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Msg# 8573
MEFA Reviews, Evening, January 2, 2008 (Part 3) Posted by Ann January 02, 2008 - 17:02:12 Topic ID# 8573Title: Cophetua · Author: Jael · Genres: Romance · ID: 242
Reviewer: Súlriel · 2007-12-30 23:43:04 Score: 3
I found this to be a beautiful, hauntingly tragic, but also incredibly
fulfilling romance. I love the themes of second chances, seizing the
moment and to hel* with conventions. Jael's Thranduil, as always, is
wonderfully done with all the layers and nuances I've come to expect
from this series.
Title: Boys Will Be Boys · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Humor:
Children · ID: 555
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:43:10 Score: 3
This is so much fun--a young Boromir, willful and proud, just as he
will be when he grows up. But he's still a boy, and Mag the Cook (who
happens to be a perfectly *lovely* OC) still knows the way to a
youngster's heart!
Title: Concerning the Curious Healing Properties of Soup · Author:
pipkinsweetgrass · Races: Cross-Cultural: The Fellowship · ID: 571
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:43:34 Score: 3
Chicken soup--the universal remedy; even if it's not *quite* chicken,
even if it's not quite mother's recipe! This lovely Fellowship fic has
eight of its members rallying round to provide the sovreign cure to
Pippin, who has developed a cold. Very fun, and like all of Pipkin's
stories, insightful and filled with love as well.
Title: Shells · Author: pipkinsweetgrass · Races: Cross-Cultural: With
Pippin · ID: 506
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:43:48 Score: 3
This sweet story was originally part of a group story, in which
various persons told tales to a laid-up Pippin. In this one Ioreth
coaxes the young knight into trying a new food by telling him a story
of Boromir and Faramir's childhood. I love the voice Ioreth is given here!
Title: The Inner Light · Author: Rhapsody · Genres: Drama: Elves in
Later Ages · ID: 236
Reviewer: Radbooks · 2007-12-30 23:43:53 Score: 5
A very moving story that really tugged at my heart. I really enjoyed
the character, Erestor and I've never read a back-story like this for
him before so it made it interesting, though bittersweet. It was hard
to see him stay behind as all of the rest of the inhabitants of
Imladris left Middle-earth while he stayed behind in what might have
been a fruitless search for Maglor.
I was pleased that there was reconciliation in Aman between the
various elves and that Erestor was finally reunited with his wife and
children. After all of that time, he richly deserved it!
Thanks for sharing the story with us.
Title: Last Light · Author: Ignoble Bard · Genres: Drama · ID: 194
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:44:03 Score: 3
A sad story from the unique POV of one of Saruman's victims--a
nameless tree at the edges of Fangorn, watching the encroaching
darkness in sorrow and pain. Beautiful and evocative language, in
spite of the horrible theme of destruction.
Title: Watching and Waiting · Author: Llinos · Genres: Poetry: With
Hobbits · ID: 796
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:44:35 Score: 10
I loved this awesome set of complimenting poems and I don't know that
I have ever seen anything done in quite this way, with each poem so
similar and yet so different, each one perfectly adapted to the
speaker and so obviously belonging together. This is a perfect way to
highlight the extreme closeness between the two characters of Merry
and Pippin, who it is difficult to imagine singly and not as a pair.
I'd like to see her do something similar for Frodo and Sam.
The rhyme scheme is simple and lacking in complexity, which works
well, as a more elaborate pattern would have been distracting from the
impact of the desperation that first Pippin and then Merry are feeling
as they wait, trying not to despair. The content of the verses really
emphasised the shared childhood and the love between the two of them,
not to mention the devastation that each would feel were he to lose
the other. It would be totally unthinkable for these two to be apart!
These poems are so filled with emotion and longing, despite the simple
language that the author has quite rightly chosen. Using elaborate
words and concepts would not be suitable for these two, who are simple
hobbits speaking from their hearts.
Simple but powerful, a very fitting style for the subject matter.
Excellent work!
