Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: Book Learning · Author: Branwyn · Genres: Romance: Incomplete ·
ID: 910
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 12:14:02
I am loving this. Faramir just would look on the library as the perfect
resource for finding out more - yes, he might have gone to Boromir if he
was available, or possibly spoken quietly with Imrahil or his sons, but
he is quite likely to have treated the subject like a research topic
anyway! Eowyn, on the other hand, was very fortunate to find Freydis. A
delightful afternoon of gossip and - shall we say - wide-eyed
illumination is much more likely to be informative for a young woman who
has a decided lack of female kin! Cucumbers, indeed.

I do look forward to finding out just how Faramir and Eowyn - er - share
the results of their learning. Good stuff.
-----------------------------------
Title: A Yule Visit · Author: SlightlyTookish · Races: Hobbits:
Friendship · ID: 981
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 12:26:34
Lovely that Frodo turned up after all, even though things are clearly
not well. It sounds as if he is anxious to create a better memory of
Yule for the two of them to hold on to. A very comforting ending for
Frodo - taking him back to the time before rings and quests and his
failure to recover. Well done, Merry and Pippin. The longer they can
keep him there, the better. There is a definite tinge of bidding
farewell here - but if anyone can offer comfort, it will be his cousins.

-----------------------------------
Title: 'Til we meet again · Author: Dot · Races: Elves: Featuring
Mirkwood Elves · ID: 817
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 12:55:38
This is absolutely delightful, Dot. And so sad. When Legolas thinks that
it is harder to be the one left behind than the one to move on, he is so
right. Thranduil has had the joy of watching the forest recover from the
ill-effects of the Shadow, but he has lost wife, elder son - and now
Legolas, who really left him over a century before when he took his
group of elves to Ithilien. At least, though, he was within reach then -
but this is a farewell until such time as he is prepared to leave his
forest. Then, too, the number of elves is diminishing with the
inevitability of an ebbing tide - until he will, in all likelihood, be
the last one standing.

I like the title - it gives Legolas (and me) reassurance that Thranduil
does not intend to remain doggedly until it is too late for him to pass
across the sea. Whose voice was, by the way, beautifully described. I
always feel sorry that Legolas lost his closeness to the song of the
forest - and that the sea was no replacement, but perhaps it was. To
him, at least, even if its effect on him was upsetting to Thranduil.

Lovely story, Dot.
-----------------------------------
Title: Sums, Showers, and Scones · Author: Dreamflower · Races: Hobbits:
Pre-Quest · ID: 890
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 13:00:15
Such a sweet and peaceful afternoon. I'm glad the sudden shower brought
Sam in from the garden - even if wearing Merry's shirt was not entirely
proper!

There's nothing like spending a wet afternoon in the kitchen.
-----------------------------------
Title: The Secret of Dog Lake · Author: Karenator · Races: Elves · ID: 819
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 13:15:04
I love this story - it's full of so many lovely unspoken messages all
being passed over the heads of the oblivious young.

Celeborn saying he had to pay a dowry to get Elrond to take Celebrian
off his hands is so funny - as is the twins' confusion. (You don't often
get Celeborn joking - or, come to that, admitting that he is putty in
his daughter's hands.)

Celebrian admitting that she was a mischievous elfling and that it was
her mother who rolled up her sleeves and kept her daughter in order is
most amusing. I particularly like to think of a non-squeamish Galadriel.
I can believe that, somehow - together with the fact that it was a case
of like mother, like daughter!

And the thought of match-making Celebrian deciding that Haldir needs a
wife and elfling - perhaps he should start thinking of running now.

The conspiracy to get Haldir to tell the 'best' version of the story of
Dog Lake - the one suitable for elflings - is totally charming. So
typically elfling to want to know the name of the dog in preference to
the people!

I love the throat-clearing reminders to keep the story within boundaries
- and the final threat to take the frightened twins to share Haldir's
bed when they wake up at night. And he might just hold Celeborn to that
decree!

Lovely story.

-----------------------------------
Title: The Three Towers · Author: Shirebound · Times: The Great Years:
Post-Sauron's Fall · ID: 113
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 13:56:51
In this immediate-post-Quest story, on May 23, 1419 (S.R.), Frodo,
recovering in Minas Tirith, determines he wants to revisit Cirith Ungol,
the place where he was cruelly tormented a few months prior, to try and
remember what is now vague and blurred. He hopes that he might, in the
remembering, come to terms with what has happened. Sam, appalled,
worried, but game, has a feeling Aragorn should accompany them. Sam goes
to Aragorn and makes his plea. The King is pressed and busy with the
restoration of Minas Tirith, but he agrees; he will do anything "for Frodo".

After a few days of preparation, they ride off, re-visiting places that
Frodo and Sam had traveled through during the Quest, some of which now
are much improved. After a few days the party enters Cirith Ungol. And
quite an entourage it is; not only many men for guarding them against
stray orcs (or clearing away dead ones at the Tower before Frodo gets
there), but, except for Boromir and Bill the Pony, the entire Fellowship
comes along to support Frodo. That is the sort of esteem in which Frodo
is held by his king and friends, and, before the end, each will be
called upon to provide his own special kind of support.

