Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: Fos' Almir · Author: Bill The Pony · Races: Hobbits: Post-Grey
Havens · ID: 913
Reviewer: Rabidsamfan · 2006-11-30 03:13:37 Score: 4
Bill the Pony can write internal conflict better than most people, and
in this story, she outdoes herself. Sam comes to Valinor, at long last,
hoping for many things, including a resolution the love he still bears
Frodo, and finds uncertain of himself despite all that he has done.
Frodo is changed and unchanged, still young -- and Sam is old, and like
to stay that way. Fos Almir is a story of choices, of wounds healed and
unhealed, and in the end, a story which will stay with you for a long time.
-----------------------------------
Title: Under the Ympe Tree · Author: Bill The Pony · Races: Hobbits:
Post-Sauron's Fall · ID: 914
Reviewer: Rabidsamfan · 2006-11-30 03:14:00 Score: 3
Bill the Pony tackles Gaffer Gamgee's point of view in this story, and
does it with a sure hand. You can hear the old hobbit speaking, not only
about what's happening in the Shire with Sam and Frodo gone, but also
about his choices and regrets over the love that he sees Sam giving
Frodo. Yet, in some ways, this is still hope.
-----------------------------------
Title: House with the Cedar Shingles: Ramson Spring · Author: Cuthalion
· Times: Fourth Age and Beyond: Gondor · ID: 987
Reviewer: Rabidsamfan · 2006-11-30 03:14:32 Score: 4
Confessions first -- this one was written for me, so I'm bound to like
it -- but I'll take any excuse to visit Belegcuthalion's "Winter Fire"
universe. Noerwen remains one of my favorie original characters in all
LotR fanfic. In this story Sam, Rosie, and Elanor meet Noerwen in
Ithilien during their visit south when Elanor is coming to be one of
Arwen's retinue. The one thing I missed in "Winter Fire" was Sam having
a chance to tell his story, and here, at last, we are rewarded for our
patience.
-----------------------------------
Title: Shattered Twilight · Author: Rhapsody · Genres: Drama: First Age
Elves · ID: 247
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2006-11-30 03:17:04 Score: 3
A vivid last look at Maeglin's obsessive love for his cousin - a 'sharp
glance' at his feelings from the time he first saw the she-elf, to this
moment at the very end of his life. Sad and poignant, with just the
right tone of unrepentent passion.
-----------------------------------
Title: Dawn of a New Age: First Age · Author: elliska · Times: First Age
and Prior: Incomplete · ID: 406
Reviewer: Alassante · 2006-11-30 03:18:06 Score: 10
What can I possibly say about Elliska's writing that I haven't gushed
about to her personally. Thanks to 2005 MEFA I was exposed to her
writing and her Thranduil became the one I compared all others to. In
her Interrupted Journey's series she explored the Thranduil/Legolas
lifetimes but there were little hints of the Oropher tale in it. Dawn of
a New Age is the tale of the Sindar and Oropher that she hinted at. Now
even though I know this will portray my favorite elves badly (the Noldo)
I will read every word she writes. Unfortunately the Noldo could do the
first series of Middle Earth's Elves Behaving Badly and unless she
rewrites history - she cannot fix that. Not that she would - Elliska has
ALWAYS been firmly in the Sindar/Silvan camp and her love for them
really shines through in everything she writes. Her battle scenes are
probably the best I have ever read in fanfiction. I personally cannot
write a battle scene so I always read hers in awe. She writes them so
well without being all ewww about the gore as some writers do. Hell
she's a better battle planner than I bet some of the actual elves were.
I hope she continues to write this story very soon. I love the first
chapter and have waited patiently for the next one. Who knows - maybe
she'll convince me to like the Sindar more. She convinced me that
Thranduil was a kick ass elf!

