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Title: Winds of Change · Author: Lady Bluejay · Genres: Romance: With
Rohirrim · ID: 228
Reviewer: rhyselle · 2007-12-02 20:11:53
This is the best of the 'Eomer and Lothiriel meet' fics I've ever
read. It is unabashedly romantic without being mushy, and, best of
all, is entirely from Eomer's point of view. He deals with a multitude
of emotional issues in a short span of time--eight days--including
coming to terms with unexpectedly becoming king, mourning the death of
his uncle and the Riders who fell on the Pelennor, and his instant
attraction to the dark haired Princess of Dol Amroth. The wording of
the tale lets the reader fall into sympathy with Eomer as he prepares
to return to Edoras to face the challenges waiting there, and, in
particular his deep desire to have a wife choose him for himself, and
not because he has been elevated to the Royal position he now holds.

The interpretation of Lothiriel suits my perceptions of Gondorian
nobility, but she has the added touch of someone who is slightly
unconventional for her rank--not wanting to be shoved into a political
match; like Eomer, she seeks to be chosen for herself and not for her
rank.

Uniquely, in contrast to many romance fics, Eomer's interactions are
with many supporting characters and not just with the lady who wins
his heart. From the future head of Eomer's Royal Guard who chooses a
hot-headed horse when he has to replace a mount lost in battle, to
Lothiriel's brothers who are quite amusing each in their own way, to
the 'new' Eowyn whom Eomer barely recognizes as she recreates herself
by taking on some Gondorian trappings and makes it plain that it is
Faramir she wants and Faramir she will have, Lady Bluejay has created
a believable and enjoyable work that I feel makes up a wonderful
'missing moment' in canon.

I hope that she will re-visit Eomer and Lothiriel in the future,
showing us some of their lives in the Riddermark, as their love
develops and grows. I highly recommend this story!

Title: Temptation · Author: Linda hoyland · Times: Mid Third Age: 2851
- 3017 TA: Other Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 419
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:06:24
[spoilers]
The temptation in this ficlet is a tavern wench thrown at Thorongil by
her master. He might like to receive some pleasure, but not like this.
He wants to have Arwen. I like the picture of the dingy tavern in
Umbar you paint with just a few words. It came to life in my head as a
place I would try to avoid at all cost.

Title: Keeper of the Jewels · Author: Cuthalion · Genres: Adventure:
Minas Tirith · ID: 64
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:07:03
Not everybody could be happy that Gondor has a king again. This story
explores a plot to destroy the king by using the king's friends, the
hobbits. As is typical for men, they underestimate hobbits in general
and here the Ringbearer especially. The characters come to life in
this tale. I especially like the OC Artanis, the way she grows
throughout the story. Her interaction with Frodo is great.

Title: Calm after the Storm · Author: Imhiriel · Genres: Adventure:
Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 350
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:08:06
This glimpse into the aftermath of a fight with the corsairs paints a
vivid picture of glaring sun and hot oppressive heat. I envy Imrahil
his chance of diving into the sea.

Title: Bitter Springs · Author: Dwimordene · Times: Mid Third Age:
2851 - 3017 TA · ID: 634
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:11:31
That was a bitter spring. It was telling for the situation that
Theodred and Boromir had to sneak out and speak in vague terms about
their needs and the political situation they are in. I liked the
interaction between these two friends. They know each other well
enough to read between the lines of what is said.

I never really thought about Theodred's position in all this. He made
such a short appearance in the books, basically just dying. He is in
this tale in no better a position than his cousins, watching Theoden
fall under the spell of Grima, but after reading this I got the
feeling it was even harder for him. It was his father, after all, that
he watched decline and was unable to prevent it, not his uncle.

Title: A Little Nudge Out the Door · Author: Jocelyn · Genres:
Adventure: Pre-Ring War · ID: 823
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:13:07
This is a story of Legolas growing up and coming into his own. I like
the way the rocky relationship between Thranduil and Legolas is shown.
A father who, because of earlier losses, is overprotective of his
youngest and tries to keep him home as long as possible aided by the
darkening times, and a son who for a long time does his fathers
bidding unquestioningly until the inevitable happens. Legolas wants to
see the world and rebells against his fathers wishes. Gandalf, as
usual, is there in the right time at the right place, or not. That
depends on your point of view. Because of his sheltered upbringing
Legolas faces some unique challenges when he goes out into the world.
I love the way all the races, elves, dwarves, men, are depicted as
individuals with their own unique characteristics. Not all dwarves are
greedy, not all men are bandits, not all elves are angels. But it
takes some getting to know them to see past the prejudices.

