Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: The Way of a King · Author: Katzilla · Races: Men · ID: 847
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-08-29 00:33:15
Not as polished as [Untold Tales of the Mark: The Banishment of Eomer],
these shorts do give background that the larger story uses, though they
work equally well as canonical gapfillers since they are set prior to
the departure point of the AU.

The backstory of Eomer, Eowyn, and Grima is intriguing, especially for
showing the way early on, a split between Eomer and Theodred over the
counselor is very plausible. One feels for frustrated young judgment,
that can't get a hearing from the older, wiser heads yet and has to
swallow pride and bide its time.

The tale of Eomer's first warg encounter in the Ered Nimrais, his
meeting with Freya and the swift birth and death of love between them
was enjoyable. We get a taste of Elfhelm's personality, and a little
more of Eothain and Eomer in their younger days.

Solid plotting, if a little shakey in style. But don't let that stop you
from reading these!
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Title: In The Pits Of Utumno · Author: Jay of Lasgalen · Races: Elves ·
ID: 164
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-08-29 00:49:55
You know, I was thinking there was something suspicious about the fact
that 'Elatan' had made it so far into Utumno without being caught, and
then managed to get his friend--his friend who was totally
unrestrained--out again even as far as the throne room. And in fact,
suspicion was justified, though perhaps not in the way one might expect.

I can't say more than that without giving it away, but give this one a
try. The twist at the end is... interesting. Well done, Jay!
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Title: What Better Companion? · Author: Space Weavil · Races: Elves ·
ID: 175
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-08-29 00:58:00
Interesting contemplative piece, although it seems Olorin contradicts
himself there at the end. But I liked his innocent interest and
enthusiasm, which contrasts with Glorfindel's uncertainty and sense of
anxious anticipation, his sense that he has still more to do, though he
doesn't know what nor why he should be granted a return to both Valinor
and the flesh.
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Title: House of Reeds · Author: The Bookbinder's Daughter · Races: Elves
· ID: 660
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-08-29 01:08:11
Enigmatic and lovely! I'm impressed: Goldberry is such a hard character
to write, and in any case she's rarely written, perhaps for that very
reason. This is an unusual interaction, but an intriguing one.

I love the slowness of this story, despite its brevity--it's a courtship
that lasts years, while like Narcissus and Echo, Glorfindel and
Goldberry sit upon the riverbank watching lilies bloom and die, rarely
speaking. Glorfindel's efforts to avoid the dawning of his new task,
which would force him to own his past instead of freezing himself in the
vision of Goldberry, who is herself seeking or waiting for someone to
make her world whole, are believable.

And as Goldberry's world runs on a time out of synch with even
Glorfindel's elven longevity, so his invitation to her comes too late,
and propels him out into the world, to another woman who mirrors
Goldberry but cannot replace her. Nicely done!
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Title: Lay of Lord and Lady · Author: Vana Tuivana · Genres: Drama:
Poetry · ID: 629
Reviewer: Branwyn · 2006-08-29 01:15:15
The tale of Eol and Aredhel is cast in the form of a traditional ballad,
down to formulaic refrains for the two lovers-- ["Bright was the sun,
and fair was the day"] and ["And dark was the shade and cold was the
vale."] I am only vaguely familiar with this story, but the poem is
written clearly so that I had no trouble following the narrative. The
contrasting imagery of light and darkness is used very efffectively to
portray this pair of opposite personalities. Well done!
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Title: The Secret of Dog Lake · Author: Karenator · Races: Elves · ID: 819
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-08-29 01:18:46
Cute interaction of a very young Elladan and Elrohir with Haldir and his
brothers. Nice family portrait of Celbrian, Elrond, Galadriel, and
Celeborn as well--good to see they have senses of humor!