[Oh and excuse any spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc errors in this
review - she's also my beta so I cannot write without her. See Elliska -
I even put this is brackets so you wouldn't have to.]
-----------------------------------
Title: Ships Passing · Author: Marta · Races: Men: Vignette · ID: 302
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:55:13 Score: 4
I always felt like Halbarad got a short shrift in LOTR and stories like
this give me a certain sense of satisfaction. At least there are others
who value a good man who stands steadfast behind those who take the
light of the foreground. The parallel between Halbarad and Faramir is
nicely drawn, particularly as you've framed it in the ways in which they
are different. I think that that use of "white space" or "silence"
around those things they have in common is a device well-used to
strengthen the power of your piece.
-----------------------------------
Title: Benison · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Drama: Remembering · ID: 67
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:55:27 Score: 8
Stories like this always make me wonder about what Tolkien missed, being
the orphaned child that he was. That continuity that living memory
provides, someone who knows what you were like when you were first born,
what your first words were, in what ways you reflected those who went
before you, all the myriad little things that flesh out your
understanding of your history. I wonder what kind of hole it left in his
thinking and if this is why he left so many gaps like this one to be
filled. But at the tenderness evident in your piece, I am not left to
wonder at the loving attitude that shines through in Tolkiens letters
to his sons.

I love that you chose to bring that continuity to life through simple
womanly things. Its those everyday things whose power that we
underestimate. In a day when there are no pictures or videos, it would
be those little things that ground a person in the context of family.
How lovely that your insight led you to perceiving the need for the
things that hold the memories of Finduilas touch and bring her and her
memories to life for Eowyn.
-----------------------------------
Title: Do Not Think Me A Dream · Author: EdorasLass · Races: Men: Gondor
· ID: 40
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:55:42 Score: 8
Such bittersweetness and heart-yearning to this piece. It feels as if
Finduilas has made peace with the sacrifice being the Steward's wife
will ask of her. In a sense, she is just as much of a warrior as her
sons, though in her own way, fighting a battle of overwhelming odds
until it has asked all of her. Such are the things that tie the mother
to her sons. We know so much about Denethor's influence on Faramir and
Denethor, but here you've given us a tantalizing glimpse of what their
mother added to their personalities. Instead of a retiring hot-house
flower, you portray her as having the patience of a stone tower that
stands upon the top of the and though worn, weathers all turbulence to
provide shelter for those within. Was it not just Denethor that gave
Boromir and Faramir the will to persevere though the cost to them was
dear? Or did they learn deep and old lessons about love and what we do
for those to whom we are bound?

I think this piece asks just as many questions as it answers, which
makes it a lovely doorway into a world possibilities and so the best
kind of experience for a reader.
-----------------------------------
Title: Respite · Author: Nesta · Genres: Romance: Gondor · ID: 750
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:55:56 Score: 4
I always get the sense of a restrained tenderness in Faramir in his
dealings with Eowyn, as if he wanted to do much more but out of respect
for Eowyns unreadiness held himself back. We get to see very little of
what became of that tenderness as it was allowed to bloom, so I think it
makes this piece all the more satisfying. Faramirs silliness is mild
and at ease, free to be whatever his heart desires. Eowyns response is
ever pragmatic but deeply loving. You draw a very lovely picture in such
few words.
-----------------------------------
Title: Planning Ahead · Author: Gwynnyd · Races: Men · ID: 84
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:56:16 Score: 10
OH! It's *this* one!

Well, I am sorely tempted to NOT leave a review. Seriously. Where is the
sequel? Hmm? Okay, so maybe it was a vague, kind of, "well, perhaps if
the muse strikes and I can get Gilraen to talk to me to stave off a
virtual uprising on the YahooHA list" kind of promise. STILL, vows under
extreme duress notwithstanding, poor Gilraen has remained a precociously
sparkling 5 year old little lady and Arathorn a muzzle-headed heir to
the Chieftainship for the past 11 months, 24 days, and 5 hours. Okay, so
the 5 hours is an estimate. Math is not my strong suit and I'm never
quite confident of my attempts to compensate for time differences.

*pout*

*sigh*

Shall I be content? Indeed, I have a loving portrayal of the brilliant
confidence that is a 5 year old (excuse me, 5 and 1/2 year old, my
pardon) who believes herself in every way to be equal to the grown son
of the Lord of the Dunedain. And, surprisingly, she may just be right.
And, too, I have been given a grumpy and befuddled heir who I know shall
find himself more, not less, besotted by the end of it, though not by
wine. By what creative spark would anyone have thought to put them
together? Not I. Such a shot out of the dark so that the reader's joy of
it, caught all unawares, is the sharper.
-----------------------------------
Title: Prison · Author: Radbooks · Races: Men: Vignette · ID: 794
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:56:32 Score: 3
So many strong characters that Tolkien developed and yet left so much
about their experience unexplored. Youve got Eomers intensity,
powerful physical presence, and irrepressible determination capture in a
nice, tight package, here. Mmmm.mmm. Id hate to be that guard once
Eomer gets out of there.
-----------------------------------
Title: Shadow of Himself · Author: EdorasLass · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Post-Grey Havens · ID: 853
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:56:55 Score: 10
Hee! I get to read this *again*.