Title: Charcoal, Stone and Cloud · Author: shadow975 · Races: Men ·
ID: 610
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:14:39
[spoilers]
I love this little story. The interaction between Boromir and Aragorn
seems so natural. They haven't solved all issues, but they came a long
way from the Council of Elrond to this place. Aragorn shows his trust
in Boromir by telling him of his previous visit to Gondor, and Boromir
can by now accept Aragorn's claim without being hostile or outright
contemptuous toward the other man. Over the course of this quest they
got to know and respect each other. I love the little personal touches
of Boromir collecting pebbles and the cloud gazing game Boromir
learned from Faramir and that Aragorn also enjoys.

Title: Taking Leave · Author: Soubrettina · Times: Fourth Age and
Beyond: Gondor or Rohan · ID: 326
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:15:36
[spoilers]
This is a sobering, but in the end still uplifting story. Eowyn takes
her leave from all her friends before she dies. But in not as active a
form as it sounds here. She is dying slowly and is in the end very
weak. Her family and friends gather around her in her last days. I
haven't seen anyone dying in this way, but it seemed to me a very
realistic way of 'fading.' At one point she is just gone in her
sleep.I like the way the grief and reactions of Faramir, Aragorn and
Arwen are depicted.

Title: Of Difficulties and Delicate Situations · Author: Garnet Took ·
Races: Hobbits: Post-Grey Havens · ID: 255
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:16:47
[spoilers]
In this amusing tale or not so amusing if you were Pippin and Diamond
Took, they visit Aragorn in Gondor and while they are there, ask him
and Arwen for help regarding their future offspring, which doesn't
want to show up. I like the way Pippin goes about asking Aragorn for
help and the way Aragorn handles this delicate situation.

Title: All that is gold... · Author: Perelleth · Genres: Humor:
Children · ID: 42
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:17:55
[spoilers]
This is a charming tale around the famous line of the poem Bilbo wrote
for Aragorn. Bilbo and Estel have a clandestine meeting in the middle
of the night on the stairs of the Last Homely House. They both are
supposed to be in bed and they shouldn't meet at all, but they do. The
ensuing conversation between them teaches Estel an important lesson
and lays the foundation for the friendship between the two of them. I
like the description of the boy Estel and the way Bilbo handles the
encounter. It sounds very natural for a curious 11-year-old coming
across one of the guests he is not supposed to meet. And Bilbo is just
Bilbo ;-).

Title: Letting Go · Author: SlightlyTookish · Races: Hobbits:
Post-Ring War · ID: 230
Reviewer: obsidianj · 2007-12-02 21:19:09
There is a big hole in Tolkien about the repercussions of Pippin and
Merry coming back after the quest and being reunited with their
families. This story looks through the eyes of Pippin's father at his
suddenly grown up son after the quest. He last remembered the
mischievous tween and now here is a mature young hobbit who literally
grew out of all his clothes and his life. Paladin and his wife have a
hard time understanding their son, which is understandable. The
experiences of the travelers are far outside any hobbit horizon and
imagination. I like the way the confusion and helplessness of the
parents is depicted. Only after Paladin eavesdrops on one of Pippin's
nightmares does he get an inkling of what his son is going through. I
love the father/son conversation at the end, where they don't say
much, but come to a silent understanding and Paladin lets his son go.

Title: Graceful and Green · Author: Alawa · Genres: Drama: Ithilien ·
ID: 62
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-12-02 21:50:48
[spoilers]

This is a truly marvellous story of redemption and moving on. The
early scenes about Sam learning to let go of his protective concern
for Frodo's well being were touching, and Mablung was well-drawn as a
common "man-of-arms" who had to step into a role of leadership that he
never expected. I imagine there were lots of men like this in Gondor
after the Ring-War, as so many Gondorian lords died in the many
battles and new heroes were singled out for their bravery in that
conflict. This was a situation I hadn't seen examined before, and
Alawa does it nicely. I also liked Frodo's perceptiveness (and Sam's!)
that these men needed the gift of the Lady's phial as much as Frodo
and Sam did. That was a great interpretation of how light is used in
Tolkien's Middle-earth.

