JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Book The Fall of Gondolin to Be Published in August

A “new” JRR Tolkien book set in the Lord of the Rings setting is set to be published in August. The Guardian reports that The Fall of Gondolin, the second previously-unreleased Tolkein book to be released in two years after Beren and Lúthien is set to be released. Tolkein’s son Christopher edited the book, with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings artist Alan Lee providing illustrations.

The story was reportedly written by Tolkein when he was in the hospital after Battle of the Somme in World War I. “It’s a quest story with a reluctant hero who turns into a genuine hero – it’s a template for everything Tolkien wrote afterwards,” Tolkein historian John Garth said. “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 book tells the story of the “uttermost evil” of Morgoth battling against the sea-god Ulmo. Morgoth is trying to discover and destroy the hidden city of Gondolin, while Ulmo is supporting the Noldor, the kindred of the elves who live in the city. The book follows Tuor, one of the Noldor, who sets out to find Gondolin.