I think I read this first before having gotten to know you more as a
person. Reading it again, it strikes me just how effortlessly you are
able to create a vivid and complex portrayal of characters and
interactions. Sean Bean as Boromir just absolutely LEAPS off the page.
He is noble and human and feels things intensely. Gimli is not just
gruff, but loyal and determined and feels his attachments deeply.
Legolas is as strong as a coil of steel, nothing soft and
overly-feminized about him, but incredibly smooth and elegant. And there
you are.

When first I had encountered this piece, I thought, Wow, what a
carefully crafted work of love. And surely it is, because I have since
come to know more of your fondness for Boromir, but what I didnt know
upon my first reading is that you do this all the time. ALL the time,
each one is a carefully crafted piece of work that is turned out in such
a way as to look as effortless as a rose coming into bloom. I am sharply
reminded of Baryshnikovs address to Fred Astaire at the Lifetime
Achievement Awards. To quote him, [I have been invited to say something
about how dancers feel about Fred Astaire," Baryshnikov said. "It's no
secret. We hate him. The problem with Astaire is that he's everywhere --
moving. You know, you give your own performance and receive applause and
you think maybe, just maybe, it was successful, and you go home ... and
turn on the television to relax and there he is. Making you feel nervous
all over again. ] And so, I pour my heart out in a story, refine and
tweak until it wont bear any more, and then I read pieces like this and
think, to paraphrase Baryshnikov, [I cant read stories like this and
not know that I should have been in another business." ]
-----------------------------------
Title: Heirlooms · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Drama: Remembering · ID: 72
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:57:08 Score: 10
There you go, again, tugging on the heartstrings. I really love the
parallels in this piece. There are so many that are available to the
reader on the surface, the two mothers, both indulging in the sensual
pleasure that is loving their children, and husbands that give a small
thing of comfort from their past to their children. It ties them all
together.

But, at the same time, beneath all of this lies deeper parallels,
threads which come together in a theme of loss. Both mothers have left
home and family behind and the gifts of the toy horses were given by a
queen who knows that state intimately as well. Both horses were carried
by children who then passed them on to younger family members when they
had need of comfort, and, sadly, were then lost themselves when grown.
What do we do when we lose home and family, those things that ground and
complete us? What do we do when our parents die, our siblings die, and
the world changes around us? Does it stop there? And the answer you give
us is no. You dont stop loving, you dont give up and lock yourself
away. The way you cope with loss is to rework it, take a small part of
it and make it into something beautiful, whether it is something as
grand as a piece of art, or a smile and feeling of comfort to a small child.
-----------------------------------
Title: To Labour and to Wait · Author: Gwynnyd · Races: Men: Featuring
Aragorn · ID: 838
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:57:22 Score: 10
I have a vague memory of Tolkien lamenting his inability to bring to
life the internal workings of his characters. (I know Im remembering it
badly but, no, not even for you, Gwynnyd, am I plowing through the
Letters to find the reference.) In a sense, I think it is an accurate
assessment of his strengths and limits. So much of what we know about
the characters from LOTR is divined through accumulated experience with
their actions. Participating in their journey evokes strong emotional
reactions from the reader, but it takes time and thought to articulate
just why this do so. As a modern reader, this often leaves me hungry for
a peek into the thoughts, emotions and memories of Tolkiens characters.
I find it terribly intimidating to attempt it as a fanfic writer but I
think youve captured the internal workings of Aragorn and Legolas very
nicely here.

Here youve given us a series of fragments of a mans life that
illustrate his emotional growth: from a young mans over-confidence in
his self-worth and resentment that others do not share the same
perception fully, to a determination to grow and become something more
than what he is, to the wisdom of experience that has taught him his
limits. And all accomplished without beating us readers over the head
with it. Its a wonderful chance to peek inside Aragorns head and see
the many layers that make up what is actually a very complex man.

