Em
I'd already read through this series four times and with the Amazon series beginning to gain some traction I figured now was as good a time as any for a fifth!
Seeing as the first 3/14 are kind-of sort-of seen as a mini trilogy before the world truly explodes in book 4 I wanted to say I am just as bowled over and invested on this fifth time as I was reading this for the first time 8 years ago. I think I'll always be absolutely in love with the Wheel of Time.
(05/10/22 reread) I've always had a soft spot for this story; I wrote a couple of papers on it at uni. It was nice to read it for fun (as it were) again.
The Fall of Gondolin tells of Tuor, a man, who comes to the hidden elven city of Gondolin and of the city's subsequent betrayal and fall at the tail end of the First Age. Indeed, I would consider this event to be the BEGINNING of the end as Tuor's young son, Eärendil, is a survivor of the attack and goes on to be arguably the most important person in ending the war (and thus the Age). He's also the father of Elrond (a recognisable name to most!) and Elros Half-elven. Fans of ‘The Hobbit' will also recognise the name of Gondolin, as the swords in which Thorin's Company find in the troll-hoard were forged there.
The Fall of Gondolin manages to be one of the most thrilling and atmospheric stories in the legendarium, which is quite a feat when only the first draft was finished. Even in draft form, it's great. His final attempt in 1930, and the one most in line with the ultimate state of the legendarium, ends with the arrival of Tuor to the city itself which is incredibly frustrating; the first draft, written during the First World War after Tolkien survived the Somme, tells a full story and is clearly a response to what he saw there.
This particular book is set up in the same way as Christopher Tolkien's previous endeavour ‘Beren and Lúthien' in that it shows the development of the narrative as Tolkien went back to try different versions. The different texts are given and Christopher details information about them and gives context as to when they were written. As such, I would recommend it to people who are interested in seeing this development, but perhaps read the chapter on The Fall of Gondolin in The Silmarillion first!
(03-10-22 reread) If you visit the grave of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife, Edith, in Oxford you will notice that beneath their names are “Beren” and “Lúthien” respectively.
Beren and Lúthien is by far the most grandiose love story Tolkien ever wrote, telling the story of an elven woman who fell in love with a mortal man so much so that she managed to bring him back from death, and gave up her own immortality to be with him. To be together, the two embark on a quest to claim a Silmaril from the crown of the Dark Lord Morgoth. The echoes of this story can be felt thousands of years later in The Lord of the Rings' Aragorn and Arwen, as well as the fact that Beren and Lúthien are the great-grandparents of Elrond Half-elven (and great-great-grandparents of Arwen herself!). As such it's a story worth reading if you have any kind of Tolkien appreciation at all, even if it's just The Silmarillion chapter.
This book is not like The Children of Húrin, in that it is not simply a full novel format of Beren and Lúthien. Charting the tale from its beginnings in 1917 to subsequent iterations, changing formats from prose to poetry to prose again, Christopher Tolkien notes similarities and differences and allows the reader to get a look into Tolkien's process of myth-making. This book is ultimately a really interesting look at the development of one of the best known but least read of Tolkien's stories.
If this sounds good to you, but you are unfamiliar with Beren and Lúthien, I would recommend at the very least reading The Silmarillion chapter on them as well as the poem about them found in The Lord of the Ring before tackling this. If you do, it's a supremely rewarding read, and is a fun insight into how such ideas and concepts change in ways large and small over time.
“Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that come down to us from the darkest of those days there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death light that endures. And of these histories most fair still in the ears of the Elves is the tale of Beren and Lúthien.” - The Silmarillion.
I'm so glad I decided to reread this. I love the characters and their relationships. My only problem is I find that the sections that AREN'T focused on Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer (or any of the other main characters really) somewhat meandering. The series can sometimes get bogged down in politics, and not particularly interesting ones. I'm also one of the only ones amongst my friends who have read this series that finds the ending satisfying
What a marvellous series! Much better than I remember. While Stormlight isn't far my favourite of Sanderson's works, it's definitely so much fun to see just how far he's developed from where he started. While Mistborn isn't perhaps as polished as Stormlight, it has a very similar charm.
The magic system is great and is by far the most unique aspect Mistborn has going for it, working much more like a science. The characters are good (my favourite by far is Kelsier), the world is a fun twist on an old trope: what would have happened if the ring hadn't been destroyed, if Harry hadn't killed Voldemort, if the chosen one failed?
Sanderson uses this story to ask a lot of questions of what exactly it means to have faith in all contexts. Faith in a person, in an idea, in a religion, how important is belief and trust? He's not subtle about it, which might irritate some, but for me that just worked to put these questions right at the forefront, so they go hand in hand right alongside the more fantastical elements as part of a natural discussion.
It's also super accessible. I was rereading this with the intention of recommending it to a friend who wants to give epic fantasy a whirl. Now I now for sure I definitely will!
