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Title: Stone from Above · Author: Thundera Tiger · Races: Men · ID: 284
Reviewer: dkpalaska · 2007-11-30 21:15:03
A gripping read from Hama's PoV. His loyalty, bravery and desperation
all come through beautifully, even as the reader is grieving over his end.

This is an enjoyable gap-filler for yet another of those odd side
comments that pepper Tolkien's work. Even better, it is a well-earned
tribute to a character that gets short shrift in the book, especially
after (as the author notes) making at least one rather critical
decision that definitively affected the outcome of Rohan's future!

Title: The End of a Lonely Road · Author: White Gull · Races: Hobbits
· ID: 542
Reviewer: fantasyfan · 2007-11-30 21:37:41
White Gull has done what we all secretly long to do - given Frodo a
happier ending than Tolkien did. In this story, Violet in her
suffering both before and during the time of troubles becomes the kind
of strong and compassionate companion that is so suited to our heroic
but tragic Ringbearer. White Gull does not dimish the noble sacrifice
of Frodo - he is still wounded beyond healing in this world, and still
ready to leave home, security and love behind to complete his
redemptive sacrifice, but in this story he recieves a more immediate
reward than a vague promise of potential healing the the West. In
honor of her own selfless act that saved Rose Cotton, and in
recognition of the destruciton of her own health and ability to thrive
in the Shire, Violet is allowed to travel West with Frodo, rewarding
them both with the promise of the healing that comes from love, no
matter what either of them may eventually find on reaching Tol Eressea.

I enjoyed this very dramatic and gripping tale. White Gull writes with
a lot of emotion and makes you really feel for her characters, canon
or author-created.


Title: Hope Unquenched · Author: White Gull · Genres: Poetry: With
Hobbits · ID: 410
Reviewer: fantasyfan · 2007-11-30 21:48:25
In this short poem, Sam faces the loss of what has been his signature
characteristic through all the adventures and troubles of his life -
he almost loses his hope. Old and alone, careworn and almost
dispairing, he stands under the mallorn. But he wouldn't have been Sam
if hope had died for long. His much-beloved and missed master is
tangibly present in the wind, the leaves, and the memories, and Sam is
able to raise his head to new hope that he might find across the sea.

White Gull really shines as an author in her poetry. Every word is
carefully chosen, every nuance and rhyme and meter contributes to the
emotion of the whole. I especially liked the contrasting images of the
slow movement of the old hobbit and the wind-driven movement of the
tree. The emotion in this piece is heartfelt and poignant. And though
Frodo is never mentioned explicitly, he's never far from recall by
either Sam or reader. A beautiful poem.

Title: Elrond's Song · Author: White Gull · Genres: Poetry · ID: 409
Reviewer: fantasyfan · 2007-11-30 22:04:51
Elves take a long view of things, and Elrond perhaps has a better
grasp of the big picture of the long fight against Sauron than most.
He has been one of the architects of the long plan, and was there for
some of the key defeats in what must have seemed a long and fruitless
war. Mostly though, Elves wait. Sometimes they just endure through the
battles and councils, through the times when it is not yet time to
act, or the way of action is not clear.

All that is present in the first few stanzas of White Gull's poem.
Elrond has never stopped fighting and scheming for Sauron's downfall,
but at times even he did not know how those plans were to be
fulfilled. That is, until he met Frodo. You can feel his appreciation
of how Frodo did what the great among men and elves never could - he
endured the evil and fought, not with armies but with only his will,
giving hope he could not keep for himself for the sake of all of Arda,
and restoring the hope that you sense Elrond has almost lost.

I don't often contemplate what it might have meant to the Elves to
leave the world they were so bound to. So much is given up when they
leave the world to Men after ages of Elven guardianship, but Elrond
does it with a sense of relief that, thanks to Frodo: with gratitutde
and anticipation of the end of days, when they will all meet again.

As usual with White Gull's poetry, each word is perfectly chosen for
nuance and rhythm, and the repeating structure of each stanza makes it
feel like a song. I always look forward to reading her poetry.



Title: Aragorn's Moment · Author: docmon · Races: Men: Eriador or
Rivendell · ID: 509
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2007-12-01 01:07:51
[spoilers]

This outstanding ficlet offers a revealing glimpse into Aragorn's
state of mind as he sets out upon the quest ,which will either make or
destroy him. What a dreadful burden for one man to carry with not only
his future but that of the whole world at stake ! This,however is what
Aragorn has been born for and he will conquer his own fears and give
his all.