Merry and Pippin, with one's youth and the other's zeal, provide loving
comfort and lighten the mood when it becomes too dark; Gimli destroys
the body of an old enemy and takes away its means or torture before
Frodo sees it; Legolas offers thoughtful feedback. At Frodos request,
Gandalf uses his expertise to help Frodo recover his memories, enabling
a sort of psychological re-enactment. Sam, (on hand from the beginning),
gets to sing part of his Tower song (Though here at journeys end I
lie), which further jogs Frodos memory. A guard from Minas Tirith,
Alcaren, recently made a widower, provides the ring, which he just
happens to wear on a chain around his neck. Frodo remembers, begins to
sort things out, and is helped to come to some therapeutic conclusions.
Light from the Elf stone at Aragorns throat further enables his inner
healing. Wisdom is shared, appreciation expressed, and mutual
affirmations are made all around.

I hadnt really given much thought to what Mordor might actually look
like after the fall of the Dark Tower, so this story was a welcome
eye-opener. I enjoyed the glimpses of recovering Ithilien (seeing the
head of the statue of the king at the Crossroads heartened me as much as
it did Frodo), and the picture of Mordor on the other side of the ridge
 still covered in a layer of volcanic ash and shards of rock, its
buildings broken or in ruins  stirred my imagination. The writing was
smooth and accomplished, and there were many fine character moments.

As for the tale itself, even if its chain of events didnt proceed in
such a pat manner  as if the whole thing were a dramatic device for
letting readers see more of Frodos Tower experience and see him healed
 I found its major premise questionable. Not that Frodo would wish to
recover from his trauma, nor even that he would feel so sure (more like
a contemporary psychiatric patient than a hobbit) that it would be
therapeutic to relive his Tower ordeal, but that he would go ahead with
his plan once he realized the sort of manpower, time and expense that
would be required in order to gratify his wish, especially considering
his friend and King was weeks away from the most anticipated and
longed-for event in his life, his wedding to Arwen Undomiel. This I do
not think Frodo would ever do.
-----------------------------------
Title: Lossarnach Yule · Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · Races: Men:
Gondor · ID: 677
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 14:09:08
I thoroughly enjoyed this story - a nice traditional tale of the triumph
of good over evil and friendship bringing good fortune to a worthy
family. It does seem very much according to Faramir's character to
ensure that the families of those who served among his Rangers would be
looked after. And that, if it took the twisting of a few rules, then it
would happen all the same.

I do feel for Idren. He has so much responsibility and worry on
shoulders not yet ready for it all. Thank goodness for Mablung and
Lorend and Hethlin. It must have been such a relief for the lad to
unburden himself to Lorend. Who, most fortunately, could do something
about most of his troubles!

The gathering of those determined to make life better for the
unfortunate family is most enjoyable. I'm not surprised that Idren
couldn't quite keep track of all that was going on. Nor that Lathron
gave in. He does, after all, know what's best for him! Lord Forlong came
over well - andLorend's parents are a delight. I don't blame Lorend for
his frustration when the cow needed help just at that moment. Typical!
Good that his parents joined them, though.

And I just had to reread the whole story - and it is just as delightful
now as it was last time and the time before.

Lovely world, delightful story, beautifully written.
-----------------------------------
Title: Following Orders · Author: EdorasLass · Times: The Great Years:
Gondor Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 54
Reviewer: Isabeau of Greenlea · 2006-08-12 14:27:10
A nice, creepy drabble about something I've wondered about from time to
time. Poor Faramir-insightful as he is supposed to be about the hearts
and minds of Men, it's very logical that he would have anger about the
people who tried to kill him.
-----------------------------------
Title: The Steward and the Wizard · Author: Acacea · Genres: Drama:
Gondor Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 522
Reviewer: Isabeau of Greenlea · 2006-08-12 14:35:55
Ouch! Poor Denethor! An interesting idea is put forth here in this short
piece-that perhaps Faramir is at least partly responsible for his
father's favoritism of his elder brother by favoring others over his
father himself.
-----------------------------------
Title: Stones · Author: Marigold · Races: Hobbits: Friendship · ID: 571
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 15:06:46
I found this to be a delightful story. At first glance, the idea of
Pippin collecting stones wherever he goes seems remarkably childish and
in tune with the young hobbit he was when he set out on the quest - but,
once he explains his reasoning, it actually becomes a very good idea.
(Like a lot of things to do with Pippin.) Like him, I would probably go
back over old ground to try to find the stones tucked away in the hope
of retrieving them later! Not, I suspect, that he wouldn't remember the
tales anyway, but ... it's just like taking home a Present from Blackpool!

And now he has Merry doing it. They'll need an extra pony for the return
journey!


-----------------------------------
Title: Thranduil's begetting day · Author: daw the minstrel · Genres:
Humor · ID: 287
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2006-08-12 15:18:59
This is a delightful dance of characters - all come together for
pleasure. Aunt Glilan and her determination to provide suitable maidens
is most amusing (unless you're Legolas) and I would like to know how
Eilian managed so successfully in a single exposure to deter her from
ever trying again to find him a bride. Then there was Eilian -
entertaining Toviel in the stables and being mistaken for a stable boy.
Whereas, as we all know, there are moments when he is more of an
unstable boy.

I loved meeting Calith's son. Admiring the activities of Sinnarn and
Maltanaur's grandson. I imagine friendship with Sinnarn caused much the
same dread in parental hearts that friendship with Eilian did some
half-century or so earlier. My toes curl up at the thought of those
rilliums - but I suspect Thranduil will love Sinnarn all the more for
providing them. (It must be rather grand not to be able to do any wrong
in Thranduil's eyes. I'm sure Eilian and Legolas agree.)

But something about Beliond being a little frightening kept me giggling.
Such an ... inadequate description of our favourite curmudgeon.