But the part of this story that really captured my heart was how you
handled Sam. Too many authors make him a yokel or a simpleton, and
while you give him a touch of the rural and poorer dialect we see in
Tolkien, as a character he comes across as someone very capable, not
just of serving the landed gentry but of thinking for himself. My
interpretation of Sam is more in keeping with how you present him
here, and so I was just tickled to see how perceptive he was, and how
eloquent he was in explaining his thoughts - and also, by how Mablung
and the other Gondorians treated him with respect and heard him out. A
really nice job, Alawa.

Title: Charms of Wisdom and Grace · Author: annmarwalk · Genres:
Drama: Ithilien · ID: 460
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-12-02 22:29:09
Very evocative scene, Ann. I don't know the first thing about this
craft, but I loved the image of Faramir learning it first in secret as
a boy, then revealing this hidden talent to his wife and using it to
give comfort to his son. A very cozy family scene; I recommend it to
all Faramir lovers.

Title: The Harper · Author: juno_magic · Times: Fourth Age and Beyond:
Gondor or Rohan · ID: 10
Reviewer: Aranel Took · 2007-12-03 00:46:41
It's been a while since I first read this story, and since then I've
come to know the narrator much better (in fact, I adore Tally to bits)
in Juno's other stories and it was nice to revisit this important
event in his childhood.

It is easy to tell this is a bard's tale by the lyrical voice of the
narrator, the repetition of phrases and the details that come together
to build a picture of his world. And through him we come to know the
Harper, who carries sadness and bitterness and doesn't even enjoy the
beautiful songs he sings. He is horribly scarred and ugly, but the
narrator sees past his ugliness and knows--even as a child--that the
Harper is special. The narrator is a persistent child, and not only in
his questions, and when he decides he wants the Harper to teach him
the craft, the Harper gives in.

The story weaves a bit of mystery throughout, as to the identity of
the Harper. The ending probably has more impact for a reader who is
much more familiar than me with ['The Silmarillion'], but I enjoyed
very much how the reveal was made, the narrator asking a
youngster--questioning the narrator much as the narrator had once did
at the Harper's knees--who the identity of the Harper is, leading the
reader to ponder the question for themselves.

Title: Gifts · Author: Acacea · Genres: Humor: Other Fixed-Length
Ficlet · ID: 500
Reviewer: Elen Kortirion · 2007-12-03 01:41:46
A delightful view of the haressed father beginning to find out 'what
all the fuss is about' when it comes to looking after small children!
And a very nice touch is Denethor's almost gleeful, to paraphrase the
story - you can have that, it came from Mithrandir - that made me chuckle.

Title: Shadows of the Past · Author: Marta · Genres: Drama: General
Drabble · ID: 331
Reviewer: Elen Kortirion · 2007-12-03 01:47:26
A very intriging notion that Smeagol did have a conscience once and
did make at least some statement of regret for his actions

Title: Turned Earth · Author: Dana · Genres: Alternate Universe: The
Shire or Buckland · ID: 26
Reviewer: Aranel Took · 2007-12-03 01:47:49
[*Contains Spoilers*]

Zombies usually come across as silly and cliched to me, but this story
actually makes them creepy and scary, with a good explanation as to
how we end up with hobbit zombies. The tone of the story is excellent
for a horror piece, especially the beginning with Rose's gradual
realization that something is horribly wrong.

Rose is so brave, especially considering her losses, and Sam cracks me
up in his solid calmness: ["Bag End's good and solid. The door will
hold. It'll likely need a fresh coat of paint come the morrow, but the
door will hold."] That's such a Sam thing, to think of needing to give
the door a fresh coat of paint as it's being clawed by the undead! ;-)

You had me very worried about Pippin--I'm so glad the athelas worked!

I really liked the reason for the appearance of the zombies, that
Saruman's death had poisoned the Shire, which then ties into Frodo
leaving to take the 'sickness' away.