Title: Of Difficulties and Delicate Situations · Author: Garnet Took ·
Races: Hobbits: Post-Grey Havens · ID: 255
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2007-12-01 01:22:38
[spoilers]

We like to imagine Pippin as making a full recovery from his injuries,
but what if they effected his future life in a most crucial area, that
of having children?

This difficult subject is dealt with tactfully and tasefully when
Pippin and and his wife are helped by Aragorn to receive their heart's
desire.

Title: The Dryad · Author: Imhiriel · Times: Late Third Age: 3018-3022
TA: General Drabble · ID: 71
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2007-12-01 01:27:24
[spoilers]

I loved the idea of Ithilien with Dryads who protected the
Rangers,unknown to them.I loved the Dryad's perceptive first glimpse
of Faramir and her insight into his worth.

Title: Comes Now The Plaintiff, Frodo Baggins · Author: EdorasLass ·
Genres: Humor: Parody · ID: 17
Reviewer: stefaniab · 2007-12-01 01:39:30
What a comment on our litiguous society this story is. "Comes Now the
Plaintiff, Frodo Baggins," is a legal brief that answers the question,
"What if Frodo were to sue for damages the very heroes that persuaded
him to go on the quest to destroy the Ring of power?

The prime defendent cited in the brief is the nefarious Aragorn son of
Arathorn, aka Strider aka Thorongil aka Elessar aka Estel aka Frankie
"the Hammer" of Pelargrir (who?) and many more aliases. The second
defendent is the murderous Maia Gandalf Greyhame aka Gandalf the White
aka Mithrandir aka Olorin, and not to mention Stoned Old Guy in the
Hat and Magneto. The last is the criminal kidnapper Faramir, Son of
Denethor, House of Hurin, aka The Spare. This band of miscreants,
according to the brief, conned poor Frodo, sent him on a fools errand,
and kidnapped him, among other crimes. Surely Frodo Baggins must be
awarded a vast sum of money for the pain and suffering these three
have inflicted on him!

Edoraslass taps on her experience typing legal briefs for these
riotous parody on lawyers and Lord of the Rings. Her brief and
legalesse are the real thing and very worth reading. I was bellowing
with laughter.

Title: Winds of Change · Author: Lady Bluejay · Genres: Romance: With
Rohirrim · ID: 228
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-01 02:13:12
[Spoilers]
This is an absolutely delightful Eomer/Lothiriel romance entirely from
Eomer's point of view. He is reluctant to marry for political reasons,
but discovers that as a king it is not so easy to meet a suitable wife
who is not lined up by his advisors for his perusal. When he meets
Lothiriel, he doesn't know who she is and when he figures it out, she
is another one of those suitable women. But by then his encounters
with her leave him in no doubt that he would like to marry her. Now he
needs to figure out her real feelings toward him.

I love the way all the new responsibilities and deference for his new
station keep getting in the way of any meaningful conversation. Woven
into this tale is the court etiquette of the Gondorian nobles, which
Eomer learns to use to his advantage, although he and Aragorn both
don't like it. Eomer's valet is priceless. I loved the exchange
between them when Eomer goes back to Edoras.

Title: Comforting Silence · Author: Radbooks · Times: Fourth Age and
Beyond: Gondor or Rohan · ID: 157
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-01 02:13:58
This is a beautiful little scene of Aragorn comforting Faramir after
the death of Eowyn. It depicts the strong friendship between the two
men. Aragorn and Faramir both come to life with a few words. I could
feel Faramir's deep grief and Aragorn's strong, silent support.
Aragorn pulling out his pipe made me smile.

Title: One Frodo Too Many · Author: Baranduin · Genres: Humor: Parody
· ID: 683
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:16:50
That was splendid! Iloved every single word of this one and I felt
sorry for poor, old Book Frodo having to sort it all out without
losing his mind or his temper. An excellent parody and the author
handled all of those different Frodo's very well.

Title: Reconcilation · Author: Dwimordene · Genres: Drama · ID: 86
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-01 02:17:24
[Spoilers]
I love this story. It is based on two situations in stories by
Isabeau. In one Peloren helps to beat Andrahar to a pulp and in
another story they are both friends. This story explores how the
change might have come about. But I don't think you need to read any
of these stories to understand this story.

