2006 Author Reviews for
AmandaK

It\'s always good to see a well-done alternate universe story. The category can cover for so many minor errors or timid tamperings, and short AUs are always viewed somewhat suspiciously by me as I wonder how much the author can really develop in that space. However, AmandaK does work out a scenario where we do see the drastic alteration of Boromir\'s character as the Ring consumes him. She also doesn\'t flinch from the darkness of the story but plays it out to the end through a short epilogue. In that, she takes advantage of the genre\'s basic premise and gives us a satisfying meditation on what might have happened had Boromir successfully claimed the Ring, even though events are not the central focus but character.

I admire her eye for the details of nature that come through in her writing. Her landscapes and forests are so vivid, one can almost smell the rain, feel the moss under one\'s feet. And all that without diminshing the tension and suspense of her gripping plots.

The two stories AmandaK has entered this year really showcase the breadth of situations a Boromir!Lives AU tale can encompass. In her epic \"The Long Road Home\" she shows us Boromir slowly but surely working toward redemption for what he has done. It\'s a grand adventure on its own, but also quietly hopeful. Her other piece, \"Pride Before the Fall\", is a bone-chilling short look at just how quickly Boromir could have fallen. What these pieces have in common is that they showcase this author\'s skill for plotting. In both stories Boromir\'s redemption or fall makes perfect sense given the events portrayed. It\'s what makes the second so nerve-racking and the first so encouraging -- you can really see it happening this way. Good job, Amanda!