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Author: Dwimordene . ID: 8 . Races/Places: Rohan (37): Drabble
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-19 03:35:37
Highlights. That's what makes Dwim so powerful in drabbles. I've said it
elsewhere, but I can't think of a better way to put it. Dwim's strength in
the drabbles is an ability to outline a story, a culture, a character, or a
land and then give just enough guidance so that the reader can fill in the
rest. And as always, Dwimordene delves. Never one to shy away from the
difficult subjects, Dwim tackles the creation of Dernhelm and Eomer's
somewhat controversial decisions as king. Neither one of these is an easy
topic to cover in vignette or story form, much less drabble, but Dwim makes
it look easy. And once again, Dwim has made me think, which is perhaps the
highest praise I can give to an author.
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Author: Forodwaith . ID: 50 . Races/Places: Rohan (37): Drabble
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-19 03:49:45
One of the best ways to characterize someone is to look at them through
another's eyes, and Forodwaith puts that philosophy to work in "Folly" with
a stunning portrayal of a hopeless, desperate Eowyn. But the real talent
lies in the ability to also characterize Elfhelm through his words,
particularly the last ones. With one good line about a leader hiding the
grim truth from his people, Forodwaith shakes up the way that all of the
Rohirrim chapters can be read because now I'm searching for hidden meaning
each time one of the Rohirrim leaders gets up to speak. Thank you for
breathing new meaning into passages I felt I understood.
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Author: Azalais . ID: 187 . Races/Places: Rohan (37): General
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-19 04:18:06
One of Azalais's strengths in the story "Night and Fog" is the use of
ordinary things in not-so-ordinary ways. The one telling the story tried to
reassure himself several times. He would say it was only the wind or that it
was only the fog. And those would be normal, ordinary night time things,
except that here, they've changed. They familiar concepts are now different
and frightening. Change is something most people fear, and when comfortable
things start changing in the middle of the night (particularly things
already loaded with allusions like fog and wind) then their fears are
compounded. And it works on the readers as well as the characters in the
story. Good work by Azalais in a very tricky subject.
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Author: Dwimordene . ID: 8 . Races/Places: Rohan (37): General
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-19 04:28:41
To me, one of the most interesting things about "Justice" is that it seems
to focus more on the question of "Elfhelm: Traitor or Hero?" rather than on
"Eowyn: Deserter or Heroine?" Eowyn was certainly not overlooked, but to me,
it seems as though Dwim sidestepped her question just a bit by going after
Elfhelm. And through Elfhelm, Dwim came back and inadvertantly addressed the
question of Eowyn. If I'm not reading this wrong and that is indeed the
case, then it was a brilliant and subtle way of handling a very interesting
question. I wouldn't expect anything less from Dwimordene, but this is above
even her usual level of excellence. But even if I'm wrong and that was not
Dwim's intent, the focus on Elfhelm was one of the best I've ever seen and
it makes for a much fuller and more balanced story. Which, again, is nothing
less than what I would expect.
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Author: ErinRua . ID: 267 . Races/Places: Rohan (37): General
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-19 04:37:10
ErinRua is gifted in many things: narrative, emotions, perspective, pacing,
characterization, etc. And no matter what she does, she manages to apply all
of those gifts and create a rich, full story. But she seems to apply them
best when working with the Rohirrim, and once again, she's come through with
beautiful, vibrant stories that create worlds within themselves and fit
seamlessly into Tolkien's canon. I think part of it is the way Erin is able
to wedge herself so tightly into the thoughts of her Rohirrim characters.
Their thoughts become the reader's thoughts, and a powerful talent for
narrative ensures that the story comes across cleanly and smoothly. It would
be so easy to become tripped in some of these situations; all three of her
stories in the Rohan section have a darker feel for much of the plot. But
ErinRua is constantly pulling the reader along with a promise of hope toward
the end. Or if not hope entirely, a resolution of sorts. And that's one of
the things I like best about her. She never leaves a story mired in angst.
Without ever breaking the mood, she gives readers either a glimmer of hope
or the full realization of it. And whichever way the story runs, that hope
comes naturally. One of the best authors in the LotR world, I humbly bow
before her greatness. Thank you for sharing your gifts.
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Author: Tiana Luthien . ID: 334 . Races/Places: Rohan (37): General
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-19 04:48:22
I have to admire Tiana Luthien, because she does something rather risky with
her portrayal of Eomer. It's not that she's departed from fanon expectations
or radically reinterpreted canon facts. Rather, it's that she's taken
riskier elements of Eomer and combined them into a single story. She's made
him hopeless, she's made him shrewd, she's made him wise, she's made him
distrustful, and she's made him fearful. In effect, she's made him out to be
exactly what he tells Inglid he is: human. And then Tiana walks a very
delicate balance. Eomer is hopeless and distrustful, but he is never jaded.
Ignorance and naivete have been stripped away, but he still clings to hopes
that some might consider fantasy. and though he will not trust some, he does
trust others. He still relies on his own strength in judgement, which means
he hasn't completely given up control of his surroundings. It's a very
powerful portrayal of a very powerful but very human character, and I think
Tiana for giving Eomer this much-needed characterization. Too often has he
been shoved to one extreme or another.
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Author: Marta . ID: 16 . Books/Time: The Silmarillion (67): Drabble
Reviewer: Tanaqui . 2005-09-19 06:27:47
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, with "High
King and Halfling", Marta shows how she can find her first loves -- Hobbits
and humour - even in the period of the Silmarillion, which is mostly
concerned with Elves and grave matters. Marta often offers us a refreshing
change of pace and this is no exception!
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Author: Marta . ID: 16 . Genres: Movie-verse (21): General
Reviewer: Tanaqui . 2005-09-19 06:29:38
I'm not a great fan of movie-verse stories, especially since so much fanfic
set in movie-verse seems to emphasise the changes made in the movies that I
didn't like. Marta is one of the few writers who can make me read
movie-verse, and read it with pleasure, because she skilfully weaves what we
see on screen with her knowledge of book canon to illuminate both movie and
book. "Fell Deeds, Awake" is no exception, explaining a rather odd moment in
the movies -- that from a moviemaking perspective is best explained by
needing to give Gimli something to do! -- in terms of the story itself. As
always, Marta writes well about many different cultures, lightly mixes canon
knowledge with her own invention, and has a knack for finding unusual angles
and insights on canon and characters.
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Author: Marta . ID: 16 . Genres: Romance (72): General
Reviewer: Tanaqui . 2005-09-19 06:37:42
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.

