Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: Estel's Shire Friend · Author: claudia6032000 · Genres:
Adventure: Pre-Ring War · ID: 665
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 16:43:04
I enjoy AU's in which Frodo and Aragorn meet before the Quest. Frodo's
bravery in coming to Aragorn's aid was very much in character.

Title: A Little Nudge Out the Door · Author: Jocelyn · Genres:
Adventure: Pre-Ring War · ID: 823
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 16:47:58
Really interesting cultural descriptions throughout. I enjoyed the
descriptiveness here. This is definitely a labour of love by the author.

Title: Lighting Fires · Author: Gwynnyd · Genres: Adventure: Pre-Ring
War · ID: 95
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 16:51:36
I have often wondered how Estel coped with growing up in Rivendell. I
enjoyed the relationship between he and Elrohir very much.

Title: Journeys in High Places · Author: Illwynd · Genres: Adventure:
Pre-Ring War · ID: 259
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 16:55:06
So *this* was where Boromir gained his experience with trekking over
mountains! Exciting story and the bond between Boromir and Faramir was
well described.

Title: The Great Blotmath Walnut War In The Year 1423 · Author:
grey_wonderer · Races: Hobbits: Post-Grey Havens · ID: 165
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2007-10-07 17:20:17
You are so good at wicked stories with - shall we say - sibling and
pseudo-sibling interaction. (And sheep. And anthropomorphic rabbits
called Errol. And sheep.) But here we discover the perils of the
inanimate - walnuts and the incontrovertible peril of being the
youngest of four children - one with three older, equally
individualistic, emphatically Tookish sisters. Pippin should have
known better than to get involved really - after all, he grew up with
them ... but maybe added years and quests and exposure to orcs and
Palantirs and twisted Istari and burning eyes - not to mention having
taken part in rather nasty battles - made him forget just how
dangerous his sisters could be. And naked! I'm surprised he has
retained his sight! The poor lad will be permanently traumatised!

If he has learned any wisdom over his foreign experiences, he had
better take mental note of the complete ruthlessness of his sisters -
and make sure their wrath is never targeted at him. He wouldn't stand
a chance against them (- I think he has a soft streak when it comes to
the lasses and wouldn't want to use his new warrior skills against
them). Whereas they might not have quite the same scruples. Imagine if
they ganged up on him!

None of them will ever think about walnuts in the same way again.



Title: Marking Fours · Author: Raksha the Demon · Times: Multi-Age:
Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 1
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 17:24:19
This is a superb series of connected drabbles and I am so glad to have
discovered them! I love the way that the author has made use of the
"fours" of the challenge - four hours, four days, four months, four
years - and four drabbles. The cleverness of doing so is not
distracting or contrived in the least but serves to add another layer
to what is a very compelling emotional progression written in a
deceptively simple style. There is a lot going on with Faramir here, a
good deal of it between the lines.

Each drabble conveys Faramir's mental and emotional state very well,
but the last drabble is my favourite. We can easily imagine what must
be going through Faramir's mind when his grief for his father is
finally triggered - sorrow for what his father became and also of the
wasted years, the lost opportunities, thoughts about the relationship
that they might have had but did not and now never will have the
chance to try to create now that the Shadow has been defeated. And
thoughts too about the promise of the father and son relationship that
Faramir hopes to have with his own Elboron.

Excellent!

Title: Droplets · Author: Perelleth · Genres: Adventure: Incomplete ·
ID: 166
Reviewer: Bodkin · 2007-10-07 17:28:11
I love these stories, Perelleth. You take such beautiful moments and
give them life. The first one - I do think Galadriel would be right at
the end of her endurance at this point - and giving Arwen over to
Aragorn and the fate of men must have been just about the last straw.
To have him prove that he is, indeed, worthy - and to offer her the
ring that links men to her family .... and at the same time remind her
of who will be waiting on the other side of that impassable ocean ....
Yep. A very emotional moment.

The second - Lovely Finrod - and nice to think of him as a major
influence on Galadriel. I'm sure as her oldest brother he did spend
quite a lot of time with his only sister - and he does come over as a
particularly admirable elf.