Title: Triumphal Entry · Author: Garnet Took · Times: Late Third Age:
3018-3022 TA: Gondor · ID: 244
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:44:36 Score: 3
Garnet Took made good use of the quotation which was her prompt for
this challenge story. I loved the Pippin's eye view of the celebrating
citizens of Minas Tirith--he's very observant in realizing how long
it's been since any of them had reason to rejoice! And it is quite
solidly book-verse, as well. Nicely done!
Title: The Tenant from Staddle · Author: Larner · Races:
Cross-Cultural: Incomplete · ID: 408
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:44:59 Score: 4
Larner has created a rich social background for her version of the
Shire. One of the things she has often alluded to is that when the
King ennobled Frodo and Sam at Cormallen, he granted them land for
their maintenance. What happens if Frodo suddenly finds himself with a
completely unexpected tenant on one of those properties?
This story is loaded with some of Larner's most fascinating and
three-dimensional OCs, and I am very much looking forward to the story
continuing!
Title: Thoughts in the Night · Author: Pearl Took · Races: Hobbits:
Hurt/Comfort · ID: 479
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:45:21 Score: 3
While Merry was recovering from his bout of the Black Breath in the
Houses of Healing, a solicitous Pippin watches out for him. But who
will watch out for Pippin, who's also been traumatized by the siege.
Pearl introduces a sympathetic OC, who helps Pippin through the night.
Title: Of Dragons and Manicures · Author: Llinos · Genres: Humor · ID: 714
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:45:41 Score: 10
This story was great fun! At first I thought that it was a sort of
parody and loved it at the end when I realised just what was going on!
What a wonderful surprise!
The premise of this wsa very clever and I adored all of Frodo and
Sam's many titles which were a wonderful take-off on Bilbo's own
titles â€" and coming to the end of the story I understood their purpose
and loved them even more, as it was as if Bilbo was going out of his
way to make Frodo and Sam a part of a continuation of his own
adventure which they must have clamoured to hear about quite often. I
like the idea that Bilbo might get a little tired of repeating his own
adventure and so decided to put the children into a sequel of sorts!
All of the bits with Spangla were terrific and Frodo really does know
his way around when it comes to manipulating dragons. I think that it
must be his Baggins blood. I couldn't help seeing Frodo as played by
Elijah Wood manicuring her nails!
Bilbo has a wonderful imagination (and it goes without saying that so
does this author) and I love his portrayal here as the kindly old
uncle keeping the young ones amused and at the same time expanding
their sheltered hobbit-horizons! It's no wonder that they all grew up
to be adventurous after hearing stories like these at Bilbo's knees!
Title: Darkness on a Bright Morning · Author: Hai Took · Races:
Hobbits: Hurt/Comfort · ID: 807
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:46:02 Score: 3
Poor Merry! He has done something he thinks is unforgiveable, only to
find himself forgiven. Hai does a wonderful job here in depicting the
relationship between Merry and Pippin. I love stories in which Pippin
is the comforter rather than the comforted. This is one of Hai's best
stories.
Title: No Harm Will Come of It · Author: Marigold · Times: Mid Third
Age: 2851 - 3017 TA: Other Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 456
Reviewer: Rhapsody · 2007-12-30 23:46:14 Score: 4
[tiny spoilers]
I really loved this drabble series as from each piece we could see the
progress in how Sam learnt to read, to pass it on to his sister and
quietly & perhaps unknowingly to Sam himself, his father as well. I
simply loved this bit:
[Burning the furniture weren’t allowed â€" Ham had puzzled out that
notice himself. Better to freeze than end up in the Lockholes. Sam’s
books would burn, but they were his only company now, a comfort even
in the cold.
And they were all Ham had left of his lad.]
This just carries so much sadness and longing in Hamfast words and
Marigold so poignantly tells us how much his son means to him. This is
a beautifully and quiet piece about the Gamgee family, starring
Hamfast. Beautifully done Marigold!
