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29 new final reviews today

*Prayers going out for those dealing with Katrina.*

Title: Not Without Hope · Author: Gwynnyd · Books/Time: Gap-Filler:
Drama · ID: 48
Reviewer: Leaward · 2005-08-28 21:30:29 Score: 7
This story, along with Dwimordene's Sarn Ford, is one of the reasons
I hesitated to write about the Dunedain of the North when I first
started writing LOTR fanfic. They are so well-written and well-
researched that I feel humbled when I read them and thoroughly doubt
my own abilities. Gilraen has been wonderfully portrayed by Gwynnyd,
and the choices that she makes so heartbreaking yet understandable.
The grief at being faced with losing not only your husband but your
only child -- at so young an age at that -- would have been
unfathomable. Yet Gilraen manages to keep her head, and her son, with
her at all times despite Halbeleg's stern insistence, and then Elrond
to boot. I have returned to this story a few times, and Gwynnyd was
even nice enough to point me in the right direction for her research.
Thanks, Gwynnyd!

Title: Comes the Dawn · Author: Ithilwen · Books/Time: The
Silmarillion: Feanor and Sons · ID: 418
Reviewer: jillian baade · 2005-08-28 21:39:10 Score: 5
How sweet the ending, when Mandos releases Maedhros just in time for
the destruction of Arda, and how sad Maedhros realises this, and must
be silent, and simply enjoy his beloved brother's company.

Of course this story is all about hope; hope that even the worst of
people can find forgiveness if they truly wish it, and hope that
tomorrow (in this case, the end of Arda Marred will lead to Arda
Remade) will be better, and everything will Ok at last. Quite an
appropriate end for the eldest of Feanor's sons.


Title: Captive of Fate · Author: Ithilwen · Books/Time: The
Silmarillion: Feanor and Sons · ID: 1076
Reviewer: jillian baade · 2005-08-28 21:50:20 Score: 3
Seen from Maedhros' perspective, as he hangs, thinking, the events of
the Kinslaying and Oath are so calmly rational. Of course, he isn't
as rational as he thinks in his torment and dispair, who could be?

His blind faith that Fingon is safe in Aman with his father after the
ship burning is heart-wrenching especially as we all know who is
singing!

Title: Uninvited · Author: just_sphinx · Races/Places: Elves · ID:
1020
Reviewer: Marta · 2005-08-28 22:08:29 Score: 1
Interesting description of what the Halls of Mandos might have felt
like.

Title: Voices in the Wilderness · Author: Ithilwen · Books/Time: The
Silmarillion: Feanor and Sons · ID: 1018
Reviewer: jillian baade · 2005-08-28 22:15:52 Score: 7
Of course Feanor and Finwe are right, the Valar's interference in the
affairs of the Noldor is a classic example of too little, too late.
Really they ought to have left Finwe to have dealt with his sons,
which I think he ought to have done by banging their heads together
until they begged for mercy! I wonder too, how much of Finwe's desire
to go into exile with Feanor was not because he felt 'unkinged' but
to watch his volatile eldest?

How the family was torn apart by this was tragic, yet amongst the
tradegy is hope. Hope from Fingon who has not forgotten his best
friend, hope from Curufin's wife, so recently with child. How does it
happen she refuses to go with such a loving husband, or is he changed
so by the Oath? Again a brilliant ending using Morgoth's POV to send
a shiver up the reader's spine!

Title: The Elladan and Elrohir Factsheet · Author: tyellas · Genres:
Non-Fiction: Elves · ID: 598
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-28 22:43:01 Score: 4
This is a very well done fact-sheet combining quotes and various
timeline and details about the twins. I have referred back to this
page, I can't say how many times. I especially appreciate how the
quotes and references are listed, then explained and discussed in a
casual, understandable and yet factual way, allowing the reader to
come to their own understanding of the passage. Well done, and thank
you for providing this.

Title: Hero · Author: Tiana Luthien · Races/Places: Rohan: Vignette ·
ID: 594
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-28 22:52:11 Score: 5
I remember reading this last year and being impressed with the
reality of the scenes and the depth of the emotions. And thinking of
my own young sons. What a harsh time for all, but especially the
children. This boy does an awful lot of growing during their
converstation and in his thinking afterward. - he realizes the most
important lesson of all. Courage and hope in the face of fear. I
especially appreciate your excellent characterizations and that you
don't 'pull punchs' with the reality of the grimness of the
situatiion. Good Job!

