Yahoo Forum Archive

Author: Larner · ID: 242 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:12:56
I haven't been able to read all the Larner fics I wanted to for this
year's MEFAs, unfortunately, but the ones I have read I've enjoyed.
Larner is one of the few I can trust to write *joyfulness*--not
happiness, not contentment (ok, well, that, too), but that something
more that goes deeper than that and consequently brings with it an
exultation that exalts the character as well. Her characterization,
especially of hobbits, is very well done, very believable.

Her writing flows very smoothly; she knows what effect she aims to
produce in the reader and that direction and confidence show.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Larner · ID: 242 · Times: The Great Years [56]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:13:12
I haven't been able to read all the Larner fics I wanted to for this
year's MEFAs, unfortunately, but the ones I have read I've enjoyed.
Larner is one of the few I can trust to write *joyfulness*--not
happiness, not contentment (ok, well, that, too), but that something
more that goes deeper than that and consequently brings with it an
exultation that exalts the character as well. Her characterization,
especially of hobbits, is very well done, very believable.

Her writing flows very smoothly; she knows what effect she aims to
produce in the reader and that direction and confidence show.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Lamiel · ID: 298 · Races: Hobbits [106]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:13:26
Last year, I discovered Lamiel's wonderful ability to blend book and
movies while writing the Fellowship as an ensemble. Her characterization
and sense of pacing, whether dramatic or comic, are both excellent, and
there's not a wobble to be found anywhere. She writes with confidence,
deftly, and draws out the emotional lives and group dynamics with great
sensitivity, no matter which perspective she adopts for any given story.

Her characterization of Legolas is one of the strongest I have seen, but
she does not neglect his comrades-soon-to-be-friends (even that dratted
Dwarf, Gimli) when writing him. One never feels at a loss for context
when reading her work--she is careful to establish a ground of
relationships and circumstances that fit the characters so that when
they speak and act, it feels completely natural and leaves one thinking,
"That's exactly what so-and-so would say or do in this situation."
-----------------------------------------
Author: Katzilla · ID: 631 · Genres: Alternate Universe [22]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:13:41
Katzilla is definitely an action-adventure writer, with a strong
dramatic instinct, and a good sense for characterization, particularly
of her favorite, Eomer. She also does well, however, to characterize
much more minor characters (like Elfhelm, Eothain, and Hama) and she
writes an excellent villain (Grima). She is an ambitious writer, who
tends to try to depict the whole--even the short stories tend to add up
when put together, and then become fodder for longer stories, and she
takes full advantage of the novel form to establish her characters and
their situation.

She also knows how to exploit the possibilities of the AU form, and is
fairly ruthless, which I appreciate in an author, particularly one who
specializes in writing the war/action side of LOTR.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Katzilla · ID: 631 · Genres: Adventure [10]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:13:55
Katzilla is definitely an action-adventure writer, with a strong
dramatic instinct, and a good sense for characterization, particularly
of her favorite, Eomer. She also does well, however, to characterize
much more minor characters (like Elfhelm, Eothain, and Hama) and she
writes an excellent villain (Grima). She is an ambitious writer, who
tends to try to depict the whole--even the short stories tend to add up
when put together, and then become fodder for longer stories, and she
takes full advantage of the novel form to establish her characters and
their situation.

She also knows how to exploit the possibilities of the AU form, and is
fairly ruthless, which I appreciate in an author, particularly one who
specializes in writing the war/action side of LOTR.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Katzilla · ID: 631 · Races: Men [73]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:14:15
Katzilla is definitely an action-adventure writer, with a strong
dramatic instinct, and a good sense for characterization, particularly
of her favorite, Eomer. She also does well, however, to characterize
much more minor characters (like Elfhelm, Eothain, and Hama) and she
writes an excellent villain (Grima). She is an ambitious writer, who
tends to try to depict the whole--even the short stories tend to add up
when put together, and then become fodder for longer stories, and she
takes full advantage of the novel form to establish her characters and
their situation.

She also knows how to exploit the possibilities of the AU form, and is
fairly ruthless, which I appreciate in an author, particularly one who
specializes in writing the war/action side of LOTR.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Katzilla · ID: 631 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:14:32
Katzilla is definitely an action-adventure writer, with a strong
dramatic instinct, and a good sense for characterization, particularly
of her favorite, Eomer. She also does well, however, to characterize
much more minor characters (like Elfhelm, Eothain, and Hama) and she
writes an excellent villain (Grima). She is an ambitious writer, who
tends to try to depict the whole--even the short stories tend to add up
when put together, and then become fodder for longer stories, and she
takes full advantage of the novel form to establish her characters and
their situation.

