2005 Author Reviews for
Celandine Brandybuck

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.

One of the things that I love most about Celandine as an author is her amazing ability to bring cultures to life. You find it in both "Sheathing Sting" and "The Dragon Gem." Little things that really make a society special are created or expanded upon in both stories, and it's fascinating to see how a society's values shape its people and their attitudes. You get a better sense of the characters, particularly the OCs, when the culture is properly defined, and Celandine does this extremely well.

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.

Celandine does such a good job with family relationships! Her young Faramir and Boromir seem like the men they grow up to, or at least have the potential to grow that way. Also, her writing is mechanically good -- no niggling errors to bother the editor in me that I can't seem to subdue even when I'm not betaing -- and her writing reflects her historical background well. What I like most, at least in her Gondor-centric stories, is how she writes Denethor as something other than a monster: not always likeable, but at least understandable. This carries over into her stories about Haldir and homosexuality in the Elven community: an ability to bring nuance to hard topics.