New Book Coming This August!

HarperCollins has announced in a Press Release today, that it’s publishing a standalone version of The Fall of Gondolin illustrated by Alan Lee on August 30th of this year!

“In the Tale of ‘The Fall of Gondolin’ are two of the greatest powers in the world.” ~ HarperCollins

Following in the footsteps of last years successful release of Beren and Lúthien, the tale of The Fall of Gondolin will be separated out from The Silmarillion and given it’s own book!

It’s amazing to consider that 45 years after the passing of Professor Tolkien, we are still being gifted with publications of his writings thanks to the tenacious work of his son and editor Christopher Tolkien, who has brought so much if his unfinished writing to light!

This definitive version of the story will pull together all the many versions written by Professor Tolkien of the narrative, which like most of his works evolved over the years.

The Fall of Gondolin will run to 304 pages and be published in hardback, deluxe hardback, large print and e-book on August 30th of 2018 by HarperCollins in the UK. The book will be published in the USA by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and in other languages by numerous Tolkien publishers worldwide.

HarperCollins also announced that the official Tolkien Calendar will feature paintings from the book and will be published on the same day. As with the publication of Beren and Lúthien last year, the publisher will host a series of launch events featuring Alan Lee.

Thanks to the Tolkien Society for this addition info!

Here is the HarperCollins Press Release:

In the Tale of The Fall of Gondolin are two of the greatest powers in the world. There is Morgoth of the uttermost evil, unseen in this story but ruling over a vast military power from his fortress of Angband. Deeply opposed to Morgoth is Ulmo, second in might only to Manwë, chief of the Valar.

Central to this enmity of the gods is the city of Gondolin, beautiful but undiscoverable. It was built and peopled by Noldorin Elves who, when they dwelt in Valinor, the land of the gods, rebelled against their rule and fled to Middle-earth. Turgon King of Gondolin is hated and feared above all his enemies by Morgoth, who seeks in vain to discover the marvellously hidden city, while the gods in Valinor in heated debate largely refuse to intervene in support of Ulmo’s desires and designs.

Into this world comes Tuor, cousin of Trin, the instrument of Ulmo’s designs. Guided unseen by him Tuor sets out from the land of his birth on the fearful journey to Gondolin, and in one of the most arresting moments in the history of Middle-earth the sea-god himself appears to him, rising out of the ocean in the midst of a storm. In Gondolin he becomes great; he is wedded to Idril, Turgon’s daughter, and their son is Erendel, whose birth and profound importance in days to come is foreseen by Ulmo.

At last comes the terrible ending. 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. After a minutely observed account of the fall of Gondolin, the tale ends with the escape of Trin and Idril, with the child Erendel, looking back from a cleft in the mountains as they flee southward, at the blazing wreckage of their city. They were journeying into a new story, the Tale of Erendel, which Tolkien never wrote, but which is sketched out in this book from other sources.

Following his presentation of Beren and Lthien Christopher Tolkien has used the same ‘history in sequence’ mode in the writing of this edition of The Fall of Gondolin. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, it was the first real story of this imaginary world’ and, together with Beren and Lthien and The Children of Hrin, he regarded it as one of the three ‘Great Tales’ of the Elder Days.