And then, I come upon this...

[Grandsire, how do you bear it? Aragorn sent the thought up towards the
distant star. By the grace of Manwë, are you content to do what you
must, or do you curse in the long dark between the stars the sundering
from Elwing and all that you held dear?]

... and any eloquence I can summon comes to a complete and uttter halt.
-----------------------------------
Title: The Standard-Bearer · Author: Thevina Finduilas · Races: Men:
Vignette · ID: 716
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:57:35 Score: 5
Oh, good! A fic about Halbarad. We have so few hints about just what the
Northern Dunedain are all about in LOTR that Im not sure if I feel
regret at Tolkiens neglect or doubly intrigued by the sense of a world
seen only in glimpses. I think youve captured just that quiet and
unassuming courage, steadfastness and loyalty that I find so compelling
about the northern kingdom. How could they have tolerated Aragorns
absence? How could they have sacrificed so much in a cause greater than
themselves? And I think I find it very nicely answered in this:

["I am with you, and would be nowhere else."]
-----------------------------------
Title: King's Man · Author: Gandalfs apprentice · Times: The Great
Years: Vignette · ID: 197
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:57:49 Score: 5
Now *that* is a gap that just begs to be filled. Here we have Aragorn,
so often stern of voice and grim of face, and then, suddenly, upon the
plains of Rohan he is running toward this man and shouting for joy. Who
*is* this man, this Halbarad, that the usually solemn heir of Isildur
grabs him up in a powerful embrace?

Perhaps this is why I find fics such as you've written here so
satisfying. I love how you fill in the unknown with just little hints
and glimpses of a long and deeply attached friendship. I get the sense
that, though Aragorn may have no physical home, he definitely has a
place in this man's heart where he can feel at home. And that's a lovely
gift both for Aragorn and for your readers.
-----------------------------------
Title: The Road Not Taken · Author: Branwyn · Races: Men: Vignette · ID: 104
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:58:19 Score: 6
Boromirs journey to Rivendell is a gap that seems to beg to be filled.
It can only have been full of mystery, discovery, and danger, and yet a
challenge to portray in words because of the lone nature of his journey.
I think youve captured that tension between mystery, hope and an
underlying current of danger very nicely here. On the surface you give
us a shimmering late fall day and two men in high spirits. But lurking
below the surface the uneasiness of the animals and the magic of a road
seldom trod that splits the forest in two. And what a wonderful twist,
and well-used, that the call of the swan is ill fate and Boromir
answers it with such clearly felt bravado. No matter what the end, he
would go and go facing his fate with a pride and courage few other men
could match.
-----------------------------------
Title: When The Days Are Warm · Author: Branwyn · Genres: Drama: The
Steward's Family · ID: 145
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:58:33 Score: 3
Oh my. Such heartbreak beneath this small moment. Faramir trying his
best, as a young child will, to cheer his mother, but with just too high
of a pitch to his effort. And the Boromir, afraid of something he cannot
clearly name and masking it with irritation. Nicely captured.
-----------------------------------
Title: Red River · Author: Altariel · Times: Fourth Age and Beyond:
Gondor · ID: 82
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:58:45 Score: 10
I have to admit that I have loved this piece since you first posted it.
Sadly, I have never told you so, knowing what a treasure it is to see
your work through others' eyes.

We are introduced to so many Aragorns, Aragorn the healer, the lover,
the warrior, the friend., but seldom do we get to see Aragorn the
politician. Ever more seldom do we get to see him take defeat. Yet, it
these moments, more than any success, that reveal the quality of a
person. From Faramir's actions, I get the clear message that he expects
no prevaricating, no spin, but for his king to face a hard truth about
what he has allowed to happen. The story Raksandhar tells is a pointed
one and I hear echoes of Faramir's declaration of his hopes for Minas
Tirith to be ['not even a kind mistress of willing slaves." ]

