Yahoo Forum Archive

Author: grey_wonderer . ID: 62 . Genres: Humor (85): General
Reviewer: SlightlyTookish . 2005-09-17 15:40:37
What's so wonderful about this author is that she can take anything and turn
it into a story! She also has a wonderful talent for comedy and writes young
hobbits and OCs especially well.
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Author: SueB . ID: 392 . Genres: Movie-verse (21): General
Reviewer: Dwimordene . 2005-09-17 22:36:19
SueB blindsided me with her story, which brought Galadriel and Boromir
together in a way that enhanced the movies considerably for me, and made
something of what seemed a pretty blatant omission in the gift-giving scene.
Her characterization fits very well with the Peter Jackson universe Boromir,
although the Galadriel presented here seems to me much more the "simple
elven woman, clad in white" of the books, though her power is quite evident.

SueB uses the books to help fill in some gaps in the movieverse (or more
likely, to project ahead into what had not at that time been filled out in
the films; and the best part is, the way it's done, it's general enough that
it can accommodate the later films' version of events); however, she remains
firmly in the movieverse. At no point do you find yourself feeling as if you
are on shifting ground, or pulled into the bookverse to the point that you
find the movieverse "elements" problematic, as is so often the case with
fics that try to work with the movies.

I hope SueB will continue to grapple with the film versions of events; I
know I'd be there to read it if she did. Well done, SueB!
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Author: shadow975 . ID: 319 . Genres: Movie-verse (21): General
Reviewer: Dwimordene . 2005-09-17 22:45:34
Last year, I said that Rachel knows how to make virtues of vices, by taking
what seems like contradictory or at least very inconsistent character
interactions and characterizations and rendering them sensible, well nigh
*logical*. It's a gift we need to see more of when it comes to writing
movieverse fics, particularly when it comes to later films, where the
scriptwriters have had a chance to thoroughly screw up what seemed like such
a promising beginning in some cases.

But even within FoTR, there are problematic interactions, particularly with
the EE DVD inserts. Rachel shows consummate skill in making sense of the
bordering-on-senseless, and a relationship with a lot of notable ups and
downs that can feel overdone or inconsistent or just plain nonsensical. I'm
really grateful for that as it has definitely let me enjoy the EE DVD of
FOTR more. If ever she should turn her eye towards a certain interpersonal
blow up in the armory of Helm's Deep, I'd be there with bells on to see what
she made of it... *hint hint.*
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Author: Marta . ID: 16 . Genres: Non-Fiction (23): General
Reviewer: Tanaqui . 2005-09-18 07:38:50
It's hard to know where to begin with an author review for Marta, because
her output is so diverse. She writes (well!) about many different cultures
and offers us a broad range of genres, apparently able to handle drama and
humour with equal aplomb. She is also a writer who is able to lightly mix
canon knowledge with her own invention, so that it is often hard to tell
where one begins and the other ends, and she has a knack for finding unusual
angles and insights on canon and characters.

In this category, Marta demonstrates her ability to marshal information from
Tolkien's writings and use it intelligently to support her interpretations
of his work, or how his work stands in relation to the interpretation of
others -- a skill that also underpins her fiction. "Tongues of Gondor"
brings together extremely helpful material for fanfic writers focusing on
Gondor, while "Second Born, Second Best" takes a clear-eyed look at a how
the movies have handled a relationship which is often misinterpreted even by
those familiar with the books. I look forward to seeing more non-fiction
essays from Marta in the future.

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Author: Marta . ID: 16 . Books/Time: The Lord of The Rings (111): General
Reviewer: Tanaqui . 2005-09-18 07:43:40

It's hard to know where to begin with an author review for Marta, because
her output is so diverse. She writes (well!) about many different cultures
and offers us a broad range of genres, apparently able to handle drama and
humour with equal aplomb. She is also a writer who is able to lightly mix
canon knowledge with her own invention, so that it is often hard to tell
where one begins and the other ends, and she has a knack for finding unusual
angles and insights on canon and characters.

In this category, Marta demonstrates her deep understanding of Hobbit
culture as written by Tolkien alongside an ability to use that knowledge
lightly yet convincingly in her fiction. In "The Best Brew in Buckland", she
also shows her broad grasp on a number of other cultures and the way they
interact with each other, along with sure handling of many complex strands
in this story. In "Hobbits", she has not merely undertaken the mechanical
work of selecting and arranging the available canon material, but also
supplied intelligent commentary on it.

While Marta does write in other periods, I feel this one is undoubtedly her
strength: it has resulted in her producing many delightful pieces set in
this timeframe that are competing in other categories.

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