Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: A <http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterview.asp?sid=3581&cid=13572>
Long Tradition of Ancient Lore · Author: Elena
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=24
7> Tiriel · Races/Places: Gondor: Pre-Quest Drabbles · ID: 206
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=206>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:33:53 Score: 1
A clever means of demonstrating that history is not nearly so boring as
young minds make it.

Title: Leavetakings
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=891> · Author:
Celandine
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=24
3> Brandybuck · Races/Places: Gondor: Denethor and Finduilas · ID: 188
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=188>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:34:32 Score: 2
It's nice to see Finduilas squarely at the center of decisions, even if they
concern her final farewell. She dies with great dignity, and it's a pity
Denethor wasn't able to grieve with nearly as much of it.

Title: Wait for me -
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?stid=4455> Eowyn · Author:
elanor_of_aquitania
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=69

> · Races/Places: Gondor: Poetry · ID: 127

<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=127>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:35:11 Score: 2
I'm not sure I grasp the function of the poem's form, but one can imagine
Faramir finding comfort in the thought that his wife will keep a watch for
him beyond death.

Title: The Mantle <http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1568984/1/> of Stone ·
Author: just_sphinx
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=92

> · Races/Places: Gondor · ID: 116

<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=116>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:35:50 Score: 7
Pitting Aragorn, poor mortal that he is, against the exaggerated majesty of
the Argonath and its ability to endure the millennia, seems just slightly
unfair to the king. And yet, it turns out not to be so, as a nameless
wanderer (where have I seen him before...?) shows again that Mithrandir was
right to say that men are better than gates—the living are always more
worthy, more surprising, and greater than memory caught in stone that cannot
truly speak. The meeting of these nameless two men before the Argonath
allows for the construction of an odd, hybrid third: the king of Gondor, all
too well named, yet for all that, distant and anonymous in a way to the
narrator, thus proving that names also do not really tell of the person who
bears them, nor stories, nor stone. It's the person who approaches who
actually gives the best sense of the king, not in speech but in the way he
speaks and the way he bears himself. Well done, Spinx.

Title: Marriage
<http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterview.asp?sid=3140&cid=12153> Counseling
· Author: annmarwalk
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=17
7> · Races/Places: Gondor: Pre-Quest Drabbles · ID: 111
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=111>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:36:32 Score: 2
"I see many sides of him that you do not, brother."—I've loved this drabble
for this one line for some time now. Hysterical, true, and an excellent
answer to one's brother's inquiries!

Title: Beyond
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/chapter.cfm?STID=3977&NGID=197>
Imagination · Author: annmarwalk
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=17
7> · Races/Places: Gondor: Drabble · ID: 103
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=103>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:37:03 Score: 3
An intimate little scene between Finduilas and Denethor. I especially liked
this turn of phrase: "Something stirred against his palm, like the flutter
of an owl’s wing brushing silently past on a midsummer’s evening." Very
nicely captures the swiftness and slightness of that movement.

Title: To Labor and
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=4557> To Wait ·
Author: Aliana
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=20
8> · Races/Places: Gondor: Houses of Healing · ID: 79
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=79>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:37:29 Score: 10
A set of exquisitely written sketches to go with Aliana's other fic,
"Fallen". Each of the characters achieves a lyrical solidity in a very short
space, and a distinct voice in his or her namelessness. We don't need their
names, although we recognize at least one of the characters of that larger
story: we take our turn as each of these men and women who, seemingly
reduced to their function (Messenger, Surgeon, Herbalist, Guardsman,
Healer), resist that reduction and open up briefly as personalities
struggling to find a purchase against fear and despair and the machinery of
war that tries to efface all such personality with either death or a kind of
enslavement to circumstance.

The surgeon's reflective nature comes through, as does his somewhat wry
acknowledgment that though he might not have chosen his craft originally and
bore a certain anger towards his father for apprenticing him to it, he's too
weary to hold a grudge. The healer's recognition that she can't be terrified
at every moment because the body just doesn't allow for that, and will
always find small things and tedium to break the sharpness of fear is
wonderfully put. The messenger lad's transformation from a boy to something
more than that in the ending of his innocent play is well turned—I
particularly loved the final line in that segment. And the description of
the blindness of the herbalist is beautifully done, effectively putting us
in a darkened world that doesn't fear darkness so much as emptiness and the
destruction of form. As they speak, we sometimes recognize a character in
the larger story: the surgeon and the healer acquire names, which gives
those of us following "Fallen" a certain thrill, as we get a glimpse into
the closed interiors of these characters. But these pieces stand alone, and
I would recommend them to anyone with an appreciation for a well-turned
phrase or an interest in any aspect of Minas Tirith. Bravo, Aliana!