(25/02/23) I am usually not a fan of YA fantasy (or YA in general) but this duology is the cream of the crop. Such pure fast-paced fun with a colourful cast of characters. Magic and intrigue and heists! This is a great palette cleanser in between denser fantasy books.
As I get older (I was fifteen/sixteen when the first book released and am twenty-four during this particular reread) I'm agreeing more and more with the TV show's decision to age everyone up by about ten years because there's absolutely not a chance these characters are sixteen. The classic game of thrones problem and solution.
(Reread 12/09/22) “The doom lies in yourself, not in your name.”
One of the more underrated Tolkien books, and one of his best. Furthermore, probably the most tragic. While not at all graphic or ‘grimdark', (it is in keeping with the mythological style found in The Silmarillion), anyone who believes Tolkien can't go as dark as modern fantasy is trending should read this novel and eat their words.
Not going dark and depressing for the sake of it, but to tell the tragedy of the family of Húrin after he defies the Dark Lord to his face. His son, Túrin, becomes an outlaw in the vein of the Icelandic sagas but is forever cursed. This novel is expanded upon from the chapter in The Silmarillion and gives enough context to understand the story outside of it. Masterful storytelling leading to an inevitable end.
(26/08/22) On a whim, I decided to do a re-read before I see Rings of Power on Wednesday. A prologue of sorts!
One aspect that has stood out to me more and more over the last few years is how words have an inherent power in Tolkien's legendarium. The entire world is sang into existence, lasting echoes of which can be heard in the waters of the world and guides the elves home westward. An oath undertaken in fury by Fëanor and his seven sons shapes the First Age and the fate of the elves. Thousands of years later, a certain timid but resolute halfling raises his “small voice” and speaks before the greatest powers of the Third Age: “I will take the ring [to Mordor], though I do not know the way.” Curses, spells and oaths are very real, the most ancient of magic, and the most powerful.
The Silmarillion is split into multiple parts. There is the Ainulindalë, detailing the creation of the world through music. The Valaquenta explores the roles and relationships of the Valar, the (small g) gods of this land when it was so young the sun and the moon did not yet exist. Akallabêth takes readers to the tumultuous Second Age and reveals the growing shadow of Sauron and the rise and fall of the island nation of Númenor, the greatest kingdom of men the world has ever seen (and will be part of the upcoming Rings of Power TV series). The final section titled Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age covers, as you might expect, those infamous three rings for elves, nine for mortal men, seven for dwarves and the One to rule them all, and the downfall of The Lord of the Rings.
The main chunk, and for many the main draw, is dedicated to the Quenta Silmarillion proper, the story of the struggle of the firstborn Elves and men against the first Dark Lord, Morgoth. It sits between the Valaquenta and Akallabêth, and tells of the awakening of the elves under the stars, their journey west to Valinor, and the crafting of the Silmarils, three beautiful jewels that have captured inside them the most radiant source of light within the world. When the Silmarils are stolen by the Morgoth, Fëanor, the jewels' creator, and his sons swear a terrible oath to pursue and take them back at any lengths.
Exiled by the Valar, Tolkien relays an account of the terrible consequences of that oath, from the initial rebellion against the gods and the first acts of bloodshed between elves, to the downfall of Morgoth, the doom of the House of Fëanor and the blood soaked end to the First Age. It features the tales of Lúthien, the elf maiden who fell in love with a mortal man and had a voice so beautiful she moved the Lord of the Dead to pity, and the tragic tale of Túrin Turambar, the child of Húrin who is unable to escape the curse spoken upon his family by Morgoth. All the while, the war for the Silmarils rages on. We know from the start how it will end. Fëanor and his children can never undo the oath they swore, nor undo the damage they wreak in fulfilling it.
“Tears unnumbered ye shall shed; and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the mountains. On the House of Fëanor the wrath of the Valar lieth from the West unto the uttermost East, and upon all that will follow them it shall be laid also. Their Oath shall drive them, and yet betray them, and ever snatch away the very treasures that they have sworn to pursue. To evil end shall all things turn that they begin well; and by treason of kin unto kin, and the fear of treason, shall this come to pass. [...] The Valar have spoken.”
Yes, this novel is extremely dense. It is, however, nowhere near as difficult as people have likely led you to believe. It is also incredibly beautiful. Tolkien spent his entire life working on it (first drafts written in the First World War) and never finished it in a way that satisfied him before he died. This edition was put together by his son Christopher, though other drafts and versions can be found in the 12 volume History of Middle-earth series, as well as each of the ‘Great Tales' getting their own book: The Children of Húrin (2007), Beren and Lúthien (2017) and The Fall of Gondolin (2018), also all edited by Christopher.
The Silmarillion is the only place the narrative of the First Age can be read in the format of a full novel. And despite the fact it is technically unfinished, it is truly Tolkien's magnum opus. A dazzling work of imagination, a tragedy, an adventure story and a world mythology all rolled into one. It is a book that leaves me in awe.