Title: That Tall Fellow Next to Galadriel: a Short Essay About
Celeborn · Author: Marnie · Genres: Non-Fiction: Elves · ID: 479
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-28 23:01:01 Score: 4
Another excellent non-fiction, and about another one of my favorite
guys. Non-fiction can be difficult to read as it is often dry, not so
with Marnie's casual conversation style. She takes you on a personal
tour, a thought process and a love affair with one of the greatest
Elven lords of all time. Piece by piece proving to the reader excatly
what there is to love about the "Strong, Silent Type." Thanks again
for another great work.

Title: Cursed Queen of Angmar · Author: khazar_khum · Races/Places:
Villains: Nazgul · ID: 450
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-28 23:07:29 Score: 3
An excellent epic working pulling in details from all the Ages and
weaving them together to give us a love affair with the incrediable
Witch King himself. I especially enjoyed the characterization, the
pace and flow of the plotting and the balance of detail and flavor.

Title: Butterbur and the King · Author: Eledhwen · Books/Time: Post-
Ring War: Vignette · ID: 261
Reviewer: Marta · 2005-08-28 23:07:42 Score: 4
Eledhwen does a very good job in this piece of capturing Butterbur's
indomitable (if somewhat slow) spirit. His embarrassment over how he
treated Aragorn when he was Strider was particularly well-handled,
and I really liked the fact that Arwen could roll up her sleeves and
drink ale. Eledhwen also did a good jobof incorporating hints from
canon, such as the pronouncement that big folk couldn't travel to the
Shire and Gandalf's laying words on Butterbur's ale.

Title: Hero · Author: Tiana Luthien · Races/Places: Rohan: Vignette ·
ID: 594
Reviewer: Leaward · 2005-08-28 23:13:28 Score: 3
I enjoyed seeing Ingild's realization that you're more heroic for
acting despite your fear. Tiana has written a lovely vignette of a
young boy coming to terms with his hero's faults, something we all
try to ignore or pretend we don't have. And Eomer realized that he
was being put on a pedestal, the same way he had idolized his heroes
too. Wonderfully done.

Title: Under Siege · Author: Forodwaith · Races/Places: Elves:
Drabble · ID: 387
Reviewer: Marta · 2005-08-28 23:25:05 Score: 8
You know, I have my own nuzgul about Arwen where she is tempted to
ride south with Halbarad and her brothers, not as a soldier but as a
healer. I haven't written it and don't have immediate plans to, but
this drabble makes me think about it (tricksy Forodwaith...) The
reason I bring this up is because I so cannot see Arwen as a warrior.
She just seems to be cut from a different cloth than someone like
Eowyn, at least in "Dernhelm" mode. I see Arwen as much more like
Lothiriel, or Finduilas.

But it's a testament to your skill as a writer that this is the one
story that sells me on the possibility of warrior-maiden!Arwen. It's
not so far-fetched as one might think; I think LACE suggests that
elven-maidens weren't so different from elven-men before they bore
children, and she does have Galadriel as an ancestress. but something
about this drabble... it's just so matter-of-fact, and Arwen seems at
home here. I do think that she might defend her home like this, if it
came to it. Very nicely done.

Title: Alas, Poor Ufthak! · Author: Elena Tiriel · Races/Places:
Villains: Drabble · ID: 200
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2005-08-29 00:27:20 Score: 2
Poor old Ufthak! The implications are ghastly. A deft and skilful
snapshot of what passes for humor and friendship among the Orcs.

Title: Bitter as Willow · Author: Nickey · Races/Places: Villains ·
ID: 801
Reviewer: quirky_orthodox · 2005-08-29 04:55:23 Score: 3
Very nice, I really liked the way in which you portrayed Old Man
Willow's connection to the trees around him. I loved the metaphors
used - very 'tree-like' if such a phrase can be used. I always think
it is one of the most difficult things to get inside the head of an
alien creature and you have done so very well here.

Title: Nothing in Haste · Author: Gwynnyd · Books/Time: The Lord of
The Rings: Rivendell · ID: 407
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2005-08-29 07:06:58 Score: 10
This is another superb gap-filler from Gwynnyd in which she fleshes
out a few lines from "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen" to give us
Elrond's reaction to news of Arwen's betrothal.

She begins by showing us the strain Elrond is under from the politics
of the age, and the responsibilities he bears as one of the leading
members of the resistance to Sauron. She makes clear to us the
personal loss and division in his family that this marriage will
bring -- and yet also shows us that Elrond understands love for a
spouse all too well. This allows her to drive the story neatly
through a number of twists and turns, and resolve it in a
satisfactory way.

We see Elrond in his role as politician, as he immediately begins to
plot alternative arrangements for Aragorn – yet Gwynnyd evokes pity
for him as we realise how unsuspecting he is. The moment of
revelation is beautifully handled: Arwen is giddy with love but
clearly aware of how painful this moment will be for her father, and
already trying to justify her choice before revealing it. The
metaphor of the boating incident conveys strongly Elrond's reaction.
And Gwynnyd shows us both Elrond's compassion in understanding his
daughter's desire, and how he must consider a wider picture beyond
the emotions of two people, and therefore reach the conditions he
imposes upon Aragorn.

