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J.R.R. Tolkiens first real story of Middle-earth to be released this summer
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Utah composer Chance Thomas, who has written music based on "Lord of the Rings" for video games, talks about his inspiration in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017. - photo by Herb Scribner
A new book from J.R.R. Tolkien, called The Fall of Gondolin, will be released later this year.

As The Guardian reported, Tolkien called the book the first real story of Middle-earth. It will be the second new Tolkien story to be released in the last two years, following the 2017 release of The Tale of Beren and Luthien.

According to Vulture, The Fall of Gondolin will be released in August.

Tolkiens son, Christopher Tolkien, edited the book. He said his father first wrote the book when he was hospitalized during the Battle of the Somme in World War I, according to Vulture.

Its a quest story with a reluctant hero who turns into a genuine hero its a template for everything Tolkien wrote afterwards, John Garth, author of Tolkien and the Great War, told The Guardian. It has a dark lord, our first encounter with orcs and balrogs its really Tolkien limbering up for what he would be doing later.

The HarperCollins novel will have the uttermost evil of Morgoth, who wants to destroy the city of Gondolin, face off against the sea-god Ulmo, who supports the elves living in the city. The story will follow one elf, named Tuor, who is in search of the city, according to The Guardian.

Garth said the book will feature the biggest battle narrative outside of 'The Lord of the Rings.'

Tolkien Society chair Shaun Gunner said in a statement that the book surprised them.

We never dared to dream that we would see this published, Gunner said. The Fall of Gondolin is, to many in the Tolkien community, the Holy Grail of Tolkien texts as one of Tolkiens three Great Tales alongside The Children of Hrin and Beren and Lthien. This beautiful story captures the rise and fall of a great Elven kingdom, taking place millennia before the events of The Lord of the Rings. This book brings all the existing work together in one place to present the story in full.

The book will be approximately 304 pages and will be published in all formats.
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