And the farce of the final chapter! Imprisoned keepers and rillium
fights! No wonder the men don't quite know what to make of them all. The
only one I feel sorry for is Alfirin, who tried so hard to give
Thranduil a memorable begetting day - only to have it turn out even more
memorable in ways I am sure she won't want to recall.

Lovely story.
-----------------------------------
Title: Passing Regrets · Author: Ariel · Races: Hobbits: Pre-Quest · ID: 657
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 15:37:37
What a great story! Ive read many stories of Frodos early childhood,
often depicting it as dreary or even downright terrible, but you seem to
have hit the right note. This story of what it was like for Frodo
growing up, with loving, normal hobbit parents, with [a thoroughly
enchanted] Bilbo looking on, seems right on the money in terms of what I
read in canon.

Bilbos first sight of Frodo: I loved the vision of the toddler:
[He walked very deliberately as he clung to his nurse's hand, tottering
a bit as if he were still learning the craft, and drinking in the sights
and sounds of the celebration. Primula gathered him up and straddled him
expertly over her hip as she rejoined her husband at the edge of the
circle of hobbits under the party tree.

The boy didn't make a sound as the Bagginses dutifully greeted him. His
little face had a look, not of fear, but of serious deliberation, as if
he were busily memorizing every name and face for later evaluation.
Bilbo chuckled and rose lightly to his feet, setting himself in line to
greet the newest Baggins lad.]

I can just see him. At first I thought you were going to paint Frodo as
too humourless, too serious a child, but then you included Primulas
cautions to Bilbo about what her son would be like once he began to feel
more familiar and comfortable in his new settings. Then, she warned with
a twinkle, hed be a terror! Which only made Bilbo want to see this
hellion in action, I am sure. That Bilbo should be won by the childs
smile -- like a beacon (ah, that spark Tolkien spoke of!) -- said
more about Bilbo, perhaps, than about Frodo.

Your picture of young Frodo as highly observant, and observing, makes so
much sense considering the sort of person he turns out to be, the hobbit
who was chosen to bear the Ring, and who recorded the tale of many in
The Red Book. If he were not a child who paid attention, who watched,
from an early age, how would he have gathered the material that would
become the saga of LotR? How would he have survived in the first place?

[And, in turn, the boy stared at him. Bilbo felt himself being weighed
and measured, catalogued and judged by this studious little fellow. So
intense was the feeling that Bilbo would not have been surprised if the
boy had opened his mouth and spoken, in a clear and adult voice, the
words of fair greeting.]

You are not just describing a precocious child, but an arresting
child. Your little Frodo is so  immediate, so direct  in his
interactions. I love that. What a shame he will have to veil it all when
he is older, if only out of self-protection.

Im going to quote a long section here, even though I know it counts as
no points at all, simply because the sequence is so brilliant, and
because it moved me so much (and I could quote many more snippets).
Bilbo makes so bold as to ask if he might hold Frodo. Primula teases him
for his wish (like the ladies), but hands him over the table.

[Frodo looked at him even more intently when he realized he was being
handed over, his piercing eyes raking over Bilbos frame. Whatever he
saw seemed to satisfy him, however, and he settled against the older
hobbit without a backward glance. Bilbo sat back down with the child
nestled in the crook of his arm.]

Bilbo had better watch out! No one, not even an eighty-year-old bachelor
hobbit, can be assessed by a pet or a child and found acceptable, and
not turn to putty.

[He wasnt as light as his small body suggested and Bilbos respect for
Primulas handicapped grace increased. He was a solid child for all his
softly padded curves, and Bilbo could feel the surging mischievous
energy that swirled just under the surface.]

It may seem like an innocuous paragraph about how cute Frodo is, and
what a dear little bum he would have had, but I read it as a statement
of Frodos future mettle. Hes pretty, hes unique (yes, that ubiquitous
word, Elvish), but, as you say, hes unexpectedly solid, with lots of
fire underneath his peaches-and-cream exterior.

[Once in Bilbos arms, Frodo seemed to realize he was once again within
range of the mugs on the table and he reached for them.

Oh, you are a thirsty thing! Bilbo chuckled. Here, this one has some
cool cider left. Would that do you? He reached for the indicated cup
and gave it to the tyke. Frodo wrapped his small hands around it and
began to drink with gusto. He paused once, seemingly to breathe, and
then finished off the cup, panting afterwards as if hed just run a race.]

Again, it seems like a harmless observation on perpetually thirsty and
hungry children, but I read it as a statement about Frodos ardour and
zest, his appetite for life, and his will to have what he wanted to
have, which only makes his fate more grave.

[Easy there! You were thirsty, werent you! There now, Uncle Bilbo will
have your father get you some more of this. He looked up, searching to
where Drogo had gone to see if he could request a cider instead of the
shrub.

Beebo? said the small voice and Bilbo felt a surge run up his spine.

The boy dropped the empty cup in his lap and reached up to touch Bilbos
face, exploring the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth.
Bilbo didnt move, afraid to disturb the childs studious investigation.]

That was it. Bilbo was done for. The poke in the eye and the sweet
breath against his cheek only confirmed it. No other child could have
fiddled with Bilbos diamond stud or wrinkled his waistcoat and got away
with it. This one could and did. This interaction starts a whole train
of thought going in Bilbos head, all about what he might have missed,
not having a child. But Bilbo is a very astute hobbit; he realizes that
it isnt having a child that he has missed, but having *this* child.

