2005 Author Reviews for
Rabidsamfan

Rabidsamfan is another one of those delightful, although I can't say 'hidden', gems that I discovered through the MEFAs this year. I don't generally read many Hobbits fics and so am not as familiar with those authors as I should be. What a loss, I'm finding out. Rabidsamfan's work is delightful, insightful and intriguing. Well-written with a careful blend of drama and just a touch of humor. This is definitely an author I'll take note of in the future.

I hadn't read Rabidsamfan's work before, and I'm glad I found it at MEFAs. Rabidsamfan has excellent abilities when it comes to characterization. It's the characters who seem to drive his (apologies if I'm wrong about this!) stories, be it Sam or Bergil or the personalities of the nine Nazg?l. I'd particularly commend him on the Nazg?l: I've seen stories that gave the pre-wraith humans personalities, but Rabidsamfan finds space for the Nazg?l in their wraith-forms to be distinct individuals despite the uniform horror they manifest. One of the things that makes his characterization so good is that he has a sense for age: characters do not all sound as if they are adults; those who are children sound like children, while those who are adults are suitably mature, well-defined and settled personalities that we recognize from the books. And although there's angst aplenty in certain stories, Rabidsamfan seems to know how to avoid going overboard; things are kept at just the right distance through the use of various devices, and that is much appreciated, especially when dealing with hobbits. I definitely look forward to more stories by Rabidsamfan.

Rabidsamfan is another one of those delightful, although I can't say 'hidden', gems that I discovered through the MEFAs this year. I don't generally read many Hobbits fics and so am not as familiar with those authors as I should be. What a loss, I'm finding out. Rabidsamfan's work is delightful, insightful and intriguing. Well-written with a careful blend of drama and just a touch of humor. This is definitely an author I'll take note of in the future.

I hadn't read Rabidsamfan's work before, and I'm glad I found it at MEFAs. Rabidsamfan has excellent abilities when it comes to characterization. It's the characters who seem to drive his (apologies if I'm wrong about this!) stories, be it Sam or Bergil or the personalities of the nine Nazg?l. I'd particularly commend him on the Nazg?l: I've seen stories that gave the pre-wraith humans personalities, but Rabidsamfan finds space for the Nazg?l in their wraith-forms to be distinct individuals despite the uniform horror they manifest. One of the things that makes his characterization so good is that he has a sense for age: characters do not all sound as if they are adults; those who are children sound like children, while those who are adults are suitably mature, well-defined and settled personalities that we recognize from the books. And although there's angst aplenty in certain stories, Rabidsamfan seems to know how to avoid going overboard; things are kept at just the right distance through the use of various devices, and that is much appreciated, especially when dealing with hobbits. I definitely look forward to more stories by Rabidsamfan.

There was a time when rabidsamfan posted a drabble nearly every day; I became used to reading one every morning with my first cup of coffee. I know why I call her the "Mistress of Drabbles" - she is able to create true revelations with 100 words where others (me included) need 1000 to do the same.She has the precious ability to "nail" a character with one single line, and her last sentences are legendary. Her "longer" tales sometimes nearly disappear behind her art of drabbling; "The Ringbearer and the Rose" is and will always be one of my favorite fanfictions, and her "Errand Lad" still makes me wait (as patiently as possible) for the next installment. Even when she frees herself from the 100-words-limit, she sets her images carefully and precisely... no sentence too much, none to less. This power is one of the reasons that constantly draws me back to her stories... beside the fact that she still helps me to learn how to improve my own writing. She is a brilliant author, a warm-hearted wordsmith and a clever and patient teacher. I'm glad to know her work and I'm eagerly waiting for every new tale she writes.

Rabidsamfan is another one of those delightful, although I can't say 'hidden', gems that I discovered through the MEFAs this year. I don't generally read many Hobbits fics and so am not as familiar with those authors as I should be. What a loss, I'm finding out. Rabidsamfan's work is delightful, insightful and intriguing. Well-written with a careful blend of drama and just a touch of humor. This is definitely an author I'll take note of in the future.

Rabidsamfan is another one of those delightful, although I can't say 'hidden', gems that I discovered through the MEFAs this year. I don't generally read many Hobbits fics and so am not as familiar with those authors as I should be. What a loss, I'm finding out. Rabidsamfan's work is delightful, insightful and intriguing. Well-written with a careful blend of drama and just a touch of humor. This is definitely an author I'll take note of in the future.

I hadn't read Rabidsamfan's work before, and I'm glad I found it at MEFAs. Rabidsamfan has excellent abilities when it comes to characterization. It's the characters who seem to drive his (apologies if I'm wrong about this!) stories, be it Sam or Bergil or the personalities of the nine Nazg?l. I'd particularly commend him on the Nazg?l: I've seen stories that gave the pre-wraith humans personalities, but Rabidsamfan finds space for the Nazg?l in their wraith-forms to be distinct individuals despite the uniform horror they manifest. One of the things that makes his characterization so good is that he has a sense for age: characters do not all sound as if they are adults; those who are children sound like children, while those who are adults are suitably mature, well-defined and settled personalities that we recognize from the books. And although there's angst aplenty in certain stories, Rabidsamfan seems to know how to avoid going overboard; things are kept at just the right distance through the use of various devices, and that is much appreciated, especially when dealing with hobbits. I definitely look forward to more stories by Rabidsamfan.

Rabidsamfan pulls off one of the most fascinating drabble series that I've ever found, and as a bonus, it's about the Nazgul. The differences in their personalities were brilliant, and it was these differences that really made the drabble series come alive. Rabidsamfan manages to create nine very distinct and very unique personalities in the space of 100 words each, and not only are the personalities distinct, but the moods that accompany each one are distinct. Some are sorrowful. Some are insightful. Some are humorous. Some are dark. But each one manages to be chilling, also, and Rabidsamfan uses this thread to bind them all together. Excellent writing, and thank you for such a great look at the Ring-wraiths.

Rabidsamfan is another one of those delightful, although I can't say 'hidden', gems that I discovered through the MEFAs this year. I don't generally read many Hobbits fics and so am not as familiar with those authors as I should be. What a loss, I'm finding out. Rabidsamfan's work is delightful, insightful and intriguing. Well-written with a careful blend of drama and just a touch of humor. This is definitely an author I'll take note of in the future.