Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The third and last of the elder Tolkien's Great Tales, following The Children of HAºrin and Beren and LAºthien, as presented by his son, gives readers a final glimpse at the author's brilliance and method through the epic tale of the man Tuor and his coming to the hidden elven city of Gondolin, last of the great elven strongholds of Middle-earth's First Age. The younger Tolkien includes several of his father's versions of Tuor's tale, with different lengths and in voices ranging from archaic to modern. Tolkien devotees will relish the chance to see the story evolve as Tolkien pÑ_re alters names and rewrites events while preserving Tuor's quest. All readers will appreciate the richly descriptive prose and the grand battle of the Fall. The book also includes material from elsewhere in J.R.R. Tolkien's writings so that readers have a sense of the events that came before Tuor's journey, as well as the War of Wrath in which Morgoth, the great enemy, was finally cast down. This work is a fitting end to Christopher Tolkien's labors as the steward of his father's beloved works, and is likely to be cherished by Tolkien's many fans. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Christopher Tolkien presents the final piece in a trilogy of Middle-earth stories his father, J.R.R. Tolkien, did not live to see published.In what he assures us is the last installment, Tolkien returns to edit his father's work (Beren and Lthien, 2017, etc.), this time with the tale of the secret city of Gondolin. Ulmo, the great sea god, visits a wanderer named Tuor and tells him his destiny: "O Tuor of the lonely heart, I will not that thou dwell for ever in fair places of birds and flowers....Now must thou seek through the lands for the city of the folk called Gondothlim or the dwellers in stone, and the Noldoli shall escort thee thither in secret for fear of the spies of Melko." Tuor makes it to Gondolin, where he marries the king's daughter and has a son, Erendel. Meanwhile, the evil Melko, whom Ulmo was so worried about, is scheming to find the hidden city and destroy it. When the city's location is given up in "the most infamous treachery in the history of Middle-earth," a great battle ensues, and despite Tuor's valor, Gondolin falls. The history of Middle-earth is so intricately detailed and fully imagined, readers are lucky indeed that Christopher Tolkien is such an excellent editor. With a full glossary, additional notes, a family tree, and a list of names with descriptions, it is easy to keep track of who is whose son (Lord of the Rings fans will be pleased to note that Erendel is Elrond's father) and which races of elves and orcs and goblins are which and live where. Tolkien also takes great care to explain where each version of the story comes from and pieces together its evolution, giving much-needed context. All this makes it easy to enjoy the tale itself, which is beautifully written, with lyrical descriptions of Ulmo, Gondolin, and even the dragons and Balrogs that devastate the city. Even the battle sequences are somehow lovely. The tone here is more like a fairy tale than the main Ring cycle, which is perfectly suited to its shorter length.This gorgeous novel is a must for more than just Tolkien fanatics. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