In this passage of your story, you make clear that from this moment on,
Bilbo will be watching out for this child, in new-found, unanticipated love.
-----------------------------------
Title: Starlight at Eventide · Author: Ariel · Races: Hobbits: Post-Grey
Havens · ID: 821
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 15:38:25
You began with a splendid opening chapter. The reader finds out at the
same rate Estella does how sick shes been, why shes been sick, and
whos been sticking close by her. The thrum of Merrys heart is the
repeated motif, the sound and feel of it: constant; strong; anchoring
her to life. Its as if you have started off your fic with a steady,
insistent beat, sort of like the opening of Ravels Bolero. *smile*

You included much that underscored how real your hobbits were; adults,
easily recognizable as people past their first youth, but still in their
prime years for loving and being fruitful, not cute little wee folk
who are merely playing at grown-up life. Also very real and recognizable
was the observation that Merry loved Estella all the more desperately,
nearly losing her; her brush with death made him fearful of spoiling her
recovery, almost as if he were superstitious, the way many of us are.
If I enjoy this too much, it will go away! That Estella should not
perceive this feeling in Merry was also perfectly recognizable. She is
worried over having lost her looks. And, honest author that you are, you
let your hero admit that he misses her former looks. She mourns for the
loss of fertility, but Merry doesnt quite understand that. The scene in
which he peeps through the door when she is weeping by herself is very
affecting.

This was a story about people with a deep, committed relationship that
has come under unexpected siege. Yet they manage to come through it
because of love, good advice from beloved friends, and taking the risk
of talking honestly and plainly with each other. They emerge as more
vibrant, more enriched than ever; in themselves and in their love for
each other, even as they realise that the other is more deep and
mysterious than they had ever imagined. You do much to support this
premise, and do it well.

A few notes. I loved&.

-- the way you conceived the scene between Merry and Pippin over
horseflesh. The juxtaposition of the ease and naturalness of the horses
mating and the difficult time Merry was having recovering his amorous
relationship with Estella was perfect. Pippin was awfully sympathetic,
too, as a friend who can be frank without being confrontational.

-- the way you wove in the spectacle of Aragorn and Arwen together,
calling to Merrys mind the song of Beren and Luthien, so that he could
draw the comparison of Luthiens love with Estellas: that she would
wish to love him to the full, come what may, even at the diminishment of
her life.

-- the touch you added in Ch. 8 that Merry could feel Estellas
heartbeat  steady and strong  recalling the steady, strong heartbeat
that had so comforted Estella when she was ill.

-- the way you subtly drew a comparison between Estellas new Elvish
looks (in her new dress at the celebration) and Frodos, harkening back
to Merrys continued sorrow over the loss of his Elvish friend. Her
new look seemed to make Merry love her all the more, yet, perhaps,
amplifying his fear that he would lose her, just as he lost his older
friend. How appropriate that their joyous reconciliation should come at
this point in the story. And such responsiveness! I was in admiring awe
over Estella reaching a climax after Merry had only unfastened her
corset, followed by nuzzling her inner thigh. No wonder he had missed
this woman in bed! And no wonder she had missed being in it with him!
Yet its not just the pleasure. In their love scene in last chapter you
underscore this by your choice of words: she is Merrys treasured
spirit; he embraced her soul with tenderness; he felt her bright
spirit; her essence filled his heart; he cradled her spirit; she
was his light. All of these expressions emphasize that the bond he
feels with his wife is deeper than what their bodies celebrate physically.

This line was super, as your sum-up: [Within his wifes being he had
seen the dark under the stars of the worlds beginning. Perhaps all
women held, unrealized to themselves, some morsel of that power that
brought the world into being (&)]
-----------------------------------
Title: Benison · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Drama: Remembering · ID: 67
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 15:40:24
This presented an intriguing, unexpected image for me of Eowyn. I
suppose Ive never stopped to picture Eowyn past the time of standing on
the wall with Faramir, their hair mingling in the wind. What did the
Shieldmaiden of Rohan do after she settled into married life? How would
she have adjusted? You show her making the transition with modesty and
grace  further graced by the unintended gift of the dead woman, the
wife of Denethor, who would have been her mother-in-law.

The opening of the sewing basket was splendidly done; I longed to see
every little thing and snatched at each object as you uncovered it for
us in prose. What an eye for *just* the right detail you have.

This is the second of your nominated fics I ve read, which gave a
glimpse of Denethors youth  a young steward, full of fire, worthy of
the love of women, but whose passion was poured out on his wife. How
might Denethor have fared had she lived? The way he responded to her
death  becoming tormented and deformed inside from the torment  makes
me wonder if Boromir might have been similarly affected, had he lived,
if he came back home to find Theodred slain and buried (taking for
granted your love affair for the two characters, of course).
-----------------------------------
Title: Heirlooms · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Drama: Remembering · ID: 72
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 15:41:36
A fine conceit! Again, you have done much done through carefully chosen
details to open up my imagination to a time and characters I knew little
or nothing about, and illuminated (by further insights) characters I did
know something about. The notion of a thing passed on without the
original maker (Morwen) having an inkling as to where or to whom it
might in time go is an inspired one.

In Tolkiens stories, the motif of an heirloom having great meaning is a
strong one. How fitting, that in this story you should fashion heirlooms
of a homelier sort than swords and shields. It reminds me that more than
weaponry and battle skills make a noble hero.