All the characters in this story are well-drawn, complex characters
and come to life. Andrahar as a newly minted Swan Knight comes back to
Dol Amroth, and Peloren and Elethil, Peloren's friend, are back as
esquires after a year away with the infantry as punishment for the
beating incident. Everything should be okay now even if they are not
exactly friends, but they should be able to tolerate each other.

But the atmosphere, unspoken rules and a sometimes misunderstood Code
of Conduct that made the beating incident possible have not changed.
All this conspires that some esquires resent Peloren and Elethil for
what they did, others think it was a good thing what they did, but
they made the mistake of getting caught. Peloren and Elethil are the
target of bullying and since they are under oath not to be impolite or
start any trouble, they can't do anything about it, and in typical
fashion of young people they don't know when the pranks cross the line
and they need to get help. On top of that they can't avoid Andrahar
since he is one of their instructors.

Andrahar is also a victim, since there are still a lot of people even
among the leadership who think a Haradrim among the Swan Knights is a
stain on their honor. The tension racks up from chapter to chapter
until something has to give.

When Elethil finally cracks under the pressure, Peloren and Andrahar
are thrown together to try to find him. A surprise raid of Corsairs
manages to let them set aside their differences and respect each
other. It is still a long way to real friendship, but the groundwork
is done.

I highly recommend this story.

Title: Safe In My Arms · Author: Fiondil · Genres: Drama · ID: 470
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-01 02:18:43
[spoilers]
In this story Faramir, after his death, goes to Mandos' halls and
finds his brother and father again. I like the role reversal playing
out between the brothers. At first it seems they play the same roles
as in life, Boromir the older brother, protective of Faramir, and
Faramir trying to gain acceptance for being the way he is. But
gradually during the healing of past hurts new roles emerge and I love
the reconciliation scene with Denethor.

Title: Mushrooms · Author: claudia6032000 · Genres: Drama: The
Fellowship · ID: 561
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-01 02:19:22
Wicked, wicked mushrooms. Poor Frodo, being tricked by a mushroom is
no fun. I like the description of Boromir and Aragorn caring for
Frodo. At least for once Pippn followed orders and was spared.

Title: A Mother's Touch · Author: Raksha the Demon · Genres: Humor:
Other Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 44
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:20:32
This is the first Dragon fiction that I have read and I adore little
Smaug and his proud, caring mum. This was lovely and I like the fact
that as Dragons they can be covered in the blood of their enemies but
not coated with dirt like dwarves! Very well done!

Title: A Need To Know · Author: Pearl Took · Races: Hobbits: Post-Ring
War · ID: 776
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:26:12
Now that was excellent! I loved the way Tom Cotton showed his concern
over his daughter's future and managed to get an honest response
without even the very clever Samwise Gamgee catching on to his plan.
This was so like a father protecting his daughter! I adored it.

Title: Hiraeth · Author: Llinos · Genres: Poetry · ID: 803
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:31:04
This is such a wonderful love poem. These lines tell all really,
Yet I loiter by Mirrormede's side,
While Ilúvatar calls from the ocean swell,
I linger still, seeking – yearning!

The love of the sea and it's call is strong but even when faced with
that the choice is to stay by the one you love, Mirrormede. The fact
that this sea-longing can be put off show the full meaning of the
desire. This is a beautifully written poem like all of this author's
poems and the emotion in this one is very clear and almost pulls at
you as you realize that the narrator of the poem is being pulled
between the need for the sea and for true love.

Title: Remembering Anew · Author: Pearl Took · Times: Fourth Age and
Beyond · ID: 88
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:33:27
This story contains some very engaging original characters and those
characters manage to hold the reader's attention. The plot is very
entertaining and so as not to spoil it for any who have not read this
one, I won't say more about details involving the main idea of this
one. I will say that Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam all appear in this
story in a very imaginative way. There is suspense, there is humor and
there is one moment involving The Red Book that really takes your
breath away. This author is always one of my favorites and I really
enjoyed reading this one.