And even more than the above, I am very pleased that you leave the
confrontation open-ended. There are no easy answers. It is all about how
you face the struggle. In his letters, Tolkien once said that he created
Aragorn as a model of a leader worth following. Here I think you have
expanded very nicely on what he started. It's not that I want those who
lead to not make mistakes, but I want them to struggle with their
mistakes and failings and doubts, so as to keep themselves true. So your
piece creates this yearning in me for leaders like Aragorn, who surround
themselves with counselors like Faramir and allow themselves to be
challenged, and comforted that perhaps I am not the only one who thinks
so, too.
-----------------------------------
Title: First Impressions · Author: Bodkin · Races: Men: Featuring
Aragorn · ID: 806
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:59:11 Score: 3
Hmm. Yes, it must have been a bit of a shock for Aragorn when he first
came among the Dunedain. He was just young enough to have difficulty
seeing below the surface, at least at first. Nicely captured. And LOL! I
love your Halbarad. A man of the earth with all its attendant desires
and limitations.
-----------------------------------
Title: Consolation · Author: EdorasLass · Races: Men: Gondor · ID: 47
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:59:34 Score: 10
This is just tooo cute.

How Tolkien could have give us so many hints as to the quality of the
brothers relationship and yet never shown the two of them together is
one of those enduring mysteries of the writing process. Intellectually,
I know why, because Faramir only popped into existence later, after
Boromirs departure on Amon Hen and Tolkien was not a man given to
anything other than straight forward timelines, forging ahead tireless
across the march of the story arc. But, still, emotions are wayward
things and reason a poor substitute for satisfaction.

Perhaps that is one source of the deep pleasure I take in the bittys
stories. So many small things must have played out in the brothers
relationship to give it the deep, complex, and steadfast relationship
they had as adults. It is a difficult thing to translate an adult
personality down the developmental course and yet give the
child-characters a vibrancy of their own, and yet you consistently
achieve that. And here, you give the reader a glimpse into the
development of Boromirs role as protector and buffer from the outside
world. He translates the adult expectations into something that the
young Faramir can understand and then gives him the tools to meet those
expectations. Such a loving relationship so subtly portrayed. Though the
context of their loss is deeply sorrowful, its the tension between this
grief and the beauty of their love and care for each other that is the
power of this piece and you play it out well.

And this: [But it hurts right now, was Faramirs choked reply.] of
course, gets me everytime.
-----------------------------------
Title: Lost · Author: Radbooks · Times: Late Third Age · ID: 260
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 03:59:49 Score: 3
Ahhhh, man! What a lost opportunity! It reminds me a bit of the lost
opportunity for Gollum's redemption and makes me wonder just what
happened to Bill later that soured him so deeply. Very nice reveal at
the end.
-----------------------------------
Title: Call yourself Thorongil · Author: Nilmandra · Times: Late Third
Age · ID: 731
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 04:00:04 Score: 4
LOL! I love how business-like Gandalf is in your piece. "Alright, young
man, go first to Rohan, I have an introduction ready for you. And, don't
forget, you'll need a pass from Thengel to get into Gondor, because
Yavanna knows, you'd really have problems with Ecthelion's son if I
introduced you there. By the way, you'll need an alias. How does
Thorongil sound?" Then gives Aragorn and boot to wake him up and off he
goes. He's never one to mince words, is he?
-----------------------------------
Title: Oasis · Author: Radbooks · Times: Late Third Age · ID: 259
Reviewer: Anoriath · 2006-11-30 04:00:19 Score: 2
Hmm. It makes me wonder just how many times Aragorn's life hung balanced
upon the end of such a tenuous thread as this.
-----------------------------------
Title: The Parting Gift · Author: Imhiriel · Times: First Age and Prior:
Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 948
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 04:37:42 Score: 4
The thought that the silver harp carried and played by Elrond when Frodo
and Sam joined the party headed for the Grey Havens was given him by
Maglor as Maglor's parting gift is such a wonderful one. And, although
Maglor may not return to Aman, yet his gift will go there, bearing the
memory of the great Elven bard back to his birthplace.

A wonderful drabble. Imhiriel's ability to set a scene so delicately in
so few words is so admirable.
-----------------------------------
Title: Farewell Lullaby · Author: Armariel · Races: Hobbits: Poetry ·
ID: 719
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2006-11-30 04:59:03 Score: 4
Armariel has a wonderful command of language. Each of her poems is like
a marvelously intricate building, constructed by different words and
lines. The words almost sing on the page.