I was touched, too, by the idea that not just Grandmother Morwen, but
the dead uncles of the boys both were able to reach through time to give
these gifts, just as in Benison, Finduilas did it for Eowyn. The passing
of the heirlooms in this way helps convey a sense of love strong and
enduring enough to weave itself into the lives of those who come after,
even after those who first loved have died and passed on.
-----------------------------------
Title: Diplomatic Relations · Author: annmarwalk/EdorasLass CoAuthors ·
Genres: Romance: Gondor · ID: 189
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 15:43:56
This was high-quality Lotr romance-fanfic, I have to say. Whatever you
made of the cultural approaches towards same-sex love in these two
realms (vis-à-vis Tolkien), it all sounded totally authentic within your
world. The setting, the people, the ambiance, the diction of the
characters, all sounded like the world of the books. The formal, staid
Gondorians sounded more familiar, the Rohirric culture, more exotic.
They arent really like the Greeks or Romans, even if they share a
tolerance, even support, for same-sex love, especially for their youth.
I dont think the Greeks or the Romans welcomed women in their practices
for sexual initiation, for instance, which makes the Rohirrim quite
ahead of their time. (Where was I during this era?) But the cultural
practice is described convincingly.

As for the romance between the two men, it was love at first sight
(the sensitive reader intuits that its not going to be merely lust at
first sight), but I believed it; it seemed perfectly plausible for these
two characters. The erotica was handled very tastefully, but adult
readers certainly got the point, so that the references to their love
conveyed a sense of their pleasure and excitement, without pressing the
mechanics of it.

This story definitely made me want to read more. It normally read hobbit
slash which tends to be very different. A lot of it falls in the genre
of Bawdy Romp, since hobbits are supposed to be creatures of appetite
with a lot of spare time on their hands. The rest is mostly angsty, with
characters driven to find themselves and self-actualize. Your story of
these two men is a story of two *men*, people with real jobs in the
world  mens jobs  which they go about doing to the best of their
ability, with very little time taken for personal pleasure. I feel as
though Ive left a world of prolonged adolescence for a world where
adolescence is short: the goal is adulthood with an adults duties and
responsibilities. This burdened quality to your characters lives makes
the time they are able to spend together that much more precious.

P.S. Loved the philosophical, live-and-let live Theoden. No wonder his
nephew and niece loved him before Wormtongue got to him.
-----------------------------------
Title: Breath of Winter · Author: Cuthalion · Genres: Drama: Featuring
Pippin or Merry · ID: 101
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 15:55:43
This story had many, many wonderful moments for me in it. The conceit is
a good one: the hobbit friends, from the excellently-written POV of
Merry, are presented with the frightful situation of Frodo in dire
straights -- in terrible pain and very ill from the wound on Weathertop
-- left by their authority figure, Aragorn, to do for Frodo without
him. Frodos major presenting symptom is coldness. I loved the way you
let Merry express it:

[Once more I take your hand, and once more I shy back from the
coldness, flowing down from your shoulder and burning my skin like ice.]

This leads into a very well-imagined, well-suited flash-back to a time
when the shoe was on the other foot (not that hobbits wear shoes  poor
choice of expressions!). Frodo is a tween in Buckland, and Merry and
Pippin are lads, during a hard winter. Merry and Pippin go wandering off
to look at the ice and snow; a storm comes and they are trapped in the
weather. Everyone goes out to search for them, including Frodo. Long
after the horn is blown for the searchers to come back in from the
worsening storm (such a moving use for the Horn of Buckland!), Frodo
finds the little hobbits. Merry has found a place for them inside a
fallen, ruined oak (wise Merry  and already being helped by trees!),
but Pippin, so very little (one could die from Awww!s to hear Pippin,
so little and blithe and trusting, asking Merry if hes brought a picnic
when they reach the Jewel Tree), is on his way to frostbite. This all is
vividly described (super description of the snow scenes, concerned
parents, etc.), with lots of suspense, but the best is yet to come.

How I loved the scene inside the oak. Frodo is simply, well, wonderful
is an understatement. If you wrote certain sorts of fic, I might feel a
little alarmed to witness Frodos decision to strip himself and the
children, to hunker with them under the sheepskins he had brought (the
good shepherd!), snuggling them close to warm them, keeping them calm
and rapt by singing them songs. [I thought we would die], Merry
confides. [I wont let you die], Frodo assures him. *SOB* The verse,
[Breath of winter, so cold and white], was excellent in itself. Was it
yours, or does it come from somewhere in Tolkien? I cant tell, it fits
so well. And so the night goes, with Frodo watching over them, tending
the fire he has made, holding them close until morning comes.

You end back in the Quest. The remembrance inspires Merry to return the
favour to the now freezing, deathly ill Frodo: the hobbit friends strip
Frodo and themselves, right down to their skivvies, snuggling close to
keep him warm and living, chanting to him the song Frodo sang to them,
years before, when he kept them alive through a winter's night.

Again, if you wrote another sort of fic, I might read this scene as if
it were written with a bit of a wink. But, as it is, I thought the scene
was lovely, convincing and moving. This fic, more than many have done,
shows the young hobbits in a way that thoroughly explains why they
should love their older cousin so, thinking the world of him, and having
complete confidence in him.

Well done, Cúthalion!
-----------------------------------
Title: Unspeakable · Author: White Gull · Genres: Romance: Poetry · ID: 822
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 15:58:49
This poem well expresses what a lot of readers who love Frodo feel. I
dont know if this is written from the POV of one of your heroines,
White Gull, or from that of any of those who love him. Everyone who sees
Frodos suffering -- especially once he has returned to find that he is
no longer able to enjoy his old life: his home, his friends, his past
pleasures -- wishes to see him healed. And not just in Tol Eressea, but
right in Middle-earth, in the Shire, in the midst of the land he loved
and for which he gave himself.

