolkien is regarded as the father of modern fantasy and is credited with popularizing the concept of sexy elves. Many famous female a......more

Goodreads review by Petrik on August 14, 2023

Here it is, the third and final Great Tales of Middle-Earth in its full form. Not really. This was my first time reading The Fall of Gondolin and I must say it reminded me of the Trojan War. I’ll be honest that I don’t have a lot of things to say regarding this book. I can seriously copy paste my Ber......more

Goodreads review by Anna [Bran. San. Stan] on July 19, 2024

I‘ve already loved the tale “Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin” in The Silmarillion, so it came as no surprise to me that I enjoyed this book with its collection of versions of the Gondolin story as well. Those versions, composed at different stages in Tolkien’s life, during 1916 and 1951, are very m......more

Goodreads review by Bradley on August 23, 2019

Fans of Tolkien and his Silmarillion will not be too disappointed in this book. It's not as recursive as Beren and Luthien and the strong descriptions of Gondolin's destruction are really quite fun. I mean, who DOESN'T love balrogs and hosts of orcs descending upon and destroying the hidden city of e......more

Quotes

‘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 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.’ ‘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”.’