The Lord of the Rings novels are a staple in fantasy culture. Birthed from The Hobbit, LotR features elves, orcs, dragons, wizards, magic, and mayhem. The novels were so popular that they spawned blockbuster films, and endless merchandise. Now, a new novel is being added to the growing Middle-earth collection.
According to The Guardian, The Fall of Gondolin will be a "new" addition to the magical tales that surround the residents of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy realm. The novel was written while the legendary author was in the hospital following the Battle of the Somme. For a quick history lesson, the Battle of the Somme took place in France during WWI, and is considered one of the most brutal battles ever. Tolkien was recovering from injuries he sustained during the battle, and penned The Fall of Gondolin, so I can only imagine what kind of fresh epic brutally was on his mind while creating the novel.
Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth author John Garth stated that, "It’s a quest story with a reluctant hero who turns into a genuine hero – it’s a template for everything Tolkien wrote afterwards. 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 plot is based on the destruction of Gondolin by the evil Morgoth. Elves that reside in the city, called Noldor, are threatened by the new evil and one elf named Tuor encounters the sea-god Ulmo who is backing the elves in the brutal war.
JRR Tolkien’s 93-year-old son Christopher Tolkien edited the novel, which is set to be released this August.