The First Age of Middle Earth was tragic. As the renegade Valar Morgoth rose in power, he hunted down men and Noldori alike. This tale is the tragic story of how one of the most secret and treasured elven kingdoms—Gondolin—came to an violent end.

It is a testament to the power of Tolkien’s storytelling that, despite knowing the ending (you’d think the title would have a spoiler alert on it), the reader will constantly desire a different outcome. Throughout one of the most epic battle scenes ever written, I constantly found myself hoping that the next sortie, the next valiant attack would turn the tide—to no avail. This isn’t a choose-your-own-adventure.

The themes of Gondolin reflect the range of the human heart. The heroism of the divinely called Tuor, the loyal companionship of Voronwë, the contentedness of Turgon, the love of Idril, the betrayal of Maeglin, and the hope of Eärendel make this epic fantasy come alive. While the setting may be fantastic, we know these emotions.

This work is more than just the story of Gondolin. It is also a careful textual study of how the story evolved in Tolkien’s mind from its earliest sketch through the Quenta Noldorinwa to the last Tuor manuscript which ended abruptly. Christopher Tolkien did an excellent job filling in the background required to understand the story along with a vision of what would come at the end of the First Age.

Like The Silmarillion, The Fall of Gondolin takes some effort to understand. To aid with this effort, Christopher Tolkien included a twenty-two page “List of Names” along with a family tree of the Noldori princes and a detailed fold-out map of Beleriand. If that sort of thing appeals to you, The Fall of Gondolin is an bittersweet path back into Tolkien’s world of Elves and Valar, Humans and Orcs, Balrogs and Dragons.

Tolkien, J. R. R. The Fall of Gondolin. Harper Collins, 2018.