2004 Author Reviews for
CNell

One of the pitfalls in writing humor, and AU/parody humor in particular, is that removing the characters from their normal situations sometimes destroys characterization and the reader ends up with a story that has nothing to do with the original version aside from the name. CNell shows us how to avoid that and how to incorporate all the hilarity possible. The short but very funny tale about a girl who falls (quite literally) into Middle-earth had me smiling for hours, and the Fanfic Lounge stories are really something that no Tolkien fanfiction reader should miss. My favorite by far is the story of Legolas trying to worm his way through and out of a fic with as little damage to his pride and honor as possible. The number of strange Mary Sueisms (if that's a word) that CNell manages to draw from and incorporate is staggering, and the fact that Legolas is more or less able to outwit the author in the end (and rouse the ire of the Forces) was a brilliant touch. CNell keeps the characters in-character (unless there's a compelling reason otherwise, such as the fact that they just escaped a wildly out-of-character fic) and because of this, CNell is able to draw heavily on the devices of humor and desperation while portraying a very Middle-earth character in a setting that has almost nothing to do with Tolkien. Brilliant writing, a fine eye for detail and humorous situations, and one of the most original minds in the business. CNell, I bow to your creativity.

CNell is brilliantly funny. I loved the Fanfic Lounge from its first (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) inseption and was so happy to see her tackle LOTR and now I'm dying for a ROTK Fanfic Lounge from her. And then there is The Story of Legolas and Enoreth, which was just fantastic. Legolas was never a buffoon, and yet even he did very funny things.