As always in Gwynnyd's pieces, there is strong writing that evokes
the scenes she creates clearly, with elegant phrasing that
complements her idea and allows us to lose ourselves completely in an
entirely convincing world.

Title: Dragon of the North · Author: Gwynnyd · Races/Places: Gondor:
Pre-Quest Drabbles · ID: 395
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2005-08-29 08:24:56 Score: 5
Poor Denethor! How cruel Ecthelion's evident preference for Thorongil
must have seemed -- especially on his birthday! -- and how it must
have increasingly tortured Denethor over the subsequent years. No
wonder Sauron was eventually able to play so effectively on it. While
we perhaps see Denethor's pride get the better of him in his
decision, Gwynnyd also shows us his legitimate concerns about this
stranger. A wonderful drabble capturing the complexities of the
future Steward.

Title: Fell Deeds, Awake · Author: Marta · Genres: Movie-verse:
Vignette · ID: 941
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2005-08-29 08:27:27 Score: 7
In this story, Marta does a great job of explaining why Gimli, of all
people, sounds the Horn of Helm Hammerhand. She shows us it's not
just due to his lack of ability as a horseman, but also the
inspiration he gains from Aragorn's leadership and Théoden's renewed
hope. While I don't really like the movie!characterisations, Marta
explains them well in this story. I particularly like her use of
canon events outside the movies to create a backstory for Gimli's
experiences in Erebor which she uses to give us, as readers, deeper
insight into the exchange between Théoden and Aragorn and to give us
strong reasons for Théoden's despair and lack of action. And her
closing lines expressing the joint endeavours of men, elves and
dwarves -- and their endurance in the face of so much reckless hate --
are deeply moving.

Title: Love Me and Despair · Author: EdorasLass · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Elves · ID: 645
Reviewer: quirky_orthodox · 2005-08-29 08:48:35 Score: 6
Massive congratulations to EdorasLass for being the first person to
pick up on the potential that a 'Galadriel takes the ring' A/U could
have. I love the clear way in which she differenciates all of the
victims of this disaster and explains how each is burdened by thier
own particular demon in consequence.It is truly brilliant how she has
managed, in so few words, to paint such a sombre and yet possible
picture of life for all the characters after Galadriel had committed
her break of faith.

Like the best of art, whether literary or visual, she leaves us
wanting to just peer a little harder around the hidden corners
implied by the narrative picture she paints. Great effort.

Title: Sugar and Spice · Author: Marta · Genres: Romance: Incomplete
· ID: 960
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2005-08-29 12:23:09 Score: 8
If I didn't already know this was Marta's first foray into erotica, I
would be highly -- and pleasantly -- surprised to learn that's the
case. She exhibits a very sure touch. I like several things about
this piece. The first thing I admire is that the foreplay between the
two characters seems distinctly "hobbiity" in nature, through the
relation of sexual pleasure to food, and the mention of foot hair.
This scene simply wouldn't work between any two random characters,
and I'm always delighted to encounter that kind of careful
specificity on the part of the author. A second area that delights me
is that this is an encounter between two mature characters, neither
of whom are portrayed as particularly attractive. Kudos to Marta for
writing a sexy fanfic scene doesn't just have to take place between
two "hot" characters. Finally, what shines through in this piece is
tenderness and deep-rooted desire, rather than simple lust. It may
not be to everyone's taste, but it impresses me.

Title: Captain of the Guard · Author: Arandil · Genres: Drama
(includes Angst): Mirkwood · ID: 119
Reviewer: Marta · 2005-08-29 13:02:32 Score: 7
This is a really interesting gap-filler about how things might have
gone in Mirkwood around the time of Gollum's captivity. Thranduil in
especially was particularly well-drawn: every inch a ruler, and every
inch a father, without the two being incompatible. I did love that
bit of temper I've come to expect in my Sindarin kings. (But then,
what less can I expect than a fabulous characterisation of him, from
the author of "Morgoth's Notebook"?)

But what I really liked was Legolas. He had an impatience that I
associate with youth, but it was definitely an Elvish impatience. So
he seemed anxious to do stuff without actually feeling like he had to
do it that minute. Does that soun inconsistent? That's my own lack of
eloquence, not Arandil's. Fans who are looking for a well-developed
glimpse into Mirkwood's first family (that goes beyond treating
father and son as lust objects and develops them as real characters)
won't be disappointed with this one.