The story works well as a campfire story, suitably eerie by the end, and
certainly the sort of thing that gives young children a delicious scare.
HOpefully, Elrond will not have to carry out his threat to dump
terrified children into Haldir's flet in the middle of the night.
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Title: Here You Cannot Leave Me · Author: Alassante · Genres: Drama:
Poetry · ID: 356
Reviewer: Branwyn · 2006-08-29 01:34:19
In this lovely poem, the parting of Arwen and Aragorn is written from
Arwen's viewpoint. I especially liked the lines [Bound to love
eternal/Cursed a mortal bride]; they sum up her predicament perfectly.
(If I may make one small suggestion, you might want to put Arwen's
thoughts in either italics or quotes to set them off from the rest of
the piece.) The language has a restrained quality which is well-suited
to the speaker and the subject. Nicely done!
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Title: Diplomatic Relations · Author: annmarwalk/EdorasLass CoAuthors ·
Genres: Romance: Gondor · ID: 189
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 14:25:34
So this is how it all got started, eh? I rather like your images of both
Boromir and Theodred here - Theodred hating the court of Minas Tirith
and longing for the plains, Boromir as both sure of himself and a little
vulnerable especially to his father. Theoden was also well-drawn, and
it's obvious that he loved his only son very much. I can imagine how his
death affected him as much as it did.

I am not sure I completely buy your version about just how open Rohirric
culture was to homosexuality. Not the initiation rites, those I can
accept easily enough, but that Theoden would be so open in his
acceptance of it. I think Rohan would be more accepting because they
seem less concerned with propriety, but perhaps not *that* much? But
that is just my personal feeling, as Tolkien never gave us anything
concrete about the sexuality of the Rohirrim. You certainly convinced me
for the duration of the story, and that is why I bring it up: a story
that entertains me in spite of a difference in how I might view
Middle-earth, is a truly spectacular accomplishment.
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Title: Music Lessons · Author: Acacea · Races: Men: Gondor · ID: 55
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 15:15:48
So many neat glimpses here! I like the way Faramir is shy but his
curiosity wins out. I think both of them will benefit from this
friendship, in the long run.
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Title: Inheritance · Author: Acacea · Races: Men: Steward's Sons
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 524
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 15:19:18
Part of me wonders whether Faramir will regret being so like his father.
Yet Faramir will put those same qualities to good use, and prove that
they do not always lead to bad ends. Thank you for giving that strong
will a voice in him; this was a spot-on characterization, and I loved it.
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Title: A Little Thing · Author: Acacea · Times: Early Third Age:
Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 75
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 15:20:33
Creepy! There's a sense of foreboding and waiting for the right time
here that works well. Nice use of aquatic imagery with the ageless fern,
too.
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Title: Summoned · Author: Agape4Gondor · Races: Men: Steward's Sons
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 840
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 15:33:55
This piece is a little unsettling, but in a good way. I can see that he
want to be happy, but as Faramir says, ["(my heart) is still scorched in
the twisted mass that once was the Stewards House"]. That captures so
much of what this short piece is about. A paralyzing grief, a sense of
self-doubt that makes him wonder whether this eden of his can be real.
This was communicated very effectively toward the fluid description of
the cumulada trees and everything he loves about grief, compared to the
starts and stops when he thinks about himself and his past. Very
effective, and very true to how I imagine Faramir's grief would be.
-----------------------------------
Title: My Eyes! My Eyes! · Author: Alassante · Genres: Humor:
Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 358
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 15:35:06
Now that *does* explain a lot! Nice, cute glimpse of Arwen.
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Title: Was It For This? · Author: Alawa · Genres: Drama: Remembering ·
ID: 88
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 16:11:55
What I like about this piece is that it seems to transcend the death
that it is describing. Arathorn is still dead but as Aragorn's father
would have been more symbol than substance that death is something
bigger than a personal loos. For Aragorn it seems to represent all of
the men who have died and, on an even larger scale, how Elros's legacy
has slipped away to almost nothing.