Title: Letting Go · Author: SlightlyTookish · Races: Hobbits:
Post-Ring War · ID: 230
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:41:14
I always enjoy everything that this author writes but this is one of
my favorites. I adore the way she describes Paladin's struggle to
understand what has happened to his son during his time away and his
efforts to find a way in which he can help. I like the scene where
Paladin over-hears Merry comforting Pippin after a dark dream and
Paladin leaves before Pippin sees him knowing that Merry can help his
son more than he can at that moment. That must have been very
difficult and it is written very well. A lovely story.

Title: Rohan's Future · Author: Madeleine · Genres: Humor: Gondor or
Rohan · ID: 79
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2007-12-01 02:46:21
[spoilers]

A delightfully amusing tale in which readers are pleased to see that
Lothiriel and Eomer's passion for each other in the author's earlier
stories has proved very fruitful and provided a quiver of heirs for Rohan.

Unfortunately the children are rather a handful,willing to listen only
to their parents, but are nevertheless loved by the people of Rohan.

When Eomer and Lothiriel go away,the boys are left in charge of their
hapless uncle, who rather unwisely decideds to keep them busy building
a catapult !

The underlying theme of this well written story is that adults and
children need to have mutual respect for and learn from each other.

Title: Are You Going to Leave Me? · Author: Llinos · Genres: Drama:
With Merry · ID: 142
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:51:26
One of my favorite authors writing about the close relationship
between my two favorite hobbits! Naturally, I love this story. This
manages to show the deep bond, closer than cousins, between Pippin
Took and Merry Brandybuck. I like the fact that this begins with
Merry's confusion and the darkness that he must fight after his part
in the death of the Witch King. I like the idea of Pippin as the
strong one giving support to his older cousin when Merry needs it
most. The author also conveys some of Pippin's guilt at having looked
into the palantir and then being taken away to Minas Tirith leaving
Merry to go on without him. You can see how Pippin feels responsible
in a way for Merry's current state. The healing in this is very well
written and we see how difficult it is for Merry to fight off the
shadow and how Pippin stays at his side throughout it all. In the end,
Pippin is still trying to protect Merry by not actually giving him the
full details of the battle that Pippin must ride off to fight. As
hobbits will both Merry and Pippin make light of it but you know what
both are really feeling. Excellent read!

Title: Unexpected · Author: Madeleine · Genres: Romance: Incomplete ·
ID: 559
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2007-12-01 02:52:57
[spoilers]

As Eomer and Lothiriel begin to adjust to life in Rohan, they quickly
learn that here are two strong wills.

I especially loved the humour in this tale. After all, Lothiriel is
the lady who asked the King of the Reunited Kingdom to hold parcels
for her.

Lothiriel has her own ideas when a tutor is needed to teach her
Rohirric,those ideas and her husband's turn out to be at loggerheads.

The battles continue in the bedroom,where Lothiriel is an amazingly
confident and eager young wife.

There is never a dull moment in this delightful story by this very
gifted author. I would love to know what happens next

Title: The Three Hunters · Author: Dreamflower · Genres: Adventure ·
ID: 333
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 02:57:48
I love Aragorn's POV . I don't recall having read anything about his
search for Merry and Pippin before this. I liked seeing Glorfindel in
the story as he should be. I also thought his impatience was
interesting since the Hobbits were not yet his friends and his main
concern would be Frodo and his safety rather than keeping the three
together.
Legolas doesn't often make his way into my own stories as I am a bit
nervous about writing Elves but this author does a lovely job with
him. I enjoyed his thoughts in this.
I enjoyed the way Gimli talked about his own father and Bilbo while
recounting his feelings. After all, he had family that had dealt with
Hobbits before. I
enjoyed his POV very much.
Lovely story all around!

Title: When the King Comes Back (the Great Smials) · Author:
Dreamflower · Genres: Drama: The Shire · ID: 262
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 03:03:01
This is a wonderful story from beginning to end by an author who
obviously loves hobbits! Great story.

Title: More Than Just Years · Author: Llinos · Genres: Adventure:
Minas Tirith · ID: 362
Reviewer: grey_wonderer · 2007-12-01 03:13:18
This is filled with magic, not just Gandalf's sort of magic but the
magic that lives inside Pippin Took because he believes in it. I love
the way Gandalf looks after the hobbits as small children in this
story and the connection to that past and Pippin's lighting the
beacons in Minas Tirith. It's a story about over-coming fear and doing
something important but mostly this is about believing in magic!