2006 Author Reviews for
Isabeau of Greenlea

What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven\'t said in the past two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that you can\'t quite imagine they don\'t exist. World-building is something she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking for more play-space. She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I\'ve noted before, her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to Middle-earth\'s own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to new readers in fandom, and hope only that she\'ll one day finish a couple of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...

Isabeau writes with realism and believabilty. Her characters are always well written and her plotting engaging.

Isabeau was probably the first writer I read who wrote convincing slash. Andrahar\'s relationship with Boromir is of course extra-canonical but it really comments on his character as portrayed by Tolkien and in other writers in the same universe. It explores all of the implications of homosexuality within the culture, and makes for a really interesting way to look at the values of Gondorians.

Highly enjoyable, riveting stories. The characers, no matter if canon or original, are marvellously depicted: full-rounded personalities that develop with their experiences; their emotions so true that the readers can easily share them. Excellent world-building, bringing especially the middle classes and daily life in Middle-earth to life. Enriching her stories and resonating throughout are others of her complex universe. The characters always stay true to themselves, while showing them sometimes from different PoV adds new facets and enable new insights to them.

I have been caught up more deeply in Isabeau\'s personal universe than I have in perhaps any other author\'s. She writes entertaining and moving stories which are well-paced and filled with crisp, clever dialogues. They can make me cry or laugh in turn, or sometimes both together. However, I think that the greatest of her many strengths is her characterizations. Her canon characters are well-done and (I believe) true to how Tolkien wrote them - even when they are engaged in decidedly non-Tolkien actions! A prime example of this is the Boromir/Andrahar story arc, which while I know Tolkien would absolutely never have conceived, nonetheless manages to never overtly contradict what was written in the books, even in subtext. Where this skill really shines, though, is with her OCs. Her Andrahar, Brand and Hethlin are canon, as far as I am concerned. I am unable to read the trilogy without imagining these individuals operating in the background. They are believably conceived and realistically fleshed-out, and their interactions with the canon LotR characters only ever enhance those canon characters - they don\'t detract from them or their places within the story, or pull them out of what is known about their behaviors and reactions. Even her minor characters have very distinct personalities and features, whether they appear many times or only once or twice. Whether canon or OC, Isabeau keeps her characters consistent while still allowing them to grow and change over the great spans of time through which she shows them.

I have been caught up more deeply in Isabeau\'s personal universe than I have in perhaps any other author\'s. She writes entertaining and moving stories which are well-paced and filled with crisp, clever dialogues. They can make me cry or laugh in turn, or sometimes both together. However, I think that the greatest of her many strengths is her characterizations. Her canon characters are well-done and (I believe) true to how Tolkien wrote them - even when they are engaged in decidedly non-Tolkien actions! A prime example of this is the Boromir/Andrahar story arc, which while I know Tolkien would absolutely never have conceived, nonetheless manages to never overtly contradict what was written in the books, even in subtext. Where this skill really shines, though, is with her OCs. Her Andrahar, Brand and Hethlin are canon, as far as I am concerned. I am unable to read the trilogy without imagining these individuals operating in the background. They are believably conceived and realistically fleshed-out, and their interactions with the canon LotR characters only ever enhance those canon characters - they don\'t detract from them or their places within the story, or pull them out of what is known about their behaviors and reactions. Even her minor characters have very distinct personalities and features, whether they appear many times or only once or twice. Whether canon or OC, Isabeau keeps her characters consistent while still allowing them to grow and change over the great spans of time through which she shows them.

Isabeau was probably the first writer I read who wrote convincing slash. Andrahar\'s relationship with Boromir is of course extra-canonical but it really comments on his character as portrayed by Tolkien and in other writers in the same universe. It explores all of the implications of homosexuality within the culture, and makes for a really interesting way to look at the values of Gondorians.

What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven\'t said in the past two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that you can\'t quite imagine they don\'t exist. World-building is something she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking for more play-space. She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I\'ve noted before, her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to Middle-earth\'s own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to new readers in fandom, and hope only that she\'ll one day finish a couple of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...