And yet he makes some peace with it and gets a better grasp on what his
father sacrificed himself for. And probably even a better, more
personal, image of who his father was and is. All in all very touching.
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Title: Dance on the Way Down · Author: Aliana · Races: Men:
Post-Sauron's Fall · ID: 734
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 16:24:55
I read this several months ago and in the interest of getting to more
stories am going to skip re-reading it. Which is a shame because it is
probably one of my alltime favourite OC-centric pieces. None of the
characters are canon, but they are undeniably Tolkienesque, mostly
healers from this author's longer piece "Fallen". Having read a lot of
that longer piece, I think it enhances this one-shot, but the one-shot
does not suffer for backstory. What is necessary to the plot is woven in
deftly, which is more than I can say for other similar pieces. And I
know from personal experience how hard it is.

But what really makes "Dance on the Way Down" work so marvellously is
its minimalistic, almost mythic, approach. It has some of the most
effective use of language that I have ever read, like ["What matters is
this: somewhere, a young girl in the fading light, humming softly to
herself."] That sort of captures the whole plight faced by "ordinary"
people trying to get on with their normal life before, during, and after
the Ring War. They are not heroic, but they just go forward as best they
can and don't give in to the darkness. Yet in this piece Aliana makes
that point clear without really saying it, with the metaphor of an old
song and dancing couples and the story that wounds tell and so many
other things. If you like quiet melancholy pieces that are beautiful in
their sorrow, I cannot recommend this one highly enough.
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Title: Lobelia's List · Author: annmarwalk · Races: Hobbits: General
Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 201
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 16:28:57
[How to keep lollygaggers away from beer barrel? Station Otho at cellar
door? Who to watch Otho?]

That line sums up perfectly what I love so much about this drabble.
There is a great sense of inanity through it all, tongue-in-cheek jokes
both on Lobelia's part and directed toward her. Of course those spoons
won't be missed... *giggles*
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Title: Today · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Romance: Rohan · ID: 199
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-29 16:40:29
And the relationship continues, beautifully told as always. What I like
most about this piece is the way that you play with the notion of past
and future. On the one hand Theodred is anticipating eagerly the
immediate future. But compare that with the more distant? Eowyn's
questions and his thoughts in reply hint at a telling divide that
informs all of Boromir's and Theodred's relationship. They have to take
what happiness they can when they can. Yet I see in his refusal to tell
Eowyn what he foresees a hope for *her* future if not his own, which
takes off the edge of the bitterness of his vision of his early death.
-----------------------------------
Title: Black Hour · Author: Nesta · Times: The Great Years: Gondor · ID: 92
Reviewer: Gandalfs apprentice · 2006-08-29 20:34:20
A rather grim take on Faramir's frame of mind after the victory at the
Black Gate. I certainly don't agree with this view, but you have
conveyed it eloquently and consistently. My only quarrel with this
story, taking it on its own terms, is that if there is so much
discontent in Minas Tirith over Aragorn's claim, there would in fact be
civil war, or at least civil disturbance. But I understand that is not
what you are doing here.

This is bookverse, but perhaps you should be less uncertain about the
noncanonical claim. As presented by Tolkien, Faramir has always wanted
the return of the king. Furthermore, there would be no way that he would
forget either Frodo's news or the awakening in the Houses of Healing.

Your writing is excellent, clear and appropriate in tone.
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Title: Strange meeting · Author: Nesta · Races: Men: Post-Sauron's Fall
· ID: 93
Reviewer: Gandalfs apprentice · 2006-08-29 20:49:30
I love this story. All my discontent with "Black Hour" is so joyfully
swept away as Faramir discovers that Aragorn is a man to whom he will be
proud to owe his allegiance. The hopefulness of the Fourth Age is thus
set forth.

Your opening, with the horror of the battlefield clean-up, sets a
thoughtful, grim tone, that then brightens as the story progresses.

It is a neat device to have Aragorn and Faramir meeting like this, and
the substance of their discussion is just right: the claim, Pelendur,
Beregond, offer to Faramir of position and honor as heriditary steward
and prince of Ithilien.

