2005 Author Reviews for
Ellisande

I hadn't read anything by Ellisande prior to these awards that I could remember, and I'm sure I would because as piece after piece went by, I grew more and more impressed by her poetry and began to look for her name as I went through category after category. She, along with Alawa and fileg, is one of the few fanfic authors who strikes me as being genuinely a poet, someone whose entry into Tolkien's world comes through the vehicle of poetry. Not only does Ellisande write stunning verse in her own right, but she excels as a filker, taking over Dies Irae and adapting it brilliantly to LOTR, or creating a fourth verse for Boromir's funeral lament (twice!) that felt as though it could've been (should've been!) among the verses sung if only Gimli were a poet. She gives Denethor a believably poetic voice and also captures Finduilas, both from LOTR and the Silm?quite the accomplishment. She's obviously a fan of the Stewards of Gondor, so those interested in that family should certainly take a look at her work. Diversity doesn't seem to trouble Ellisande: she writes in whatever form strikes her fancy, it seems, from triolets to haikus to villanelles to experimental mixes of styles, which helps keep things lively for readers. She manages to capture the emotional heart of things, but she can also use the poetry to tell a story, which takes some work. Many of us find poetry difficult to deal with; I certainly am not a poetry buff. All the more should readers give Ellisande a try, for her lyricism and elegance.

I hadn't read anything by Ellisande prior to these awards that I could remember, and I'm sure I would because as piece after piece went by, I grew more and more impressed by her poetry and began to look for her name as I went through category after category. She, along with Alawa and fileg, is one of the few fanfic authors who strikes me as being genuinely a poet, someone whose entry into Tolkien's world comes through the vehicle of poetry. Not only does Ellisande write stunning verse in her own right, but she excels as a filker, taking over Dies Irae and adapting it brilliantly to LOTR, or creating a fourth verse for Boromir's funeral lament (twice!) that felt as though it could've been (should've been!) among the verses sung if only Gimli were a poet. She gives Denethor a believably poetic voice and also captures Finduilas, both from LOTR and the Silm?quite the accomplishment. She's obviously a fan of the Stewards of Gondor, so those interested in that family should certainly take a look at her work. Diversity doesn't seem to trouble Ellisande: she writes in whatever form strikes her fancy, it seems, from triolets to haikus to villanelles to experimental mixes of styles, which helps keep things lively for readers. She manages to capture the emotional heart of things, but she can also use the poetry to tell a story, which takes some work. Many of us find poetry difficult to deal with; I certainly am not a poetry buff. All the more should readers give Ellisande a try, for her lyricism and elegance.

I hadn't read anything by Ellisande prior to these awards that I could remember, and I'm sure I would because as piece after piece went by, I grew more and more impressed by her poetry and began to look for her name as I went through category after category. She, along with Alawa and fileg, is one of the few fanfic authors who strikes me as being genuinely a poet, someone whose entry into Tolkien's world comes through the vehicle of poetry. Not only does Ellisande write stunning verse in her own right, but she excels as a filker, taking over Dies Irae and adapting it brilliantly to LOTR, or creating a fourth verse for Boromir's funeral lament (twice!) that felt as though it could've been (should've been!) among the verses sung if only Gimli were a poet. She gives Denethor a believably poetic voice and also captures Finduilas, both from LOTR and the Silm?quite the accomplishment. She's obviously a fan of the Stewards of Gondor, so those interested in that family should certainly take a look at her work. Diversity doesn't seem to trouble Ellisande: she writes in whatever form strikes her fancy, it seems, from triolets to haikus to villanelles to experimental mixes of styles, which helps keep things lively for readers. She manages to capture the emotional heart of things, but she can also use the poetry to tell a story, which takes some work. Many of us find poetry difficult to deal with; I certainly am not a poetry buff. All the more should readers give Ellisande a try, for her lyricism and elegance.

Ellisande does a fantastic job of mirroring Tolkien's style in "Whispers," but what is even more amazing is the fact that Ellisande manages to give closure to "Lament for Boromir." The final verse as Tolkien writes it has the watcher looking northward for Boromir since none of the winds were able to give clear tidings. Ellisande picks up on this and gives the last tidings to the river itself. And then the poem closes with that river granting a measure of Boromir's presence by mirroring his eyes. The result is a wonderful and very satisfying conclusion to the song that Aragorn and Legolas sang. Great writing, and great way to tie up the loose ends that canon left behind.

I hadn't read anything by Ellisande prior to these awards that I could remember, and I'm sure I would because as piece after piece went by, I grew more and more impressed by her poetry and began to look for her name as I went through category after category. She, along with Alawa and fileg, is one of the few fanfic authors who strikes me as being genuinely a poet, someone whose entry into Tolkien's world comes through the vehicle of poetry. Not only does Ellisande write stunning verse in her own right, but she excels as a filker, taking over Dies Irae and adapting it brilliantly to LOTR, or creating a fourth verse for Boromir's funeral lament (twice!) that felt as though it could've been (should've been!) among the verses sung if only Gimli were a poet. She gives Denethor a believably poetic voice and also captures Finduilas, both from LOTR and the Silm?quite the accomplishment. She's obviously a fan of the Stewards of Gondor, so those interested in that family should certainly take a look at her work. Diversity doesn't seem to trouble Ellisande: she writes in whatever form strikes her fancy, it seems, from triolets to haikus to villanelles to experimental mixes of styles, which helps keep things lively for readers. She manages to capture the emotional heart of things, but she can also use the poetry to tell a story, which takes some work. Many of us find poetry difficult to deal with; I certainly am not a poetry buff. All the more should readers give Ellisande a try, for her lyricism and elegance.

I have really come to respect Ellisande's ability to use metaphor and symbolism as a means of describing things that have no easy description. But in the story "Shadowsong," Ellisande takes this ability even further and uses it to describe something that was lost as a means of contrast. "Shadowsong" contains a lot of remembering for a certain Nazgul. He remembers what he had, what he valued, and what he thinks he once knew. And at some point, Ellisande conveys the fact that it's all changed now. The change itself is something of a mystery and the result of the change is not entirely clear, but the fact that simple things are now gone and that beautiful things have been willingly exchanged in return for darkness is chilling. And of course Ellisande compliments this all with a stunning narrative that reads more like a poem than a vignette, so in the end, we're left feeling as though something very precious has been lost and something very dangerous has arisen to takes its place. Powerful writing, as I've quickly come to expect.