Yahoo Forum Archive

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Author: Marta . ID: 16 . Races/Places: Gondor (79): General
Reviewer: Tanaqui . 2005-09-21 05:47:54
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'll admit to being a little surprised Marta only has one story in this
category but, oh, what a story! In this piece, Marta demonstrates so many of
the qualities that I find so enjoyable in her writing. Her characterisations
are generally well done, but the children are exceptionally strongly written
here, never descending into sentimentality while showing us the men they
will become. She always uses canon elements well, but her extrapolation of
the snippets of information that Tolkien gave us to build an entirely
convincing Tolkienesque world is simply astounding in this story. I wish all
authors were so capable of working with Tolkien's hints. Most impressive in
this story is the way Marta mixes so many genres in this piece without it
seeming unbalanced for a single moment: there is humour, romance and high
drama that never descends into melodrama -- and not a word out of place.

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Author: maranya14 . ID: 120 . Genres: Humor (85): Drabble
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-22 00:53:08
One of the classic humor mechanisms is hyperbole or exaggeration. While it's
most often associated with statements like "I'm so hungry I could eat a
horse," it can be found in more subtle areas, and I think Maranya puts forth
a good example of this. Here are two men treating something silly and
mundane with dramatic flair and declarations of law. It's hilarious in
nature, and Maranya's dialogue and delivery make it more so. Kudos for
fantastic use of a traditional humor concept and bonus points for improving
upon it.
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Author: Vistula the Dunadan . ID: 193 . Genres: Humor (85): Drabble
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-22 00:56:05
Vistula's brilliance in this drabble is allusion. How many of us have sat
through a younger child's "play" and watched with patient indulgence while
mentally wondering how much longer it can go on? Vistula calls upon that
shared experience and gives it to Denethor and Finduilas, creating a moment
we can all relate to and crafting the beginning of a situation that is easy
for readers to continue once the drabble has ended. Great work in outlining
the beginning and then leaving it to the imagination.
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Author: Tehta . ID: 185 . Genres: Humor (85): Poem
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-22 01:13:29
I think the best way to describe what Tehta does in the orc-slaying ditty is
to call it disturbing. That's meant in a good way, and the way this
disturbing thing comes about is nothing short of brilliant. By taking a
familiar poem from The Hobbit (one that was associated with good, peaceful
times) and transforming it into something that sounded very gruesome and
blood-thirsty, Tehta is able to create a fantastic juxtaposition that
highlights just how very extreme both poems are. The result is somewhat
frantic laughter because the readers are trying not to think about how
disturbed they are, and in my book, that's grounds for kudos and bonus
points. Well done, Tehta.
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Author: Kenaz . ID: 244 . Genres: Humor (85): Poem
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger . 2005-09-22 01:18:28
In my opinion, one of the most difficult things to do is to imitate another
person's poetry. Even harder than that is the imitation of a song, because
in a song, it's much more obvious when the meter is off. And the more
popular the song, the more difficult the task becomes. So I stand amazed at
Kenaz's skill in adapting one of Gilbert and Sullivan's more tightly written
pieces and making it work for Haldir. An undertaking like this required a
very good feel for rhythm, a background in canon knowledge, and lots of
creativity. Apparently, Kenza has all these elements in spades, because
Haldir's rendition of A Modern Major-General feels exactly on and I find it
very easy to picture a small chorus of Marchwardens chiming in from the
background to join him in singing this song. Excellently written! Tight and
very much in keeping with the spirit of the original.
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MEFA Admin and Founder

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