She also knows how to exploit the possibilities of the AU form, and is
fairly ruthless, which I appreciate in an author, particularly one who
specializes in writing the war/action side of LOTR.
-----------------------------------------
Author: juno_magic · ID: 358 · Races: Men [73]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:14:47
Juno Magic has an excellent narrator's voice, which she can use either
in the form of a first-person perspective or as an 'extra-textual'
speaker who presents the story. Some writers who attempt this latter
form of narration end up breaching the fourth wall in ways that hinder
the story's unfolding and throw the reader out of step in a bad way.
Juno Magic, however, avoids jarring her readers while still using this
distancing, disembodied perspective to take the story to the reader. She
thereby provides a unique perspectival slant, but does not limit herself
to just that view, either, as she moves in and out, opening up space
between the reader and the story or character and then closing with it
or him or her again. It's an effective framing device.

Strong characterizations throughout, Juno Magic picks up on the
underwritten characters, or the characters whom we know must exist, but
have no names or places within the story. This tendency, combined with
the above narrative voice, allows her to draw what's outside of the main
stories into them neatly and believably.
-----------------------------------------
Author: meckinock · ID: 615 · Races: Cross-Cultural [28]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:15:04
Meckinock has an excellent sense for drama and adventure, and a knack
for cranking the tension up by throwing in unexpected plot twists that
are all too plausible. She does a stellar job of world-building, paying
particular attention to human cultures, such as the Dunedain remnant and
the Dunlendings (who show up how often in fanfiction?). Her
characterizations are spot on target, believable, and the characters'
voices are each individual. Her Halbarad is particularly well done,
which is guaranteed to suck in all your Northern Dunedain fanciers.

She also has excellent pacing, moving the story along smoothly, yet
without either hurrying or dragging things out. That works well for an
adventure or quest story, which is always negotiating the need to keep
things exciting by moving quickly and the need for deeper delving into
characters' lives and personalities.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Races: Elves [38]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:15:18
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Races: Hobbits [106]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:15:35
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Races: Men [73]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:15:50
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Times: Early Third Age [7]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:16:11
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Times: The Great Years [56]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:16:25
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Times: Late Third Age [26]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:16:40
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Times: Fourth Age and Beyond [31]: Fixed-Length
Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:16:54
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Races: Men [73]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:17:09
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Marta · ID: 16 · Genres: Romance [51]: Fixed-Length Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:17:24
Last year I believe I said something like 'Marta tends not to write
angst' or something to that effect. I take it back. This year (and even
last year), she began moving into that particular fic flavor and has
given some very fine, carefully written meditations on how the world
seems when it's seen through the lens of different forms of political or
personal despair. Some others hover around melancholic. Some of her
efforts are a little rougher than others, but I think this is due more
to a shift or stretch towards something else--growing pains, perhaps,
and a passing thing. Her characterization skills are solid and continue
to evolve, and she writes a variety of characters, allowing her to
explore different moments from different perspectives very nicely. Her
explorations of some of the more historical characters of Tolkien's
world are interesting and open up parts of the political dimension of
Middle-earth in unexpected, intriguing ways.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Mar'isu · ID: 694 · Times: The Great Years [56]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:17:38
I have not had the opportunity to read much by Mari'su, but from the
bits I've read, she writes smoothly and well, and is able to bring out
character motivations very nicely.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Ottis413 · ID: 635 · Genres: Alternate Universe [22]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:17:53
Ottis413 takes full advantage of the possibilities provided by the
alternate universe scenario. Ottis413 is satisfyingly ruthless, willing
to play out the failure of the Quest to a full end, and is not afraid to
work with original characters. Pacing is good--nothing feels too
stretched out nor too quickly resolved. The alternate situation is well
explored--one can easily believe that it might have turned out this way,
for the characters fit their settings well.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Oshun · ID: 589 · Genres: Humor [50]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:18:07
Good humor from Oshun--light, good banter, and she picked her scene
nicely to conform to a drabble's limits.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Nilmandra · ID: 444 · Times: Late Third Age [26]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:18:21
Excellent characterization from Nilmandra; she knows how to mine the
minutiae of the Arda-verse in order to craft interesting stories that
expand on Tolkien's world from the sideviews. She does very well to
reconcile incongruous elements within Tolkien's own work, while shedding
light on the personalities of favorite characters.
-----------------------------------------
Author: Nilmandra · ID: 444 · Genres: Adventure [10]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:18:35
Excellent characterization from Nilmandra; she knows how to mine the
minutiae of the Arda-verse in order to craft interesting stories that
expand on Tolkien's world from the sideviews. She does very well to
reconcile incongruous elements within Tolkien's own work, while shedding
light on the personalities of favorite characters.
-----------------------------------------
Author: NeumeIndil · ID: 618 · Genres: Drama [107]: General
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:18:49
Neumelndil writes excellent non-human perspectives, and manages a unique
voice for different kinds of creatures, all of which are perfectly
believable. Very smooth, and good incorporation of human characters into
their perspectives. Also excellent take on villains.
-----------------------------------------
Author: NeumeIndil · ID: 618 · Times: Late Third Age [26]: Fixed-Length
Ficlet
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2006-11-17 00:19:05
Neumelndil writes excellent non-human perspectives, and manages a unique
voice for different kinds of creatures, all of which are perfectly
believable. Very smooth, and good incorporation of human characters into
their perspectives. Also excellent take on villains.
-----------------------------------------