Title: On
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/chapter.cfm?STID=317&NGID=2> the
Death of His Wife · Author: Alawa
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=10
3> · Races/Places: Gondor: Poetry · ID: 74
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=74>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:38:02 Score: 4
Very fitting, that Denethor should address this poem to his first and truer
love, in many ways: Gondor, the jealous lover, who devours all. And I liked
the ambivalence that Denethor's final lines imbues this relationship with:
there's defiance there, and a strong sense of love-hate for Gondor, that
becomes the Shadow that "thresh[es] out all hope" from life, leaving pride
to stand alone against it.

Title: On
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/chapter.cfm?STID=317&NGID=2> His
Stewardship · Author: Alawa
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=10
3> · Races/Places: Gondor: Poetry · ID: 73
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=73>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 10:38:44 Score: 3
All the right words, and yet the knowledge of future events undoes them in
the reader's mind. I particularly liked the bit about Arrogance restrained,
given that it is pride that will break Denethor cause him to wish to keep
the throne permanently empty.

Title: Cat's <http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=3541>
Cradle · Author: Kielle
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=19
7> · Races/Places: Gondor: Historical · ID: 452
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=452>
Reviewer: Marta
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=16

> · 2005-08-08 10:58:01 Score: 6

You know, I'm a little tempted to label this as AU, and that wouldn't be a
bad thing. It's a beautiful exploration of a "what-if". But the more I think
about it the more possible it seems. Because we don't know what happened to
Beruthiel, and we don't know that she never conceived. I can even imagine
that there are some in Gondor who, at some points in their history, might
have preferred Beruthiel's heir to Isildur's.

Beyond that, this story has such rich sensory details! the cats, the feel of
the hair, and so on. You have characters who most of which are just names
with not much else known about them, but here they jump off the page. And
the politics you worked in all felt authentic. I really enjoyed this short
story; thanks for opening my mind up to this possibility.

Title: The
<http://www.storiesofarda.com/chapterview.asp?sid=3043&cid=12847> Lady’s
Gift · Author: Dreamflower
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=11
5> · Races/Places: Elves: Lothlorien · ID: 979
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=979>
Reviewer: Marta
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=16

> · 2005-08-08 11:32:22 Score: 6

This is a charming story. I like how you created a backstory for Galadriel.
And how she collected the dirt herself "with no fear for her white hands" --
this to me shows the influence of living for three ages with a prince of the
Sindar, and of humility that that time has brought. The only thing that
seemed at all out of place was the phrase at the very end "when a lone
mallorn made its way home in the blessed Shire". This seemed a bit too
certain for someone who made a point out of saying that she wasn't sure what
was going to happen in the future. Perhaps "if" would have worked better
than "when". All things considered, though, this was a very nice piece.

Title: Cup
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/chapter_view.cfm?NGID=197&STID=3874&
SPOrdinal=1> of Bitterness: First Meeting · Author: Tanaqui
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=40

> · Races/Places: Gondor · ID: 531

<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=531>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:45:57 Score: 6
Well-written, and the prophetic inspiration for Faramir's name follows in a
tradition of prophetic mother-names running throughout Tolkien's corpus.
Also, Denethor's disdain for prophecy, his practicality where such matters
are concerned, certainly help tie together his old quarrel with Thorongil
for his father's affections and esteem and also suggest, without being
anything like a cause of, the difficult future relationship he will have
with Faramir. And I was glad to see something made of the Arnor-Gondor
connection: that's rather a black hole in the Appendices, and in the stories
proper, once Aranarth takes office as Chieftain of Arnor.

Title: Before
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/chapter_view.cfm?NGID=177&STID=3367&
SPOrdinal=2> the Doors of the Houses of Healing · Author: Tanaqui
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=40

> · Races/Places: Gondor: Houses of Healing · ID: 529

<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=529>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:46:34 Score: 6
Tanaqui fills a gap quite nicely and gives Imrahil a few moments of
worthwhile rage. I liked very much that it's Éomer who steps in at the end
to support Gandalf's decision not to tell Imrahil about what was happening
on Rath Dinen. Éomer ought to know that when it comes to unexpected deaths
in the family, one doesn't act rationally—he nearly did get himself and many
others killed with him when he believed his sister had fallen with his
uncle. Imrahil is wise enough to see that he (and also Gandalf) are right to
have spared him that choice for his sake and the sake of all others
depending upon him at a crucial time in the City's defense.