Title: To This My Love Hath Come At Last · Author: Roh_wyn · Genres:
Romance: Incomplete · ID: 699
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-12-30 23:47:47 Score: 6
There's an awful lot to love about this story, but I think what first
got me was the pacing. I very rarely read read longer stories
precisely because I have a short attention span, but the chapters in
this story are just long enough to have some meat on them without
taking an undue amount of effort to plow through. There's a lot of
invention but the story still feels as canonical as any Boromir
romance could. The political details in the first chapter, for
instance: as far as I know they aren't derived from the books, but
they seemed consistent with the political situation in the Ring War,
and had the dynamics down for real-life meetings of this sort. It's a
convincing read, and I'm looking forward to see how it develops.
Nicely done.
Title: Falling Into Shadow · Author: Marigold · Races: Cross-Cultural:
Incomplete · ID: 205
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:48:54 Score: 7
This was so good! A lovely storey and I am so disappointed that there
isn't more of it and I hope that it will be continyed soon!
I hadn't given much thought to Merry and the Black breath other that
what happened to him in the Pelennor but the author is exactly right,
even just at the Ford (I had to go back and count) he had been exposed
to it three times so by the time he faced the Witch-king he must have
been really susceptible. I know it's rather bloodthirsty of me but I
find that appealing because it lends even more to Merry's heroism when
he tried to help Eowyn.
I liked the way that he managed to get somewhere private before he
collapsed, somehow keeping himself going so that no one would be
distracted from Frodo. Pippin's worry over him is written really well!
I liked Glorfindel in this story and the way that he interacted with
the hobbits and his hints that he knows a hobbit himself! I also liked
his thought that Merry having anything to do with his own prophecy was
ridiculous!
I'm hoping for an update very soon!
Title: Death of Hope · Author: Linda hoyland · Genres: Romance:
Drabble · ID: 618
Reviewer: Dot · 2007-12-30 23:49:35 Score: 3
I love the honesty of this â€" that the one leaving seems to face it
with more strength and trust than the one left behind. This is a very
insightful glimpse of both characters and that last line is
particularly moving.
Title: Honor Unabated · Author: Linaewen · Races: Men: Gondor · ID: 570
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-12-30 23:50:39 Score: 3
This is a hard moment to write, but Linaewen tells it well. I
particularly like the characterization of Denethor, who comes across
as nicely nuanced. Good work, from one Denethor-lover to another; you
really captured him.
Title: The Witch-king's Cloak · Author: Radbooks · Genres: Humor:
Parody · ID: 106
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:51:06 Score: 2
This just made me giggle. Sometimes we need a bit of silliness, and
it's fun to see those fearful Bad Guys skewered!
Title: Green · Author: annmarwalk · Times: Late Third Age: 3018-3022
TA: Gondor Drabble · ID: 461
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:51:20 Score: 2
A perfectly executed drabble: the last line filled with double
meaning, as we learn the meaning of the scent of athelas to Faramir.
Title: Counsel · Author: Alassiel · Races: Cross-Cultural: Gondor ·
ID: 292
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:51:34 Score: 3
A very interesting conversation, and made plausible by the use of
JRRT's own devices--I found the advice given very straightforward and
true, and only wish that RL leaders could have such good advice!
Title: No Harm Will Come of It · Author: Marigold · Times: Mid Third
Age: 2851 - 3017 TA: Other Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 456
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:52:09 Score: 10
[spoilers]
I like writing drabbles myself and I know how very hard it is to write
even a halfway decent one. This are just superb, and I hope someday
that I can begin to write such good ones. The author somehow manages
in each drabble to get all of the emotion and information that we
would need to have in a full chapter of a longish story.
This is a very nicely done set of drabbles that starts out with the
gaffer making a momentous decision when he decides to let his Sam
learn his letters. But in the end it proves to be not so bad.
He even allows Sam to teach his little sister Marigold to read and
write as well and the whole family enjoys hearing Sam reading tales to
them about all sorts of fanciful things that they didn't know about
before.
As the drabbles progress the writer takes us right through the time
span of the Quest but we see things that are going on in the Shire and
how he can make out some of the words posted in the orders by the evil
men.
He has to send Marigold away to Tookland, even though he didn't want
his children to go travelling, but he knows she will be safer there.
