2005 Author Reviews for
Marnie

The name "Marnie" is practically synonymous in the fandom with "champion of Celeborn." It is also a name that goes with "excellent Celeborn stories". She doesn't so much fill gaps as create his story, given how little of it is written. Marnie's specialty lies in highlighting the conflicting presuppositions held by the Noldor and the Sindar, or the Noldor and the Sylvan Elves. She gets to the heart of cultural conflict within elvendom and skillfully integrates the normative judgments of each culture into a story, by reflecting them through her Celeborn, who is always a figure of wisdom, able to move between the Noldor and the Sindar, understanding each while finding fault with both at need. Admittedly, he (and Marnie, perhaps) tends to favor the Sindarin perspective, but Marnie can do "self-critique" within a fic, too, thus providing a level of nuance often missing in fanfiction. It simply cements Celeborn in his place as the reflective moral heart of the Elves that he does this in Marnie's stories. But Marnie also does well to portray the cross-cultural tensions between races, giving a distinctly Fourth-Age slant to Eldarion's considerations about his own children's upbringing, and giving a wonderful look at the difference between a Maia, made to serve, and the kingship of Elves that demands a leader.

Whenever anyone wants to read a good, insightful Celeborn story (or a good, insightful story about almost any elf) I point them to Marnie. I now realize that those wanting good, insightful gapfillers concerning unknown or under used moments should also be pointed to Marnie, because she is a master of those, too. Most of her stories are things that can fit neatly into canon, either expanding Tolkien's universe or simply making a space for themselves somewhere in between Ages. But the story in this category, "Just In Case," is something that wedges itself into the Lothlorien chapters so tightly that I'm now going to have a hard time believe it's not part of canon. Marnie has found the perfect what-if opportunity, expanded upon it, and proven yet again that Celeborn is an elf to be reckoned with. Her characterization is, as always, flawless. Her pacing is superb. And her flashback feels anything but forced or contrived. This is the work of a truly accomplished author who understands Celeborn and also the idea of gap-filler better than almost anyone.

Marnie's Battle of the Golden Wood was the novel length work that hooked me on fanfiction. Surfing endless pages of - in my opinion, less than excellent works - I had almost lost hope of finding the quality reading I was looking for when I stumbled on her Celeborn. Her dedication to her work shows through in her consistency and attention to detail. Her skill is greatest in the depth of her brilliant characterization of individuals and races alike, and in her cleverly woven subplots that make the 'big picture' complete by the end of the story.

The thing that has always amazed me in Marnie's writing is her scope. She covers everything, and I do mean everything. On the surface, "All Hallows' Day" seems to be a story of homecoming for Elmo, but it encompasses more than that and has underpinnings from the Silmarillion that alude to much bigger events. And the story "Seeds of Old Trees" presents itself as a reunion tale for Celeborn and Galadriel, but though that might be a major focus, it's certainly not the only aspect of this. Marnie never fails to forget the circumstances and situations that the characters face, and they always weave themselves in to the personal conflicts, making these stories both epic and focused. And of course I can't leave a review for Marnie without remarking on the characterization, which is consistently full, complete, and brilliant. Whether it's creating new characters to tell another's story or getting deep into Celeborn's head as he adjusts to the Undying Lands, Marnie manages to bring something new to the table each and every time without ever straying from the original conception of the character. Easily one of the strongest writers I've ever had the privelege of knowing.

Marnie's Battle of the Golden Wood was the novel length work that hooked me on fanfiction. Surfing endless pages of - in my opinion, less than excellent works - I had almost lost hope of finding the quality reading I was looking for when I stumbled on her Celeborn. Her dedication to her work shows through in her consistency and attention to detail. Her skill is greatest in the depth of her brilliant characterization of individuals and races alike, and in her cleverly woven subplots that make the 'big picture' complete by the end of the story.

Marnie strikes again, but this time, the power for the story doesn't seem to come from Celeborn's characterization (though that is, as always, flawless). Rather, the most impressive thing about this story is the narrative. It's filled with beautiful language, and Orome really feels like something more than an elf. Once again, Marnie proves she can do it all, and I offer my humble thanks that she has decided to share that with us.

Marnie's Battle of the Golden Wood was the novel length work that hooked me on fanfiction. Surfing endless pages of - in my opinion, less than excellent works - I had almost lost hope of finding the quality reading I was looking for when I stumbled on her Celeborn. Her dedication to her work shows through in her consistency and attention to detail. Her skill is greatest in the depth of her brilliant characterization of individuals and races alike, and in her cleverly woven subplots that make the 'big picture' complete by the end of the story.

Marnie's stories always have a very timeless feel to them, and this is no exception. Even with the insertion of the modern world and Jasmine, Marnie still manages to let the elven influence in, and by the end, this story feels like a tale from another age even though the time elapsed is relatively short and the modern world is never truly left behind. Marnie is a master of toying with emotions, and she gives the mortal heart strings a good yank here with longings that call to mind all the wisdom and glory of the elves without straying too far from mortal limitations.

Marnie's Battle of the Golden Wood was the novel length work that hooked me on fanfiction. Surfing endless pages of - in my opinion, less than excellent works - I had almost lost hope of finding the quality reading I was looking for when I stumbled on her Celeborn. Her dedication to her work shows through in her consistency and attention to detail. Her skill is greatest in the depth of her brilliant characterization of individuals and races alike, and in her cleverly woven subplots that make the 'big picture' complete by the end of the story.

The name "Marnie" is practically synonymous in the fandom with "champion of Celeborn." It is also a name that goes with "excellent Celeborn stories". She doesn't so much fill gaps as create his story, given how little of it is written. Marnie's specialty lies in highlighting the conflicting presuppositions held by the Noldor and the Sindar, or the Noldor and the Sylvan Elves. She gets to the heart of cultural conflict within elvendom and skillfully integrates the normative judgments of each culture into a story, by reflecting them through her Celeborn, who is always a figure of wisdom, able to move between the Noldor and the Sindar, understanding each while finding fault with both at need. Admittedly, he (and Marnie, perhaps) tends to favor the Sindarin perspective, but Marnie can do "self-critique" within a fic, too, thus providing a level of nuance often missing in fanfiction. It simply cements Celeborn in his place as the reflective moral heart of the Elves that he does this in Marnie's stories. But Marnie also does well to portray the cross-cultural tensions between races, giving a distinctly Fourth-Age slant to Eldarion's considerations about his own children's upbringing, and giving a wonderful look at the difference between a Maia, made to serve, and the kingship of Elves that demands a leader.