In verse 3, the heroine of your poem shows that she wishes to make him
well through earthy pleasures, the sort that any hobbit should enjoy:
the simple but unspeakable pleasures of being in the arms of ones
lover. But she is astute. [I cant give what you wont take], she
says, acknowledging the depth of her beloveds self-blame, and lingering
attachment to the destroyed Ring (if thats what you mean in v. 4 about
[a vow] to which Frodo remains so tightly bound that he cant respond
to what a lover might do for him to [stay the dark] he fears). The
heroine wants healing for Frodos sake (vss. 2-4), but also for her own,
since she yearns for his love unrequitedly (vss. 5 and 6). The final
verse could have been a simple happily ever after stanza, but you
finished it with a more nuanced idea, acknowledging that the therapy of
love-making, however blissful, might not be a permanent measure to keep
such pain from returning. Nevertheless, the heroine says, the seeking
for it was unspeakable  unspeakably worthwhile, I take her to mean.

I hope she will be able to persuade him to continue with her therapy.
One doesn't get rid of a sore neck with only one massage; it takes
repeated applications. Seriously, White Gull, this was very well-done in
both the verse-making and the poignant content.
-----------------------------------
Title: Tinúviel, Tinúviel · Author: Cuthalion · Genres: Romance: Rohan ·
ID: 103
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 16:00:23
This story is based on a movie scene. While re-tellings of film scenes
are not my favourite sorts of fanfics, you do some nice things fleshing
out the interior thoughts of Aragorn after he has gone over the cliff
with the Warg. Once he begins to skirt with consciousness, thoughts of
his past in Imladris turn to thoughts of his nightingale, Arwen. Those
thoughts recall him, and act as a blessing. The appearance of Brego, as
if sent by Arwen, further bolsters him. Supported by thoughts of his
lover, his concerns widen to think of the beleaguered people of Rohan,
and of the Quest, focussing in the small person of the Ring-bearer, Frodo.

[I will not disappoint him], Aragorn vows silently, his hope and
resolve re-kindled by the love of his Tinúviel, whom he also vows not to
disappoint. It's good to see how his love of individuals fuels his love
and sense of service towards the wider world, for which he soon will
bear so much responsibility.


-----------------------------------
Title: ... and hear the song of salt and sea · Author: Cuthalion ·
Genres: Drama: The Steward's Family · ID: 98
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 16:06:03
In this fic, you envisioned a part of the LotR backstory that I have
never stopped to think about: Finduilas of Dol Amroth, and what her
marriage to Denethor might have been like. Thanks so much for bringing
this gap to life for me.

(Before I forget, I want to say I loved the touch of her remembering how
her brother would take the boy Faramirs hand during walks when they
visited in Dol Amroth  the prince and uncle who would save Faramir as
he fled before the Nazgûl, across fields of the Pelennor, decades hence
.... This little detail touched me deeply; its the sort of
gap-filling that fleshes out the story beautifully, making characters
merely glimpsed in the canon text live.)

From the first, you show your protagonist, Finduilas, as a gently,
caring soul. Although [she did not love him at first sight], in time
she came to see his loneliness and loved him. Yet, love was not enough.
How well you sketch the sort of place Finduilas grew up in, Dol Amroth,
by the sea. I have never thought of Minas Tirith as anything but
beautiful; somewhere Id like to live. But, to make a comparison, while
Rome was beautiful and impressive, emperors preferred to take their
holidays in Capri. You make it understandable how a woman raised by the
sea, with its milder weather, soft breezes, and fragrant gardens (and
from a beloved home), would find the White City as severe as its
steward. Too hard, too exposed, too hot, too cold. You tell how his
cares (fighting the powers of the East) harden and darken Denethors
heart, so that love wanes. Then, his patronage of his first son and
rejection of her second son  or the way she was raising him  seems
finally to kill her love.

In the appendices, Tolkien implied two main threads for why Finduilas
would have grown unhappy. I think you touched on both of them. He says,
&it seemed to men that she withered in the guarded city, as a flower of
the seaward vales set upon a barren rock. The shadow in the east filled
her with horror, and she turned her eyes ever south to the sea that she
missed. Your Finduilas did not seem directly affected by horror in
the east, but she certainly suffered through Denethors grim
preoccupation with it. Her withering because she was, so to speak, out
of her element  a sea flower on a barren rock of a city  was
well-shown in your story.

My only reservation about this fine fic concerns its ending. Nowhere in
the canon materials or drafts is it hinted that Finduilas actually
killed herself (is it?). She died untimely; she withered. We know her
children mourned her, and that her husband became more grim and taciturn
and sour after losing her to death.

Considering the way in which you depicted Finduilas sinking into deeper
and deeper despond and depression, it is entirely plausible that she
would have killed herself in the way you describe. But, based on my
knowledge of real-life situations in which a parent has killed herself,
the way this sort of death would have impacted her survivors would have
been extremely severe. Denethor would have been incapacitated by guilt,
and I don't see how her sons would have got over it. From the source
materials, though, this did not appear to be the case. Therefore, I
think you could keep the idea that she killed herself, but it might do
to show that it was generally *believed* ("generally" including her
children and husband) that her death was accidental.