In the end the poor gaffer is left with no wood to burn on his fire,
but rather than burn Sam's books, which would at least keep him warm
he starts trying to learn to read them himself, using his slight
knowledge of letters learned from his children and his memory of the
stories Sam used to read.
I really liked the part at the end when he gets a letter from the king
and, although Frodo offers to read it to him, decides he can manage to
read it himself.
Title: Circumstantial Heroes · Author: Gwynnyd · Genres: Drama: Minas
Tirith · ID: 684
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2007-12-30 23:53:21 Score: 5
[spoilers]
An outstanding story from an excellent writer - here, the newly
crowned Aragorn grapples with kingly responsibility and the
intricacies of power over other people's fates. Contrasts are made
between two servants - one who showed his devotion to Denethor by
following the orders that would have killed Faramir as well as
Denethor himself; and another who truly looks out for those in his
care even beyond the scope of orders. Add to the mix, a drunken Pippin
and the question of Beregond's punishment; and Aragorn has a full
plate; and the readers have a feast.
Title: Magical Mystical Cave · Author: Lily · Races: Hobbits: Children
· ID: 213
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:54:37 Score: 1
I love stories of young Frodo and little Merry! They have quite an
adventure in this one!
Title: Glimpse of Glory · Author: Linda hoyland · Times: Late Third
Age: 3018-3022 TA: General Drabble · ID: 575
Reviewer: Dot · 2007-12-30 23:55:06 Score: 3
This is incredibly well done. I love how Galadriel starts by thinking
of her realm and ever-flourishing beauty but as soon as she focuses on
her own power and pride she realises how easily evil creeps in. The
way you write the thought process is very clever and that last line
made me smile.
Title: Summer Daze · Author: Marta · Genres: Romance: Pre-Ring War ·
ID: 471
Reviewer: Súlriel · 2007-12-30 23:55:27 Score: 2
I enjoyed reading this sequel, I had missed it when you originally
wrote and posted it. Well done, and, I felt, well portrayed for the
nobility of almost any city.
Reviewer: Súlriel · 2007-12-30 23:43:04 Score: 3
I found this to be a beautiful, hauntingly tragic, but also incredibly
fulfilling romance. I love the themes of second chances, seizing the
moment and to hel* with conventions. Jael's Thranduil, as always, is
wonderfully done with all the layers and nuances I've come to expect
from this series.
Title: Boys Will Be Boys · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Humor:
Children · ID: 555
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:43:10 Score: 3
This is so much fun--a young Boromir, willful and proud, just as he
will be when he grows up. But he's still a boy, and Mag the Cook (who
happens to be a perfectly *lovely* OC) still knows the way to a
youngster's heart!
Title: Concerning the Curious Healing Properties of Soup · Author:
pipkinsweetgrass · Races: Cross-Cultural: The Fellowship · ID: 571
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:43:34 Score: 3
Chicken soup--the universal remedy; even if it's not *quite* chicken,
even if it's not quite mother's recipe! This lovely Fellowship fic has
eight of its members rallying round to provide the sovreign cure to
Pippin, who has developed a cold. Very fun, and like all of Pipkin's
stories, insightful and filled with love as well.
Title: Shells · Author: pipkinsweetgrass · Races: Cross-Cultural: With
Pippin · ID: 506
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:43:48 Score: 3
This sweet story was originally part of a group story, in which
various persons told tales to a laid-up Pippin. In this one Ioreth
coaxes the young knight into trying a new food by telling him a story
of Boromir and Faramir's childhood. I love the voice Ioreth is given here!
Title: The Inner Light · Author: Rhapsody · Genres: Drama: Elves in
Later Ages · ID: 236
Reviewer: Radbooks · 2007-12-30 23:43:53 Score: 5
A very moving story that really tugged at my heart. I really enjoyed
the character, Erestor and I've never read a back-story like this for
him before so it made it interesting, though bittersweet. It was hard
to see him stay behind as all of the rest of the inhabitants of
Imladris left Middle-earth while he stayed behind in what might have
been a fruitless search for Maglor.