And just to pick another - how could I possible omit the reference to
Reflections! The ellyth are most definitely in charge of this one -
must be their natural talents with Female Pursuits. They've definitely
got all those gorgeous males under control - whatever they might
think. Bemused, too. And confused. And I love the twins pairing up and
feeling that little Legolas isn't quite up to the mark. (I do think he
needs a friend who is to him what the twins are to each other ... But
I suspect that's impossible!) The Blessed Realm does give the most
unlikely elves the chance to get together - and have a chance to
interact. I love the whole feeling of Celeborn and Finrod and Elrond
and Glorfindel and Thranduil and Erestor all massing together in the
trees like a bunch of rainbow lorikeets and snarking away .. like a
bunch of rainbow lorikeets .. as Glorfindel gets clever and douses
Finrod with splashes of water - whilst acknowledging that they don't
have a hope once the ladies get going. Brilliant - the mighty have
fallen. Of course Elladan, Elrohir and Legolas don't expect to win.
They know they're outmatched!

Beautifully done, Perelleth.



Title: Three Cups of Kindness · Author: Elen Kortirion · Times:
Multi-Age: Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 448
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 17:33:30
Very nice progression. I especially liked the vividness of the final
drabble. The first two were grim (as they should be) but the last was
bittersweet and it was clear that he had known years of happiness
before this moment and anticipated more to come in the afterlife,
making his impending death easier to bear.

Title: The Voices of Silence · Author: Rhapsody · Times: Multi-Age:
Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 172
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 17:37:48
A very thoughtful series of drabbles. Each is packed with emotion and
compels you on to the next. Very nicely done!

Title: In This These Days of Glory: From Autumn to Spring · Author:
Dana · Races: Hobbits: Gapfiller · ID: 567
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:48:05
So many nice gapfillers here! I especially liked the corruption of
Lotho S.-B.; he's far from my favorite character, and you made his
fall believable for me (something Tolkien failed at, incidentally).
And when Rosie burst into song in that last section.... that was just
pure hobbity spirit, and a nice tribute to the connection between the
two of them. Reading about the Shire occupation in this way, as
vignettes rather than a complete novella, was surprisingly affective,
and I really enjoyed reading this. I heartily recommend it to lovers
of gapfillers, or anyone who just loves solid vignette writing.

Title: Divine Intervention · Author: Meril · Races: Cross-Cultural:
Incomplete · ID: 68
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:48:13
Oh, how much fun! Not nearly enough is written about the Valier, and
here you have imbued them with a most un-divine snarky humor that
really tickled my funny bone. The [divine spit], Varda as
[obsessive-compulsive].... somehow it just *works*. And you've really
hit the sisterly dynamic, I could see my own sister and me acting just
the way that Yavanna and Varda do here. I truly hope you finish this
some day, because I'd love to see your take on some of the other
Queens of the Valar. What you've written so far is really very
promising on that count. *g*

Title: Dissonance · Author: EdorasLass · Races: Cross-Cultural: Gondor
· ID: 450
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:48:22
There's something sobering about this vignette, but definitely
meaningful. I really liked the idea that in the Houses of Healing (at
least to a healer like Valacar) the fact that a man is injured and can
be helped is more important than anything else; that seems to be the
ultimate point of all the Dunedain principle, and a nice fleshing out
of Tolkien's comment in the letters that, outside of myth and legend,
there are orcs and men on both sides of any conflict. But the fact
that EdorasLass's OC nurse could not just effortlessly accept the
surprise of their patient's identitywas a very human touch, and I felt
myself nodding at her struggle to see the humanity in the "other". A
very nice read - quick to read, but I'm sure it will be in my thoughts
for a while.

Title: The Last Temptation · Author: Maeve Riannon · Genres: Drama:
Second Age or Earlier · ID: 264
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:49:01
This short piece and gives a lovely glimpse into not only the fall of
Doriath but the depth of Melian's love for her children. I could see
it happening just like this, and found it a very moving piece.

Title: For the Dwarves, Gimli · Author: annmarwalk · Races: Dwarves ·
ID: 155
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:49:16
Ai, lovely way to capture the Dwarves' fierce spirit here, Ann! The
first scene was sweet, and I loved the way the socks later gave Gimli
a way to bond with Boromir. (Though I did get a bit sniffly at
Boromir's comment about Finduilas). But what *really* got me was the
pure ire of Nandi's demanding when Gimli would return. It was just
so.... well, dwarven, I guess. But also very motherly. I could so see
this happening, and I loved this sneak into Gimli's home life.

Title: The Tides of the World · Author: Raksha the Demon · Times: Late
Third Age: 3018-3022 TA: Gondor · ID: 101
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:49:26
This ficlet has a really nice meditation on the concept of weregild
and one death somehow evening out another - and how the concept of
weregild is ludicrous. It's a fic that deserves to be read for that
reason alone. And it's a nice gapfiller for Aragorn after Pelennor
even aside from the weregild theme. Aragorn fans won't be disappointed.