If Denethor lived to be haunted by the suspicion that it had been
intentional, and that he himself was responsible for the state of misery
that would have driven her to it, that could make sense in the context
of canon. But he could not know *for sure* -- he'd have to be able to
put the thought aside enough to shoulder the huge responsibilities he
actually had. And her sons could not be allowed to know at all, I think,
or the repercussions would have to have shown up more than they do in
their LotR portrayals.

A sequel, perhaps...? :D
-----------------------------------
Title: House with the Cedar Shingles: Ramson Spring · Author: Cuthalion
· Times: Fourth Age and Beyond: Gondor · ID: 987
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 16:09:23
This was a complete delight, Cúthalion! From beginning to end, it was a
pleasure to read, conveying me to a world and time in Middle-earths
history that I do not know well. Ive read only a handful of fics that
take place long after the Quest (ones that dont take place in the
Undying Lands). This one was just great.

The opening was light and fluffy: the Gamgees at Court; along with the
treat of seeing Elboron (what a dish hes going to be when he grows
up!). Your powers of description, and your knowledge of growing things
Ive seen you demonstrate in other stories was put to excellent use
here, especially in the scenes at Noerwens.

After the fluffy start, you took us with Sam and Rosie to the home of
people I did not know at all. In fact, with the divider indicator
between the sections, I really did not know at first if I was still in
Ithilien or in some other part of Middle-earth, or whether it was the
same time frame as the first section, or what sort of folk Noerwen and
Lírulin were (Men, I think  but what sort?). Surely not Dwarves or
Elves. I stayed with you, to be utterly gratified to see Samwise stand
his ground before the huge dog, Maethor. No wonder the Healer of
Ithilien (as she turned out to be) was reminded of tales of this hobbit
facing off with Shelob!

Soon the tale was no longer light and fluffy, but grew more and more
contemplative and profound, delving into the loss Sam still felt towards
Frodos leaving, but in a beautifully understated way, revealing the
understanding this woman seemed to have for what Sam and Frodo had been
through, along with a glimpse into the profundity of her own
relationship with her husband, the Ranger, Damrod. You even gratified me
with a sense of the Great Tale of Frodo, and his War of the Ring, and
how it would have been sung and handed down after his departure to the
West. I was one happy reader.

I had one question. In the scene between Noerwen and Damrod, he asks her...

[Did& did you ever regret it? he suddenly asked.

What?

That you left your world behind& to be with me?]

What did he mean by this? What world had Noerwen left behind to be with
him? Does he mean that she left her sphere of regular humans (with
normal life spans) to marry him, a Numenorean? And that she will
probably pre-decease him? That is all I could think of. Perhaps I missed
a detail that would have let me know what the issue was behind this
discussion.

This was a super story, Cúthalion. I am so happy it was nominated, or I
might never have read it.
-----------------------------------
Title: Shelter · Author: Shirebound · Times: The Great Years:
Post-Sauron's Fall · ID: 217
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 16:14:00
If ever there was a story to make up for all the appreciation and
attention the film hobbits didnt get in the films after the battle at
the Black Gate because there were no Cormallen scenes (e.g. the tending
of the sick hobbits, and the honouring ceremony), and no scene of Merry
being healed in the HOH, *this* would be it.

I absolutely wallowed in vicarious pleasure as the Men filed through the
tent of the injured hobbits in your Ch. 1, sighing with them their sighs
of affection, appreciation, and wonder at the little brave-hearts lying
there. Ch. 2 got to me in the same way, with the wonderful passage about
how the presence of the courageous little ones in the tent of the
wounded lifted the hearts and brought smiles to the lips of the most
battle-hardened soldier. How gratifying to a hobbit fan!

The fic allowed plenty of opportunity for the reader to vicariously care
for and cherish the hobbit heroes, too. I loved the passage in Ch. 1
when Gimli lifts Pippin to sit up a bit. It is so lovingly described.
And to have Gimli (the gruff Dwarf) be the one to behave thus makes it
all the more delightful. In fact, your Gimli is a delight throughout, as
is your Pip; very young, high-hearted, voluble, and completely
irresistible. The way you used Merrys POV (as the more serious and
concerned hobbit) to focus attention on Frodos state and what might
have befallen him was awfully good. [What *happened* to him?] he
demands, the reader demanding it right along with him.

All through, I thought your dialogue for the characters was simply and
faithfully imagined, only increasing the appeal of this story, which is
as charming as the characters it describes.
-----------------------------------
Title: Healed · Author: Shirebound · Genres: Alternate Universe:
Post-Grey Havens · ID: 117
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 16:19:52
*To start, may I say that your 'disclaimer' at the top of all your fics
is my favourite of all that Ive read.*

Shirebound, if someone had told me before-hand the premise of this
story, I probably would not have read it, thinking it would be too silly
for words. But you have carried it through and fashioned a story of
considerable charm. It is AU, but what a sweet-natured AU it is. In it,
you have healed everyone, even Celebrian, whose story always made me
sad, seeing in it a parallel to Frodos, who, after the Quest, was no
longer able to take joy in his life or in Middle-earth, just as
Celebrian could not after being attacked. She sailed West, too, hoping
for healing.

And it was gratifying to see her reunited with Galadriel. You allowed me
to see Galadriel as a mother, a very different role from Lady of
Lothlorien and Keeper of Nenya. In LotR, I cant remember a passage
where she is ever seen with an intimate family member; even with
Celeborn she seems distant, as if they have a state marriage. In the
Silmarillion, the Elves are depicted with intense familial relationships
(even if often unhappy), but, in LotR I sometimes lose a sense of the
Elves even having families; they just are.