Title: Written
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/chapter_view.cfm?NGID=97&STID=2223&S
POrdinal=20> on Cloth · Author: shadow975
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=31
9> · Races/Places: Gondor · ID: 527
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=527>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:47:02 Score: 3
Rachel puts the terms of the Steward's oath to good use in this story, and
reminds us and Faramir that banners are more than the cloth they're woven
from. More importantly, they are recognized to be more than a few threads,
and through the medium of cloth, the memory of the dead is honored and some
peace granted to those who survived them.

Title: When the King
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=3938> Returned ·
Author: Ninquelosse
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=31
0> · Races/Places: Gondor: Original Characters · ID: 497
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=497>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:47:50 Score: 5
A realistic assessment from one of Gondor's long-suffering soldiers. After
all, who except those in the know about the Quest would even think Aragorn's
gamble bore any resemblance to sanity and good leadership? Even Imrahil has
his doubts, and he is one of the select few. For others, it must've been a
shock and a wrench to find they would be fighting the next battle in front
of the unassailable Black Gates. Many must've wondered what on earth Aragorn
was thinking, but the habit of obedience will get you a long ways when
you're newly king among a people recently bereft of its accustomed
leadership.

Title: Below the
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=2996> Balcony ·
Author: Ninamazing
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=30
9> · Races/Places: Gondor: Houses of Healing · ID: 496
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=496>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:48:21 Score: 3
An interesting response to the line in ROTK where it's said that neither
Faramir nor Éowyn cared who saw them kissing on the heights. Here we see
some of those observers, accidental witnesses drawn out of their daily tasks
and into participation in other lives.

Title: Repose
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/challenge/chapter.cfm?STID=3883&NGID=203>
Earned, Words Unspoken · Author: maranya14
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=12
0> · Races/Places: Gondor: Denethor and Finduilas · ID: 482
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=482>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:48:50 Score: 3
Ecthelion figures prominently in this story, even though he has only a verse
to start with. But the Faramir-Ecthelion connection, that they ever valued
Denethor second to another, and a stranger at that, clearly wounded deeply,
and sets in motion a rather fatal series of events.

Title: The Ballad of
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=1770> Isildur and
Elendil · Author: Lindelea
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=27

> · Races/Places: Gondor: Poetry · ID: 460

<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=460>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:49:21 Score: 2
The poem fits the melody nicely, and cradle songs and fairy tales are often
more terrible than we realize until much later in life.

Title: Green Seas
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=3540> · Author:
Kielle
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=19
7> · Races/Places: Gondor: Vignette · ID: 453
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=453>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:50:01 Score: 5
This is a set of characters I'd never seen written in the same room before,
let alone as fast friends. And the story does capture well the sense of
imminent dislocation and uprooting that Théoden would endure upon leaving
Gondor, and just as he would be coming to that age when he'd be starting to
think about entering the military and learning to be an officer and later a
captain. It'd be a very hard parting indeed for him. One wonders what
Imrahil, in the Kielleverse, might have thought upon finding Théoden had
died on the Pelennor so many years later.

Title: Cat's <http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=3541>
Cradle · Author: Kielle
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=19
7> · Races/Places: Gondor: Historical · ID: 452
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=452>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:50:55 Score: 7
Kielle gives us a lively, yet politically fraught, family reunion; one
wonders whether there is any other kind among estranged nobility,
particularly royalty. The idea that Beruthiel might've found safe harbor in
the south, and had a son to carry on the southern line directly is an
intriguing one, and one wonders what a descendent of that line in Aragorn's
day might say to the claim of Isildur's Heir, or what Denethor might've done
if faced with a competing claim by one such son. Scylla and Charybdis would
hardly hold a candle to such a choice for Denethor!

But speculation aside, the title is doubly suitable for this fic, the
characterization is well-drawn, and the veiled fencing and integration of
events only mentioned in the Appendices is very well-handled. It's good to
see Beruthiel in fine form on the high ground, a woman you don't want as
your enemy.