I have been caught up more deeply in Isabeau\'s personal universe than I have in perhaps any other author\'s. She writes entertaining and moving stories which are well-paced and filled with crisp, clever dialogues. They can make me cry or laugh in turn, or sometimes both together. However, I think that the greatest of her many strengths is her characterizations. Her canon characters are well-done and (I believe) true to how Tolkien wrote them - even when they are engaged in decidedly non-Tolkien actions! A prime example of this is the Boromir/Andrahar story arc, which while I know Tolkien would absolutely never have conceived, nonetheless manages to never overtly contradict what was written in the books, even in subtext. Where this skill really shines, though, is with her OCs. Her Andrahar, Brand and Hethlin are canon, as far as I am concerned. I am unable to read the trilogy without imagining these individuals operating in the background. They are believably conceived and realistically fleshed-out, and their interactions with the canon LotR characters only ever enhance those canon characters - they don\'t detract from them or their places within the story, or pull them out of what is known about their behaviors and reactions. Even her minor characters have very distinct personalities and features, whether they appear many times or only once or twice. Whether canon or OC, Isabeau keeps her characters consistent while still allowing them to grow and change over the great spans of time through which she shows them.

What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven\'t said in the past two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that you can\'t quite imagine they don\'t exist. World-building is something she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking for more play-space. She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I\'ve noted before, her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to Middle-earth\'s own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to new readers in fandom, and hope only that she\'ll one day finish a couple of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...

Highly enjoyable, riveting stories. The characers, no matter if canon or original, are marvellously depicted: full-rounded personalities that develop with their experiences; their emotions so true that the readers can easily share them. Excellent world-building, bringing especially the middle classes and daily life in Middle-earth to life. Enriching her stories and resonating throughout are others of her complex universe. The characters always stay true to themselves, while showing them sometimes from different PoV adds new facets and enable new insights to them.

Isabeau was probably the first writer I read who wrote convincing slash. Andrahar\'s relationship with Boromir is of course extra-canonical but it really comments on his character as portrayed by Tolkien and in other writers in the same universe. It explores all of the implications of homosexuality within the culture, and makes for a really interesting way to look at the values of Gondorians.

Isabeau writes with realism and believabilty. Her characters are always well written and her plotting engaging.

I have been caught up more deeply in Isabeau\'s personal universe than I have in perhaps any other author\'s. She writes entertaining and moving stories which are well-paced and filled with crisp, clever dialogues. They can make me cry or laugh in turn, or sometimes both together. However, I think that the greatest of her many strengths is her characterizations. Her canon characters are well-done and (I believe) true to how Tolkien wrote them - even when they are engaged in decidedly non-Tolkien actions! A prime example of this is the Boromir/Andrahar story arc, which while I know Tolkien would absolutely never have conceived, nonetheless manages to never overtly contradict what was written in the books, even in subtext. Where this skill really shines, though, is with her OCs. Her Andrahar, Brand and Hethlin are canon, as far as I am concerned. I am unable to read the trilogy without imagining these individuals operating in the background. They are believably conceived and realistically fleshed-out, and their interactions with the canon LotR characters only ever enhance those canon characters - they don\'t detract from them or their places within the story, or pull them out of what is known about their behaviors and reactions. Even her minor characters have very distinct personalities and features, whether they appear many times or only once or twice. Whether canon or OC, Isabeau keeps her characters consistent while still allowing them to grow and change over the great spans of time through which she shows them.

What can I say of Isabeau of Greenlea that I haven\'t said in the past two years of MEFAs? Isabeau is one of the more ambitious writers we have in fandom--not content to write the canonical characters well, she introduces her own original characters and slots them into the fabric of an expanded-upon and well thought-out Middle-earth seamlessly, so that you can\'t quite imagine they don\'t exist. World-building is something she does very well, playing characters, original and canonical, off of setting and vice versa so that both are enriched and expanded. Her original characters are always memorable and have the gravity to support their own stories, to say nothing of sucking in other writers looking for more play-space. She excels at action-adventure and drama, though as I\'ve noted before, her emotional baseline is sunny, so there is almost always a recuperation of grief and angst. Her characters and stories therefore show, to me at least, a tremendous energy that seems appropriate to Middle-earth\'s own vibrance. I am always ready to recommend her work to new readers in fandom, and hope only that she\'ll one day finish a couple of the WiPs she has hanging about her hard drive...

Isabeau was probably the first writer I read who wrote convincing slash. Andrahar\'s relationship with Boromir is of course extra-canonical but it really comments on his character as portrayed by Tolkien and in other writers in the same universe. It explores all of the implications of homosexuality within the culture, and makes for a really interesting way to look at the values of Gondorians.

Isabeau writes with realism and believabilty. Her characters are always well written and her plotting engaging.