This poem is sad, poignant and lovely, conveying Frodo's love for both
the infant Elanor and her father. His willing the baby to be his
messenger to Sam in terms of love and happiness is appropriate, and
beautifully expressed.
-----------------------------------
Title: At the Rising of the Moon · Author: Linda Hoyland · Genres:
Humor: Gondor · ID: 846
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 05:00:14 Score: 5
When Eowyn insists that the Mettare celebration won't be complete
without the inclusion of mistletoe, Aragorn and Faramir find themselves
seeking the herb and then getting permission to gather it. But the lady
who has mistletoe growing in her orchard is herself from Rohan, and
insists the mistletoe be harvested at the rising of the moon, using the
proper rituals. This involves Aragorn taking the role of the Sacred
King, needing to use a special blade and sacrificing part of his dignity....

A humorous and yet at the same time somewhat disturbing tale. A
wonderful tale for the coming season, of course.
-----------------------------------
Title: Theme and Variations · Author: Gandalfs apprentice · Genres:
Humor: Gondor · ID: 784
Reviewer: DrummerWench · 2006-11-30 05:01:42 Score: 5
If you like Jane Austen and love Fantasy of Manners, then this delicious
tale is for you. Gandalfs Apprentice's story follows Faramir from just
after the close of the war to the arrival of Arwen as he negotiates his
way between the perils posed by an officious aunt, a royal chamberlain
troubled by his wayward new sire, and the rather scruffy intimates of
the king. It gives a believable and funny account of the upper crust
during the earliest days of the restored kingdom.

Besides Faramir, his aunts and uncle Imrahil, we see most of the
fellowship, a passel of dubious Northern vagabonds, and Aragorn's foster
brothers. Do yourself a favor and add this to your must-read list.

-----------------------------------
Title: The One · Author: Linda Hoyland/Raksha the Demon CoAuthors ·
Races: Men: Featuring Aragorn · ID: 852
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 05:02:51 Score: 3
Aragorn foresaw the appearance of his future Steward for the South
Kingdom several times over the years; but it took a great long time for
him to actually find the young Man.

A lovely look at foresight and destiny.
-----------------------------------
Title: The White Tree · Author: Linda Hoyland · Races: Men: Featuring
Aragorn · ID: 94
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 05:05:23 Score: 3
In the excitement of finally finding the new sapling of the White Tree,
Aragorn doesn't think to advise Faramir. For Faramir, the shock of
seeing the dead Tree removed was an affront. But in the end the Tree is
renewed, as is the relationship between the two of them.
-----------------------------------
Title: Ada Knows Best · Author: mistycracraft · Genres: Adventure · ID: 290
Reviewer: Radbooks · 2006-11-30 05:19:04 Score: 4
I enjoyed the action and the adventure in this story and the fact that
Estel disobeyed Elrond and followed his brothers. Sometimes he is
portrayed as a perfect child and it's nice to see him as a normal young
man at times. Of course, the cost of his disobedience had both good
things and bad things that went with it. He was able to help his
brothers, but he did learn the realities of what fighting and,
especially killing, a living being, even an orc was all about. It was
not an easy thing. It was well written.
-----------------------------------
Title: Call To Arms · Author: Space Weavil · Genres: Humor: Fixed-Length
Ficlet · ID: 857
Reviewer: Elena Tiriel · 2006-11-30 05:19:30 Score: 3
Call to Arms is a curious drabble... it starts out seriously, with the
usual, everyday sort of stirring speech intended to rouse the bad-guy
troops... and then turns our expectations upside-down into a
mind-bendingly unexpected situation, which is more common among
schoolchildren than Nazgûl...

I got a good, hearty laugh out of it... well done!
-----------------------------------
Title: Thief of Hearts: How Pippin Stole Merrys Heart · Author:
pipkinsweetgrass · Races: Hobbits: Children · ID: 918
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 05:21:14 Score: 4
For those who write Pippin-and-Merry stories, the tale of how Merry was
first introduced to his infant cousin is almost obligatory. This one is
very sweet, and certainly Merry's heart has been stolen from the moment
he first encounters the baby lying in his cradle at the
naming/presentation day ceremony. One can easily see how the two will
become so very close in the end.

