2006 Author Reviews for
Elanor

Elanor\'s \"A Secret Gate\" is only the second of two stories that I know of by her, the other being a story of Merry in the Houses of Healing called \"Left Behind\". But though she is not prolific, her stories are incredibly rich in detail. Each and every chapter is like a jewel in a perfect setting. She is very good with characterization--her characters are strong and full of life. She has a sure grasp of canon characters, and her OCs are strong enough to stand with them without being overwhelmed. And her powers of description border on the poetic. It is clear from reading her work how deeply she loves and respects Middle-earth and its creator.

I began trying to read [A Secret Gate], but simply did not have time to get past more than the first chapter or two. I did not feel that I could review the story, therefore, though I did quite like what I saw. However, I did want to comment on Elanor as an author, since it was primarily the style of her writing that drew me in at first. Elanor\'s characters are well-defined, and she portrays emotion very well: no overstatement or melodrama, but one can feel the sharpness of those feelings. The story flows smoothly, and the writing seems very carefully crafted to avoid excess (which is not the same thing as writing for brevity). It feels crisp and clean, and sort of... I don\'t know, elemental to me. I wish I had had time to read more, but I did want to commend her for the little bit that I did read.

The very best aspect of Elanor\'s writings are the rich descriptions that take the reader completely into her stories. She writes emotion very well, and always balances it with humour when appropriate.