The Fall of Gondolin
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The Fall of Gondolin
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Narrated by:
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Timothy West
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Samuel West
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Written by:
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Christopher Tolkien
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J. R. R. Tolkien
About this listen
Presented for the first time as a standalone work, the epic tale of The Fall of Gondolin reunites fans of The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings 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.
©2018 J. R. R. Tolkien (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedYou may also enjoy...
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Beren and Lúthien
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Written by: Christopher Tolkien, and others
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The Fall of Númenor
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The Children of Hurin
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 278
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 246
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 245
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1 out of 5 stars
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Poorly organized
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Written by: J. R. R. Tolkien
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Unfinished Tales
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- Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
- Length: 21 hrs and 53 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 103
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
Unfinished Tales is a collection of narratives ranging in time from the Elder Days of Middle-earth to the end of the War of the Ring and provides those who have read The Lord of the Rings with a whole collection of background and new stories from the 20th century’s most acclaimed popular author.
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Tales from the Perilous Realm
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3 out of 5 stars
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Interesting but....
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The world J.R.R. Tolkien created is one of the most beloved in all of literature, and continues to capture hearts and imaginations around the world. From Oxford to ComiCon, the Middle Earth is analyzed and interpreted through a multitude of perspectives. But one essential facet of Tolkien and his Middle Earth has been overlooked: science.
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J. R. R. Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor best known as the author of fantasy works like "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings." Listen as Tolkien reads "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," "The Hoard," "Perry-The-Winkle," and "The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon." Also included is a reading of "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" in Elvish and "The Road Goes Ever on," sung by William Elvin with music by Donald Swann.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A+
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What the critics say
"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 Times)
"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'." (Entertainment Weekly)
"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." (Time)
What listeners say about The Fall of Gondolin
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robert Kennedy
- 2024-11-23
Gondolin is Magical
What a great title and myth. Didn't know this was one of Christopher's last works!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-03-03
Excellent
The narration in this version is exceptionally done. I thoroughly enjoyed the work of both readers, already being a fan of the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steven Sitko
- 2019-11-30
Something special
The evolution of a tale. Very interesting to hear about the changes made and get a little insight into both Tolkien's writing and thoughts.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marconius
- 2020-01-20
very insightful
the audio performance was spectacular, and it is truly wonderful to see the evolution of Tolkien's Legendarium, but I found that certain pieces of information were perhaps not placed in the best places, and would very much have liked to hear a more complete Fall of Gondolin such as the one that was pushed in the Silmarillion, but was not such a big deal and considering the incredibly quick pace at which I imagine this was compiled by a man in his nineties I do not think it terrible nor did it make this anything but a really enjoyable listen.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mitchell
- 2022-12-07
it's Tolkein it's amazing
Great narration and the ease of understanding of the separation of story and authors narrative through the use of two distinct voices made it a much easier listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kevin
- 2022-06-11
Fantastic
I might be biased because I'm a big fan of Tolkien's mythology. But I think this is a captivating rendition of a curiously unpopular tale in the grand schemes of Middle-earth. I do highly recommend if not just for the storytelling qualities of the narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Drock
- 2021-07-30
Not fan of Christopher Toliken edits
I got this book because I love reading about middle earth. However I don't really enjoy the Christopher Tolkien edits .
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2023-03-19
An Academic Work Meant For Diehard Fans
The actual relation of the founding, hiding, and destruction of Gondolin is epic and poetic.. reminding me of 'The Iliad'. Unfortunately, that engrossing story (told a couple of times in full) only takes up roughly ⅓ of this book. The remainder is bits & pieces of the story mined from J.R.R. Tolkien's voluminous notes by his son, Christopher (including - Ugh - rewrites & edits).
The compilation is complete, but really lacks in any organization - giving the impression that Christopher merely ferreted out every conceivable reference to the tale that he encountered and transcribed them (with footnotes on his father's writing process and publishing goals).
The narration of this book by Samuel & Timothy West (voicing - in turn - Christopher and J.R.R.) improves the book markedly - making a relatively dry compendium much more interesting/accessible. If you are given the choice between this iteration and a text version.. choose this one.
Altogether, this 6.5/10-star book is a worthy entry in your library if you're an enamored Middle Earth überfan or a Literature Professor - but feel free to pass on it if you simply love 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord Of The Rings' and are looking for some comparable entertainment.
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