The Lord of the Rings saga written by noted fantasy writer, and Oxford Professor, the late J.R. R. Tolkien finally comes to an end in The Fall of Gondolin published by his son Christopher, now 94.

J.R.R.Tolkien taught Anglo-Saxon and Old English at the University of Oxford for decades. In his spare time he created the world of Middle Earth, stemming out of interest in creating new languages.

Basically he created a new mythology in fantasy literature.

At his death, in 1973, he left various drafts of many of his stories. Avid fans craved these works.

His son, Christopher, took over his father’s voluminous papers and set about publishing them.

Tolkien considered the crown jewel of his fictional universe The Silmarillion, which covered the history of Middle-Earth, from its creation up to the Third Age which The Lord of the Rings is set in.

In 1977, Christopher edited and published The Silmarillion. The dense fascinating work was just the start of the publishing of the papers. Over the next 41 years, many volumes dealing with the background of Middle Earth were published.

There were three great tales in “The Silmarillion.” The love story of “Beren and Luthien,” the tragedy of “The Children of Hurin,” and “The Fall of Gondolin,” the hidden city.

The Fall of Gondolin deals with the destruction of the last great elven City by the forces of evil, led by the terrible Morgoth. Christopher Tolkien basically pulled together various drafts of the story found in his father’s papers, and put them all in one book for easy comparisons. The earliest version was started in 1916 when the elder Tolkien was recovering from the Battle of the Somme. A version was written in 1926, then endlessly noodled on in Tolkien’s notes.

For those not versed in Tolkien’s work, this book may be hard to understand beyond the visually stunning first version. Like many histories and first drafts, it is replete with details that appear nowhere else.

“High up (the tower) they could descry the form of the king, but about the base a serpent of iron spouting flame lashed and rowed with his tail, and Balrogs were round him.” To quote Tolkien, a Balrog is a “demon with whips of flame and claws of steel.”

Readers and viewers of The Lord of the Rings will find familiar names in unfamiliar places. Balrogs, the elven warrior Glorfindel, and Legolas Greenleaf. It’s likely that the names were repurposed in the decades of between The Silmarillion and the Lord of the Rings.

For those of us who are fascinated by the way a myth is created, this is bittersweet being potentially the last volume of Middle Earth.

Bu those looking for war, dragons, high fantasy and a saga will enjoy dipping in The Fall of Godolin.