I don't normally think of Marta as a writer of romances but, in these three
short pieces, she shows she has a distinct knack for the genre. "Knight's
Service" gives us a comparatively little-written perspective on one of
Tolkien's central romances, yet this is a character who would surely have
much to say about this relationship. In "Welcoming the Lady", Marta's
wriiting is a more conventional take on the genre, but is nevertheless well
done. However, it is "Sugar and Spice" that is the real gem in this trio. It
offers us a a gifted and fresh take on the romance genre, delving
effectively into Hobbit sexuality, and offering us a more mature couple than
we usually encounter in fanfic, delivered through well worded and subtly
expressed erotica.

Through this combination of pieces, Marta has provided us with a snapshot of
how romance can be used to deliver a much more satisfying experience to
readers than simply getting to a traditional "Happy Ever After" ending.

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Author: Marta . ID: 16 . Races/Places: Cross-Cultural (80): General
Reviewer: Tanaqui . 2005-09-19 06:43:10
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.

This category allows Marta to shine in her ability to explore many different
cultures and the connections between them. "Beyond the Borders" is
exceptionally wide ranging, in giving us the perspectives of two cultures on
all the races living in the North -- despite being written from a limited
third-person point of view. Marta demonstrates her skill in using Elrond's
observations of Halbarad to provide this dual insight. "Night and Day" is a
particularly welcome entry in this category because it does a fine job of
giving the relatively underwritten perspective of the Dwarves on other
cultures.



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