-----------------------------------
Title: The Hardest Lesson · Author: mistycracraft · Genres: Drama:
Pre-Fellowship · ID: 231
Reviewer: Radbooks · 2006-11-30 05:24:46 Score: 4
This was a well written, moving story about the most difficult things a
healer has to face - the death of a patient. When you are young, as
Estel is in this story, it is even more difficult. I'm sure that being
raised by elves would not help either. I thought this story captured
both Estel's internal struggles and Elrond's wisdom as he help him work
through his pain very well. I would highly recommend it.
-----------------------------------
Title: Rest and Recreation · Author: Raksha the Demon · Races:
Cross-Cultural · ID: 700
Reviewer: Radbooks · 2006-11-30 05:30:37 Score: 4
I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse of Boromir and his time in Imladris as
he waited for the Fellowship to leave for the quest. I'm sure that it
was a difficult time for him as he would have been the only man there
after Aragorn left to scout for the Nazgul. The sparring with Glorfindel
was wonderfully done and something that fit his personality very well -
the fact that he never gave up. Very well written, as are all of your
stories.
-----------------------------------
Title: Those Who Challenge the Dead · Author: Nancy Brooke · Races: Men:
Other Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 858
Reviewer: Elena Tiriel · 2006-11-30 05:36:46 Score: 5
Eärnur's brashness and Baldor's regret are illustrated so clearly and
memorably in this excellent pair of drabbles. There are so many things I
like about them:

They illuminate a common thread; I enjoy seeing different events or
different POVs tied together with a common theme.

They display a true respect for the language - each of the words is
precise and evocative, necessary when only 100 words are available.

They explore lesser-known canon events, and are even accompanied by
canon quotes...

I *thoroughly* enjoyed reading these... Very nicely done!
-----------------------------------
Title: Old Man Willow · Author: Jay of Lasgalen · Races: Elves:
Fixed-Length Ficlet Featuring Legolas or Thranduil · ID: 859
Reviewer: Elena Tiriel · 2006-11-30 05:49:11 Score: 4
Ah, I really liked this drabble when I first saw it, and even reading it
again it evokes an emotional response. When I read the Old Forest part
of FoTR, Old Man Willow seemed like such a creepy creature.... and
scary, and dangerous (who'd want to be buried inside a tree?).

But Legolas was not scared, and his magic overcame the rotten karma of
an ancient tree... what could be more satisfying?

The language in this double-drabble is evocative, and the result is
heart-warming... well done!


-----------------------------------
Title: Assume, Confuse, Consume, Amuse · Author: pipkinsweetgrass ·
Genres: Alternate Universe · ID: 648
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 06:10:39 Score: 4
Ahh, when the muse visits Pipkin and her husband, it tends to do so as a
trio of Pippin, Merry, and her Boromir. And so enjoyable a trio they are.

Athletic cups, Denethor's jealousy of Thorongil, Pippin's feelings of
guilt over Gandalf's death...all are covered here. And the Hobbits learn
about computer girlie sites, raccoons, and Chinese take out, including
deep fried mushrooms, of course.

Sweet; but her Boromir definitely AIN'T Book Boromir!
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Title: Fair Trade · Author: Tanaqui · Races: Men: Steward's Sons
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 900
Reviewer: Marigold · 2006-11-30 07:54:05 Score: 2
This was gorgeous, and tells us so much about Faramir's character and
why he was so beloved.
-----------------------------------
Title: Show his quality · Author: Tanaqui · Races: Men: Steward's Sons
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 875
Reviewer: Marigold · 2006-11-30 08:05:09 Score: 3
Faramir's excellent leadership qualities really shine through here. He
does what he must for the good of all his men, not just this ill-suited
recruit, and tries to lessen the boy's disappointment by showing him a
task within his capabilities. This mirrors Aragorn's actions on the ride
to the Black Gate and I enjoyed this similarity between them.
-----------------------------------
Title: Sweet Woodbine · Author: Bodkin · Times: Fourth Age and Beyond ·
ID: 864
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 08:18:17 Score: 5
The desires of a wood elf prince seem to be thwarted as the father of
his beloved bears no love for him, and all expect him to hold the same
prejudices against her for her relationship to Feanor's wife as those
who have dwelt in Aman for all their lives tend to know.