Title: His Last Words · Author: Amarie · Books/Time: The Lord of The
Rings · ID: 85
Reviewer: Ainaechoiriel · 2005-08-29 16:45:24 Score: 5
Wow. Those letters were amazing to show the hold of the Ring and the
decline of Boromir. It fit to both book and movie, as the movie gave
image to what was in the book in terms of Boromir, like him slumped
in the boat, exhausted and anxious, as they pulled up to the shore. I
think my favorite bit was the last though, when he discovered what
he'd written and how far he'd fallen and warns his brother away from
the thing that was and would consume him. And in that we also see the
Boromir that would redeem himself, standing between Merry and Pippin
and the Uruk-Hai as long as he could. Very well done.


Title: Equinoxium · Author: Lisette · Genres: Crossovers · ID: 83
Reviewer: Ainaechoiriel · 2005-08-29 16:45:43 Score: 10
Perhaps Buffy survived more wounds than she should have (thinking of
the final ones there) but at least it did keep me from crying at
work. That aside, I really liked this crossover. It's perhaps the
most believable "girl gets dropped in Middle-Earth" stories because
the Buffy-verse does give us a method of transport and a reasonable
reason for doing so. And the story does keep you guessing now and
then as to just what Vashnak is or just how he got that way, or just
who that old man with the ability to appear and disappear was, or how
Buffy will survive this and that. And how Legolas will survive being
pinned to a tree by a sword. Yep. You read that right and it's not
easy, let me tell you. Lisette did a great job of reproducing the
angst of the Buffy-verse in it's final year and the wit and humor of
the dialogue when Buffy is transported to Middle-Earth. She worried
me a little that she'd build a Legolas/Buffy romance but I needn't
have worried. Yes, she forgot that Halbarad had died, but letting go
of that one slip of canon, she handled the rest quite well, and even
used some cleverness to decide where to put the bad guys' secret
lair. Quite clever, indeed. Things did get a bit expository when
Giles was visiting but otherwise the story was kept moving and active
and never boring. The visions, both Legolas's and Buffy's were quite
enigmatic and yet carried out quite well, except that perhaps
Legolas's got laid by the road side in the end. My favorite line, I
think, was when Buffy was gazing out at Rhosgobel and was finally
able to understand how someone could "see the quaint and quiet appeal
of the small town... if you were a blind Pilgrim with no sense of
smell." Very Buffy. Well done.

Title: Night Course in Pet Care · Author: Werecat · Genres: Humor:
Animals · ID: 360
Reviewer: Ainaechoiriel · 2005-08-29 16:46:02 Score: 1
Cute story. Loved the cat. And his foreboding answer to the fell
beast that no man could slay her….No man, indeed.


Title: One Day in Ithilien · Author: jen_loves_elves · Books/Time:
Post-Ring War · ID: 744
Reviewer: Ainaechoiriel · 2005-08-29 16:46:35 Score: 3
I think I read this one before, but enjoyed it again. How could I
not? It has Legolas being cute and kitty cats (big, big kitty cats
and one big kitten/cub…) and cute children, a frustrated Faramir who
in the end is won over and a really mad Eowyn who is, too. Cute is
just the right word for the whole story.


Title: To Look Upon It Once · Author: Noldo · Books/Time: The
Silmarillion · ID: 1023
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-29 17:16:56 Score: 2
Would it be worth it? To see those quays and white towers, the
glittering beaches strewn with gems? If it meant your last breath?
maybe. I think it might be.

Title: The Doom of Mandos · Author: quirky_orthodox · Books/Time: The
Lord of The Rings: Incomplete · ID: 1043
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-29 17:28:13 Score: 2
... an interesting question, with a multitude of answers, that
intriguing 'what if?' A Dark Queen indeed. I'll be interested to see
how this work progresses as chapters are added.

Title: Foresight · Author: quirky_orthodox · Genres: Movie-verse:
Vignette · ID: 1044
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-29 17:29:31 Score: 2

another alliance of Men and Elves, one of the few of Jackson's
changes that I agreed with. Well done, Quirky, to show us this
glimpse of one who was willing to die for the sake of others.

Title: Ode to Legolas · Author: Ainaechoiriel · Genres: Humor: Poetry
· ID: 5
Reviewer: sulriel · 2005-08-29 17:32:30 Score: 1
So very true, - funny and totally irreverent! I love it!

Title: Uncover the Past, Discover the Future · Author: Starlight ·
Races/Places: Cross-Cultural: Vignette · ID: 524
Reviewer: Marta · 2005-08-29 19:53:16 Score: 3
This is a very nice story about the early days of Legolas's and
Gimli's relationship. I particularly liked the physical details about
the Book of Mazarbul, and the insight that shared experience in both
of their cultures would give them a foundation for friendship.

**end**