The Fall of Gondolin by JRR Tolkien, ⭐⭐⭐
Read in July 2020 So detailed but occasionally it felt like I was just reading a list of places and names. Plus, it was more like an academic commentary than a fantasy story. A good chunk of the book was dedicated to comparison, analysis and exploration of various versions of this tale and the editorial and writing decisions that were made. The actual story of the Fall of Gondolin only takes up about 1/3 of the whole book. It wasn't as magical as the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings because even though Tolkien's manuscript was edited by his son, it still felt unfinished to me. I think it's a must read for Tolkienists who devour anything to do with Middle Earth lore but perhaps not for casual fans like myself