But Legolas is already accustomed to thwarting Elven conventions. After
all, his brothers of the heart have included Men and a pestilential
Dwarf, after all. And in the end he will win his fair lady in spite of
all else, and will do well by the scattered Sindar across Aman and Tol
Eressea.

Beautiful writing and very real character sketches, as is always true of
Bodkin's work.
-----------------------------------
Title: The Beauty of Memory · Author: pipkinsweetgrass · Races:
Cross-Cultural · ID: 652
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 08:31:48 Score: 3
To think that Boromir had so much of an influence on Pippin that the
Hobbit would unconsciously mimic his mannerisms is delightful, and
certainly eased the heart of the new Steward of the realm of Gondor as
he spent some hours hearing tales of his brother from his new King and
the smallest and newest Guardsman.

-----------------------------------
Title: The Unbidden Stranger · Author: Tanaqui · Races: Men: Aragorn
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 886
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 08:41:22 Score: 3
How would Thorongil have struck those among whom he rode in Rohan? Here
we have a brief and oh, so human, glimpse of the curiosity and suspicion
that his presence might well have raised.
-----------------------------------
Title: The Last Age of Elves: A Precious Find · Author: fael_bain ·
Genres: Drama: Elves in Later Ages · ID: 744
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 08:46:10 Score: 4
The sons of Elrond went a bit mad with grief, intent on personally
destroying all the orcs in the Misty Mountain to avenge their mother's
wounding and loss to Tol Eressea, and to protect all else from the
depredations of the servants of the Shadowed ones.

But the finding of an unnamed Elfling in the wilds helped to bring
Elrohir back in tune with life.

An interesting look at how young Legolas might indeed have been when he
first became a subject of interest for the Elves of Imladris.
-----------------------------------
Title: Shattered Twilight · Author: Rhapsody · Genres: Drama: First Age
Elves · ID: 247
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 08:49:35 Score: 3
Maeglin loved the maiden Idril; but she chose to cleave to a mortal Man
instead of choosing one of her own kindred.

The grief of Maeglin is fully rendered in this short and intense lament.
-----------------------------------
Title: Merry Yules · Author: Marigold · Races: Hobbits: Fixed-Length
Ficlet series · ID: 114
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 08:51:00 Score: 2
Ah, yes, the Yule season as experienced by our favorite duo. Humorous
and touching by turn.
-----------------------------------
Title: Earth, Water, Fire and Air · Author: Fileg · Genres: Drama:
Fixed-Length Ficlet Series · ID: 469
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 08:55:43 Score: 3
True sacrifices are not consumed or lost, but fulfilled, and often given
back again more than they were before. So it is in these four short
examinations of the hearts of Eowyn, Arwen, Aragorn, and Faramir.
-----------------------------------
Title: Little Lad Lost · Author: Citrine · Races: Hobbits: Children ·
ID: 895
Reviewer: Larner · 2006-11-30 09:06:54 Score: 2
What else can be said? Even Lobelia Sackville-Baggins finds herself
enchanted by a small Took found in her garden.
-----------------------------------
Title: Making the Legends of Our Times · Author: Gwynnyd · Times: Fourth
Age and Beyond: Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 860
Reviewer: Elena Tiriel · 2006-11-30 09:11:58 Score: 5
Ah, this is so satisfying, exactly what a drabble should be! A plain,
tiny vignette, that has a whole world of history behind it...

It is told from a child's perspective, so the language is simple, but
evocative. We get a vivid mental picture of the what the princess's skin
and hands look like, and how extremely aged physically, but mentally
sharp, she seems in the child's eyes.

And the conversation starts out childlike, but it gave me a chill at the
end... I started out believing that the child was the future Lady of the
Shield Arm, but the roles are reversed by the end... and the drabble
left me flooded with memories about all the pain behind the death of the
Witch King....

Very well done.


-----------------------------------
Title: Forlorn Hope · Author: Nancy Brooke · Races: Men: Steward's Sons
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 301
Reviewer: Marigold · 2006-11-30 09:16:13 Score: 2
This is a stunning drabble. Faramir's sense of hopelessness is chilling
in its matter-of-factness.
-----------------------------------