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The Fall of Númenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The three thousand, four hundred and forty-one years that comprise The Second Age of Middle Earth are often skipped over by casual readers of the Tolkien Legendarium. In all fairness, even the Professor himself was known to tell publishers that this was a Dark Age with little to be said about it.

But the origins of that infamous Ring whose loss, retrieval and ultimate destruction would dominate the Third Age has its place in this time. The decline of the High Elves (and their attempts to arrest same), the rise of the human sea-power of Númenor (and the Second Fall of Man that leads to its destruction), the creation of the Ringwraiths, and the "First Darkness" alluded to by Gandalf long years afterwards that covered all but a few redoubts east of the Great Sea - all take place in this time.

And with the recent streaming television series attempting to write on some of the blank spaces in the Tale of Years, it was, perhaps, high time that the extant canonical writings of the Second Age from the Professor's own hand be (re)collected from The Lord of the Rings' Appendices, 1980's Unfinished Tales, and various correspondences and placed into one volume.

It may, for some, be considered a source or companion piece to said aforementioned series -- certainly the doomed quest of one show-unique Elf may serve as a counterpoint to the grand dreams of Celebrimbor or the concerns of Galadriel and Gil-Galad, and may provide some clues as to how Sauron's quiet buildup was achieved between 1000 and 1700. But while complementary views may be found, the Tolkien Legendarium was not originally a transmedia franchise, and this book is not necessary (though it is certainly helpful) to understand "The Rings of Power", neither is the show required to make sense of this book.

Indeed, except for the long middle saga taking place around SA 700, and dealing with the Númenorean prince Aldarion and his restlessness in a world thought to be at peace (though his father the King soon learns otherwise), this volume is mostly a more detailed recitation of The Tale of Years' account, expanding upon the point-form notes to provide details of the movements of Elves, Men, Dwarves and Orcs (the Halflings are unnoticed by chroniclers until roughly 1000 in the Third Age) from the ruins of drowned Beleriand into the lands east of the Blue Mountains. The short-lived flowering of Eregion, the splendor of Khazad-dûm, the founding of the Black Tower, the glory and folly of Armenolos the Golden City -- all are explored here.

We also, in discussing Eregion, Lindon, and the making of the Three Elven-Rings, get into a debate as to whether the Elves experienced a more subtle fall (theologically speaking) than that of humanity (the second of which we see in this book, and the first is obliquely mentioned in the Silmarillion, but falls somewhat outside of its focus), one which Sauron was initially able to exploit, until his desire for control led him to open warfare instead.

This work is perhaps not essential for understanding the history of Middle-Earth, but it does make for a handy reference for those wondering how and why one gets to the Last Alliance and the disappearance of the One Ring that would cast such a long shadow over the subsequent age....



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