I enjoyed looking at the five hobbits from a different perspective in
your fic, not only because you portrayed them all as children, but
because of the five roles you assigned them: explorer, poet, artist,
singer, and scribe. Not only were the titles and what they implied about
the characters simply interesting to me, the device of the titles added
to the sense of your fic being a tale or legend.

To see all your characters so thoroughly healed was a pleasure. I was
moved to hear Frodo described by Elrond (Elrond!) in this manner:
[Perhaps not since the Firstborn awoke in Middle-earth and greeted each
new thing with joy and wonder has there been such an open, eager
spirit.] *happy sniffling on Frodos behalf*

Minor note: I did wonder at the hobbits being noted for their extreme
curiosity (at the opening, by Elrond, and then at the end by Gandalf).
It seemed to me that Tolkien made a point of saying that hobbits were
precisely *not* curious -- a fault in them, he implied. The Took clan
was known to show a bit more curiosity in some of its members than the
rest. Pippin possessed the trait to a remarkable degree -- and this was
frequently noted in LotR, but as exceptional , not typical.

-----------------------------------
Title: In Frodo's Hands · Author: Mews1945 · Races: Hobbits: Pre-Quest ·
ID: 62
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 16:27:58
Mews, this was quite a beautiful story. You took a fairly simple
premise: Frodo gets left with the care of Pippin, whom he occupies by
letting him join him doing everyday tasts. Simple, but crafty, you are!
You took that premise and just followed it along, letting it open up, as
if all by itself, until it naturally and easily presented your
characters in a convincing, engaging way. Your Frodo and Pippin are
characters to love. They are familiar, resembling canon enough for me to
warm to them at once, yet you emphasized characteristics slightly
differently from what I would, letting me see new aspects of them.

I have never seen Frodo presented as a born teacher as well as you have
in this story. Most Frodos who are depicted as teachers are also
pedantic, trotting out the moral lesson in any situation, a behaviour I
cant imagine in Frodo. The way you portrayed him with his little-boy
cousin made him seem like a natural  he just *is* suited as an
instructor of the young, even if his talents havent been tapped  until
now. Your Frodo isnt at all indulgent with Pippin; in fact, he is
notably fastidious in his habits, and requires that Pippin comply. Yet
he is respectful of his little cousin, takes the child and his efforts
seriously, is good-humoured, patient and kindly. How could Pippin not be
impressed (and smitten) by his much-older cousin?

Your Pippin is very well-drawn. Everyone seems to love reading of Pippin
as a charming scamp; me, too. But your story plausibly shows *why*
Pippins behaviour draws censure. You show how he gets into trouble, but
allow him to display the fineness of character and feeling that will
come out so strongly in LotR, especially in the third book, in Minas
Tirith. Too often have I read a Pippin who, while amusing and charming,
could not possibly turn out to be the young hobbit who offers his
service to Denethor, or befriends and comforts young Bergil on the walls
of Minas Tirith. In this storys characterization of little-boy Pippin,
I think you have done much to portray the sort of child who will become
the one we see in RotK.

Thanks so much for a Pippin who is the little terror we are so
familiar with (that is, always in trouble, somehow), yet who has the
high heart, the noble nature, and the sensitive spirit that is revealed
in LotR as the more profound side of his character.

-----------------------------------
Title: Frodo Lad: First Yule · Author: Mews1945 · Races: Hobbits:
Pre-Quest · ID: 830
Reviewer: Mechtild · 2006-08-12 16:36:00
What a lovely sojourn in the Shire. This is one of those fics that
allows the reader to enter into its world and just live there until it
is over. You establish your settings  their look and feel 
beautifully. Its wonderfully cozy and comfortable; the Shire is a safe
haven with kindly, wise parents and good-hearted relations. Even
Pimpernel, who makes her entrance as a future harridan, is given a
softer side when Frodo feels sorry for her, her belongings having been
spoilt by a wrongly-vengeful Pippin. I feel as though I am at those
scrumptious dinners, pulling my comfy chair up to those blazing fires,
and snuggling under those covers with the best cousin in the world.

Yes, best. If Frodos talent for teaching was emphasized in ["In
Frodos Hands"], Frodos kindness, protective instincts, and empathy are
shown off in this one  and, as in ["In Frodos Hands"], these are
feelings and instincts he didnt know he had until tapped. (Loved the
passage in which he felt Pippin cowering behind him, and was
unexpectedly moved by the small childs trembling.) Circumstances (they
share a room) and Frodos empathetic nature combine to make Frodo and
his lively, sensitive little cousin friends.

As in ["In Frodos Hands"], one of the things that most recommends this
story to me is the characterization of Pippin. He is so unlike the
cheeky, smirking, wise-cracking Pippins I read so often. I know hes
only a little boy in this fic, but I feel confident that this Pippin
could never grow into that sort of tween or adult. In that moment in the
Hobbiton section of your story, in which Pippin walks at Frodos side
and slips his little hand into Frodos, he is so very much without
guile, how could I not be enchanted?

Your ending image, with all the young hobbits in bed, listening to a
bedtime story, is wonderfully well-done. They are so cozy with the
younger two leaning on Frodo in the middle (how appropriate to his
future role!), with the wind howling outside, and the fire burning in
the grate (loved how the fire crackled and murmured in the grate,
the wind rattled the shutters, and the hobbit-children munched their
filched treats  a string of great verbs). It leaves the reader with a
terrific feeling of satisfaction. All is well with the world  or at
least the world of the Shire  for now.

-----------------------------------