Title: And Not To Yield · Author: Lady Marshy · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Gondor or Rohan · ID: 117
Reviewer: Aranel Took · 2007-12-03 02:54:50
[*Contains Spoilers*]

Wow! Very nicely done! Very emotional and intense (*sobs for Éomer and
Faramir*) and I adore how both Éomer and Faramir were so brave and
true up until the very end. I like how you had the Haradric guard be
sympathetic. And the ending -- I never imagined it would be Legolas! I
was pretty sure it was Aragorn (or perhaps a Boromir who had
survived), until the color of the banners was revealed and then it
clicked. Aragorn's 'blankness' at the end just adds more creepiness to
Legolas having the ring.

Title: The Captain and the King · Author: plasticChevy · Genres:
Alternate Universe: Gondor or Rohan · ID: 738
Reviewer: nau_tika · 2007-12-03 03:42:40
This is an excellent AU Aragorn and Boromir friendship story, but it
includes most of the other characters, some unseen in the movie. It
displays some interesting moments between Gandalf and Boromir. Eomer
speaking of how far the men of Rohan would have gone to save Boromir
speaks well of the relationship between them. The Merry and Boromir
friendship is outstanding, and Merry's defense of Boromir with the
knife is wonderful. The description of Boromir on the field of battle
is very good indeed, especially the way Aragorn garners support for
him from Eomer, Gimli and the others. Aragorn and Boromir come through
trials and torture that takes their friendship to a level near that of
brothers, and Faramir's part in this is almost painful. The council
near the end of the story displays him in a way the movie never did.
[You forget to whom you speak.] I really enjoyed getting to see
Halbarad, Imrahil and some other characters that were new to me when I
first read this fiction.

Title: The Steward's Tale · Author: plasticChevy · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Incomplete · ID: 739
Reviewer: nau_tika · 2007-12-03 03:48:05
I espescially loved the first chapter of this fiction and I think my
next favorite is the one where Legolas and Boromir go hunting. There
are alot of good Boromir and Legolas friendship moments in here. There
are also some very honest Faramir Boromir moments and I'm looking
forward to the author finishing this story to see how that plays out.

Title: The Third Eagle · Author: Imhiriel · Times: Late Third Age:
3018-3022 TA: General Drabble · ID: 630
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-03 04:25:23
This is a striking drabble from the POV of one of the Eagles. I've
often thought that Gandalf taking three Eagles to Mt. Doom was a sign
of his compassion and hope--that, perhaps, just perhaps--there would
be a third person to rescue. I am glad to see someone else agrees with
that!

Title: Transformation · Author: Imhiriel · Races: Men: General Drabble
· ID: 185
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-03 04:26:11
This is delightful! One can immediately sense the Prince's joy in the
circumstances that have allowed him this royal gift! The image that
Imhiriel paints at the beginning is of a gallant swashbuckler, with
the delighted grin of a small boy at Christmas!

Title: Justice · Author: Imhiriel · Genres: Drama: Gondor Drabble ·
ID: 633
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-03 04:26:35
This is the kind of thing a drabble does so very well--taking a tiny
and underappreciated bit of canon, and expanding it just enough so
that it shines like a small gem. An excellent look at what must have
been both a blessing and a problem at the beginning of his
reign--freeing the slaves of Mordor.

Title: Go Out in Joy · Author: Larner · Genres: Alternate Universe:
The Shire or Buckland · ID: 145
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-03 04:27:19
[spoiler]
What if Frodo had chosen to reject the chance to sail, and chose
instead to die in the Shire, surrounded by his nearest and dearest
friends? Larner explores this in intimate detail, and we are shown
Frodo's last days, as he meets his end with dignity amidst much love.

We see the pained grief of those who care the most for Frodo, but more
than that, Larner uses this AU to show how Frodo fit into the wider
context of the Shire: he was beloved by more people than he knew. And
she gives him the opportunity to be honored in a way that he never
achieves in the book.

Some of the scenes have a mystical and luminous air to them, and the
ending is particularly sweet and ironic.

Title: Through Shadows · Author: Marta · Times: Late Third Age:
3018-3022 TA: General Drabble · ID: 620
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-03 04:27:40
A lovely drabble about a lovely scene. I've always thought there was
some significance to Gimli's sharing the wonder of Kheled-zeram with
Frodo. Well done.