Title: Behind Every Great Man... · Author: annmarwalk · Times: Mid
Third Age: 2851 - 3017 TA: Drabble · ID: 52
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:49:47
["Which are which?"]

*sporfles*

There is just something so laugh-out-loud hilarious about that last
line. I love that! As well as the blush I can just imagine in
Denethor's cheeks when he asks to make sure everything is ["ah,
ready"]. This is a perfect way to bring out Denethor's lighter side.
And having just the dialog was the perfect way to go, because I can
imagine all sorts of reactions, intonations, and so forth. Nice work, Ann!

Title: Bitter Springs · Author: Dwimordene · Times: Mid Third Age:
2851 - 3017 TA · ID: 634
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:50:02
There is an understated quality to this fic that really resonates with
the reader, communicating the sorrow and heartache of those hard years
before the War of the Ring so well. Dwim also does a first-rate job of
capturing the freer Rohirric society (and Boromir's affinity toward
those people), and the politics of the time - all without an infodump.
I enjoyed this tale, and recommend it as a nice glimpse into Gondor's
and Rohan's race toward war.

Title: New Life · Author: Tanaqui · Times: Late Third Age: 3018-3022
TA: General Drabble · ID: 686
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:50:08
That final parting between Elrond and Arwen is one that has always
intrigued and fascinated me, though as I've grown in my knowledge of
Tolkien I'm glad Tolkien didn't actually write it. It's much more fun
(and poignant) to imagine our own renderings of the scene, and to read
how other writers imagine it.

In this drabble, Tanaqui avoids the huge temptation of "over-telling"
such scenes. The only words she actually gives us (["Fare well,
Arwen."]) have a nice double meaning, and I'm glad we have them, but
besides that Tanaqui does not tell us what was actually said. Instead,
focusing on the harvest imagery of plans coming to completion, we get
a glimpse into what Elrond might have been feeling - but only a
glimpse, and one that nudges the reader's imagination rather than
overpowers it. Which is, I think, the only real way to tell such a
final parting as this. It's exactly the kind of scene drabbles are
made for, and Tanaqui uses the genre to excellent effect here.

Title: Who is this Gil-galad, of Whom You Speak? · Author: Erunyauve ·
Genres: Non-Fiction · ID: 250
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:50:16
Gil-galad is not an elf that I have thought that much about. But
erunyauve does an admirable job of summarizing his character from the
few canon sources we have, and showing how he's different from the
other Noldor elves. I certainly have a greater respect for and
interest in him than I did going in.

Title: A Truth Universally Acknowledged · Author: annmarwalk · Genres:
Humor: Gondor or Rohan · ID: 556
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-10-07 17:50:31
Ai, delightful! Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors outside of
Tolkien, and so this riff on "Pride and Prejudice" was really fun for
me to read. Of course I've seen my share of stories about Boromir and
Faramir having Gondor's eligible daughters pushed toward them one
after the other, but to hear Boromir lay out a list so similar (but
yet distinct to Middle-earth) to Mr. Darcy's requirements, that earned
a real chuckle from me. And the bit about preferring blondes was
hilarious. (*whispers* And those of us who know the truth of the
matter know that it's not just Lothiriel and Faramir who prefer
members of the House of Eorl.)

Like I said, delightful. This was a wonderfully cute and funny
exchange for a Sunday morning.

Title: Mighty among both Elves and Men · Author: Tanaqui · Times:
Multi-Age: Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 606
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 17:54:28
This series really gave me insight into what Elrond might have been
like as a person - his interests and his hopes and doubts. I liked him
here, he felt approachable and knowable rather than isolated and stern
as he is so often written in fanfic. I liked these very much!

Title: Waste Not, Want Not · Author: Tanaqui · Races: Villains:
Drabble · ID: 722
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 17:59:11
I liked the businesslike approach of the orcs, it seemed very
realistic to me. Excellent handling of a very grim subject. It was
horrifying without being needlessly graphic, which really added to the
impact of the ending.

Title: Fun with Farm'n · Author: Súlriel · Races: Villains: Drabble ·
ID: 269
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 18:01:50
Very orcish! I wonder what they were planting, lol!

Title: Point, Counterpoint · Author: Marta · Races: Villains: Drabble
· ID: 573
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 18:06:10
This drabble made Melkor's fall so much more understandable. I
actually felt sorry for him. The use of language was beautiful.

Title: Dragon Lore · Author: Tanaqui · Races: Villains: Drabble · ID: 404
Reviewer: Marigold · 2007-10-07 18:08:46
So much is conveyed in this piece - well done!