Title: Voices of the
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=3269> Forgotten ·
Author: jen_loves_elves
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=52

> · Races/Places: Gondor: Drabble · ID: 435

<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=435>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:51:57 Score: 8
Well done, Jen! The queens of Gondor in their silence are a crucial link in
the history and continuation of the kingdom. They are a condition for its
survival, yet they never speak, or nearly never. In these thirty-one
drabbles, women of different temperaments and minds, some cold, some angry,
some grieving, some desperately in love, some ambitious (Castamir's wife in
particular stands out in this field, but so too does Firiel, even though she
doesn't have a drabble directly to herself), mellow, and even weak or
foolish come to life in just one hundred words, and give an intimate glimpse
into the life of the royal court. A worthwhile project, one that I think
many will enjoy—a bit vertiginous, as we sweep through so many years and
lives (every drabble is doubled up, the queen in relation to her king), but
the sequence works. It sheds light where there had been none, and in some
ways does better to weave together the names in the Appendices than the
Appendices themselves.

Title: Finduilas'
<http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=1437> Dance · Author:
jen_loves_elves
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=52

> · Races/Places: Gondor · ID: 431

<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=431>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:52:30 Score: 2
An interesting use of the shade (?) of Mithrellas. This has much more the
feel of those Elves who live under the hills than Tolkien's, to me, but all
to the good!

Title: Well <http://www.tolkienfanfiction.com/Story_Read_Head.php?STid=15>
Favored · Author: Isabeau
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=18
2> of Greenlea · Races/Places: Gondor: Original Characters · ID: 417
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=417>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:53:06 Score: 6
Once again, Imrahil shows his charm, and Isabeau demonstrates her ability to
construct apparently on the instant believable female characters. This time,
we see our favorite Prince through the eyes of a young refugee, fearful and
upset that her father has been forced to remain behind to help defend the
city. Imrahil, with his usual combination of chivalry and down-to-earth
compassion and level-headedness, manages to bring some comfort to her,
displaying the characteristically generous spirit he's been endowed with
ever since Isabeau got her hands on him. A sweet little vignette all in all.

Title: Discretion
<http://www.tolkienfanfiction.com/Story_Read_Head.php?STid=16> · Author:
Isabeau
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=18
2> of Greenlea · Races/Places: Gondor: Original Characters · ID: 416
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=416>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:54:00 Score: 10
For some reason, a lot of slash focuses on canon character pairings. I don't
know why, since the possibilities often seem more fruitful between one canon
and one original character, or even two original characters. In any event,
this first installment of one such OC/canon slash romance is nicely done.
Boromir's frustration and uncertainty, and his determination to do something
about them, are very in character. As usual, the denizens of Dol Amroth are
well-sketched, even if briefly: a younger Imrahil, though already wiser for
years and the death of his wife, forms part of a brief and hysterical piece
of family comedy, with his young children at the heart of it. Adrahil, too,
and Tarathiel, an OFC, are well-drawn.

And of course, there is Andrahar, to whom Boromir eventually takes his
questions and from whom he seeks a resolution to his problem. Andra's
character, in all its prickly practicality and vaguely Denethorish (though
neither party would care to admit the resemblance) authoritarianism, is
written with confidence. I'm not terribly enamored of the sex scenes, but
that's more a matter of taste than anything else; they are certainly far
better written than many I have read, and the story doesn't end with those
scenes, but gives a good reflection on what Boromir's options are once he
comes to terms with his sexuality: they're not terribly extensive, and it
commits him to keeping secrets from his father, but at least he has a
partner on whom he can rely, whose discretion is without question.


Title: Fever <http://www.henneth-annun.net/stories/chapter.cfm?STID=4431>
Dreams · Author: Gwynnyd
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=18
6> · Races/Places: Gondor: Houses of Healing · ID: 397
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=reviewsBrowse&show_all=n
o&navbar_page=0&markpage=46&form_story_filter=397>
Reviewer: Dwimordene
<http://gabrielle.sytes.net/MEFA2005/index.php?page=authorDetails&form_id=8>
· 2005-08-08 17:54:32 Score: 4
The ambiguity with which Faramir faces the news of his father's death is
very well done, I think. One can feel Faramir's weariness in this story, and
anyone who has been sick knows a little of what he's going through. Faramir
seems destined never to be wholly at peace with his dreams: whether their
content is comforting or not, the circumstances he's embroiled in put him in
sad relation with them.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]