J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, but 45 years later, his old writings are still finding their way into reader’s hands. The latest is called The Fall of Gondolin, and it will be out in August.
Part of the cover for Tolkien’s new book, The Fall of Gondolin. Photo: HarperCollins
Tolkien wrote The Fall of Gondolin back in 1916, while in the hospital after the Battle of the Somme. Set in Middle-earth long before The Lord of the Rings series, it’s about “a reluctant hero who turns into a genuine hero,” Tolkien historian John Garth told The Guardian. “It’s a template for everything Tolkien wrote afterwards,” he continued. “It has a dark lord, our first encounter with orcs and balrogs, it’s really Tolkien limbering up for what he would be doing later.”
The pages were edited by Tolkien’s son Christopher Tolkien, and the book will feature illustrations by famed Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings artist Alan Lee. Plus, the story is apparently Tolkien’s “biggest battle narrative outside of The Lord of the Rings“.
The Guardian has much more detail on the narrative of the book, and you can read that below.
[The Guardian via Vulture]