Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Fall of Gondolin cover art

The Fall of Gondolin

Written by: Christopher Tolkien, J. R. R. Tolkien
Narrated by: Timothy West, Samuel West
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.86

Buy Now for $21.86

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Presented for the first time as a stand-alone work, the epic tale of The Fall of Gondolin reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, Balrogs, Dragons and Orcs and the rich landscape and creatures unique to Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

This audio production features Samuel West, voicing J. R. R. Tolkien’s original writings, and Timothy West, reading the editorial commentary by Christopher Tolkien. 

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 Limited

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 Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    68
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    58
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    48
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

The narration in this version is exceptionally done. I thoroughly enjoyed the work of both readers, already being a fan of the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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 .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!