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Drabble

HobD4: Resting Places by Marigold

Very peaceful, despite the theme. I thought Frodo's especially brought
out his character.

Drabble

HobD5: Small Hands by Marta

Nice little peek into the Council from the perspecive of a dropper of
eaves.

Poetry

HobP4: Old Will Whitfoot by Tanaqui, co-written with Marta

This was great fun—I think the moral at the end fit the genre
(drinking song) very nicely, and the rhythm worked pretty well too.
Most entertaining!

Post-WOTR

Hob4-1: A Crate of Lemons by ShireDweller

Lemons are such treacherous things to cook with. I am in full sympathy
with Sam's efforts and oversights. Rosie, Sam, and Frodo each had
distinct voices that suited them, I thought. A nice vignette.

HobPW4: Legacy by Anglachel

Anglachel has a good eye for integrating disparate details to form a
coherent and challenging whole. Here, she weaves politics, Shire
history, and economics into the tale of Bilbo's adoption of Frodo with
confidence and adroitness. Through conversation and reflection, we see
the Shire unfold in such a way that it is not a land of merely bucolic
farmers, but has its intrigues and tensions that are appropriate to
it, and are appropriately grave. The changing economic situation
breeds "dragon-heartedness", a desire for gold and liquid assets that
don't tie one to responsibility for the land; there are strangers in
the markets, and the outside world seems to cast a longer shadow than
usual on a land that is, in Frodo's generation, just recovering from
the unequal losses of women to men in the Fell Winter. And those
losses, too, have their social consequence in the sexual behaviors
(and the attitudes adopted towards them) of men in Bilbo's generation,
creating a plausible context for a homosexual relationship to occur.
This is not a fic that portrays sex in a vacuum; all the elements of
the story are carefully and realistically tied together to make for a
complex, satisfying picture of how Frodo came to live with Bilbo. Even
the Ring has its role to play in channeling and problematizing desire.
This is a well-written story, including several controversial but
well-handled components, and other elements that are just delightful
(the apple garden, for example); it is well worth the reader's time.


Pre-WotR

HobPW5: Messing About in Boats by Grey Wonderer

*snork* I admit to not being overly fond of young hobbit antics, but
one *definitely* should not allow Merry and Pippin to be in charge of
boats. Ever. Great last line—I pity Boromir. I mean, the man is going
to die on Parth Galen only after days on the water with Merry and
Pippin. Some guys just don't get any breaks!

Hob2: A Path With No Returning by Citrine

Sad little vignette on the aftermath of the war that broke Arnor,
particularly since it seems as though the hobbit archers were very
nearly forgotten, ending as only a line in the Appendices of the Red
Book.


Hob13: The Farmer's Wife by Nessime

It was good to see Farmer and Mrs. Maggot fleshed out in these
vignettes. Nicely written!


Hob14: Unfair by Anglachel

Lobelia Sackville-Baggins never made much sense to me. She was the
tyrannical matriarch who was nevertheless petty, and behind the text I
thought I saw a woman whose own behavior was outside of the bounds of
propriety she doubtless enforced with oppressive rigor. Her
transformation from that to rebellious heroine was based entirely on
her own sense of place in the world, it seemed to me. This story gave
Lobelia a history that made sense of her bitter dislike of Bilbo
Baggins, the icon of non-comformity in the Shire. Lobelia's history as
a failed idealist here, who believed in love and was betrayed and left
holding the bag as so many women have been, gives her feud with Bilbo
a context. It shows her as a young woman who probably would be Bilbo's
match in terms of personality and courage had it not been for this one
experience which altered everything. It makes sense of her spunk, of
her anger, and of her ability to heal in the end. And I think the
reader will end by agreeing that Lobelia's is a tale most unfair.



Hob15: Weight of Stone by Chris

I liked the way skipping stones became a hobbit superstition for luck.
Wistful, with just a hint of past darkness.