Faramir's journey from somewhat suspicious respect to the beginning of
genuine liking is well done, and suitably subtle for a man of his depth
of mind. I always saw him as one of the more thoughtful of Tolkien's
characters--very much a Numenorean at their best. You capture this in
Faramir's thought for the sacrifice of his men at the ford. This is also
very true to Aragorn's character--he is a man who acknowledges his debts
to others, in my view. He knows that many others made his claim possible.

The hint of Aragorn's past as Thorongil is well done, and lays ground
for the third story in this series. Will you continue?
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Title: Tolkien's Use of Expletives · Author: Dreamflower · Genres:
Non-Fiction · ID: 147
Reviewer: stefaniab · 2006-08-29 20:59:42
Dreamflower's extensive research is eye opening and very useful for
those of us who write fan fiction, especially writers who adapt the
Professor's prose style. This research also gives us an interesting
perspective on Tolkien's personal ethics. Tolkien's great religiousity
has been written about extensively, as has his war service. I'm sure the
Professor heard, and possibly uttered, profanities of all sorts at the
Battle of the Somme. Yet Tolkien's characters make not a blasphemous or
scatalogical peep at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Somehow, I can't
imagine Aragorn not cursing under his breath at the Mouth of Sauron. And
that's not even getting into Turin or Feanor or the range of violent
First Agers.

The lesson learned from "Tolkien's Use of Expletives" is, if you want to
create imaginative expletives for your Tolkien-based characters, best
label your work AU.Alas, Movieverse won't even do because it too seems
free of modern cussing.

Thanks for your pains-taking research, Dreamflower.
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Title: The Gardener's Wife · Author: Vistula the Dunadan · Races:
Hobbits · ID: 720
Reviewer: Gandalfs apprentice · 2006-08-29 21:01:27
This is a touching, sweetly done story. You have a genius for catching
the rhythm and quality of Hobbit talk, and the peace of their every day
existence.

This story is noncanonical, I suppose, because Tolkien would never allow
for the possibility of divorce in his created world. One of his very far
stretches of fantasy, in my opinion. I'm glad you broke from that, even
if it is to show the breakup as a mistake.

The last scene, with the Gaffer and the mallorn, is quite beautiful. The
gaffer is so rightly proud of his fabulous son. I hope my end is as peaceful
-----------------------------------
Title: Naneth - Farewell · Author: Aearwen · Races: Elves: Poetry · ID: 212
Reviewer: Angmar · 2006-08-29 21:25:44
The theme of this poem concentrates upon Meaglin's grief for his mother,
Aredhel. He deeply misses the one who taught him about the light when
they were living in the dark shadows of Nan Elmoth, and cries for her
when the other elves are not watching. Evocative of the mourning of the
soul, whether it be human or elf. Beautifully written poem.
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Title: For Love of the Lord of the White Tree · Author: Legolass ·
Genres: Drama · ID: 202
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2006-08-30 00:43:19
This was a very nice long read, and I enjoyed it a good deal, in spite
of the fact that it was a bit angstier than my usual taste, and had no
hobbits. Nevertheless it was a "page turner", and the villian was great!
For those who love Legolas and Aragorn friendship fics I would really
reccommend it.
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Title: Too Few Words · Author: annmarwalk · Races: Dwarves · ID: 311
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-30 02:42:57
How thoroughly dwarven! The way you draw Zei here is very convincing,
especially the way she turns her unrequited love into a craft. it's sad,
but it's also realistic. I love the use of details, too, like the way
she designed the brazier.
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Title: It's the Thought · Author: annmarwalk · Races: Men: Fixed-Length
Ficlets With Children · ID: 71
Reviewer: Marta · 2006-08-30 02:45:17
First off, olet me say how nice it is to see the origin of the pony! I
hadn't thought of that when I read the other story, but this works so
well. A little gift for someone in their time of need, and probably
[tattered] from too much love from Theodred. That's the image, I like
anyway.

It's sad that she feels envious of her brother's gift. I wish that she
could see that the horse is freedom in its own way, and not to be
scorned so easily. It's telling of the journey she has to go on before
she has her own child to give it to.
-----------------------------------