I was pleased that there was reconciliation in Aman between the
various elves and that Erestor was finally reunited with his wife and
children. After all of that time, he richly deserved it!
Thanks for sharing the story with us.
Title: Last Light · Author: Ignoble Bard · Genres: Drama · ID: 194
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:44:03 Score: 3
A sad story from the unique POV of one of Saruman's victims--a
nameless tree at the edges of Fangorn, watching the encroaching
darkness in sorrow and pain. Beautiful and evocative language, in
spite of the horrible theme of destruction.
Title: Watching and Waiting · Author: Llinos · Genres: Poetry: With
Hobbits · ID: 796
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:44:35 Score: 10
I loved this awesome set of complimenting poems and I don't know that
I have ever seen anything done in quite this way, with each poem so
similar and yet so different, each one perfectly adapted to the
speaker and so obviously belonging together. This is a perfect way to
highlight the extreme closeness between the two characters of Merry
and Pippin, who it is difficult to imagine singly and not as a pair.
I'd like to see her do something similar for Frodo and Sam.
The rhyme scheme is simple and lacking in complexity, which works
well, as a more elaborate pattern would have been distracting from the
impact of the desperation that first Pippin and then Merry are feeling
as they wait, trying not to despair. The content of the verses really
emphasised the shared childhood and the love between the two of them,
not to mention the devastation that each would feel were he to lose
the other. It would be totally unthinkable for these two to be apart!
These poems are so filled with emotion and longing, despite the simple
language that the author has quite rightly chosen. Using elaborate
words and concepts would not be suitable for these two, who are simple
hobbits speaking from their hearts.
Simple but powerful, a very fitting style for the subject matter.
Excellent work!
Title: Triumphal Entry · Author: Garnet Took · Times: Late Third Age:
3018-3022 TA: Gondor · ID: 244
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:44:36 Score: 3
Garnet Took made good use of the quotation which was her prompt for
this challenge story. I loved the Pippin's eye view of the celebrating
citizens of Minas Tirith--he's very observant in realizing how long
it's been since any of them had reason to rejoice! And it is quite
solidly book-verse, as well. Nicely done!
Title: The Tenant from Staddle · Author: Larner · Races:
Cross-Cultural: Incomplete · ID: 408
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:44:59 Score: 4
Larner has created a rich social background for her version of the
Shire. One of the things she has often alluded to is that when the
King ennobled Frodo and Sam at Cormallen, he granted them land for
their maintenance. What happens if Frodo suddenly finds himself with a
completely unexpected tenant on one of those properties?
This story is loaded with some of Larner's most fascinating and
three-dimensional OCs, and I am very much looking forward to the story
continuing!
Title: Thoughts in the Night · Author: Pearl Took · Races: Hobbits:
Hurt/Comfort · ID: 479
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:45:21 Score: 3
While Merry was recovering from his bout of the Black Breath in the
Houses of Healing, a solicitous Pippin watches out for him. But who
will watch out for Pippin, who's also been traumatized by the siege.
Pearl introduces a sympathetic OC, who helps Pippin through the night.
Title: Of Dragons and Manicures · Author: Llinos · Genres: Humor · ID: 714
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:45:41 Score: 10
This story was great fun! At first I thought that it was a sort of
parody and loved it at the end when I realised just what was going on!
What a wonderful surprise!
The premise of this wsa very clever and I adored all of Frodo and
Sam's many titles which were a wonderful take-off on Bilbo's own
titles â€" and coming to the end of the story I understood their purpose
and loved them even more, as it was as if Bilbo was going out of his
way to make Frodo and Sam a part of a continuation of his own
adventure which they must have clamoured to hear about quite often. I
like the idea that Bilbo might get a little tired of repeating his own
adventure and so decided to put the children into a sequel of sorts!
All of the bits with Spangla were terrific and Frodo really does know
his way around when it comes to manipulating dragons. I think that it
must be his Baggins blood. I couldn't help seeing Frodo as played by
Elijah Wood manicuring her nails!
Bilbo has a wonderful imagination (and it goes without saying that so
does this author) and I love his portrayal here as the kindly old
uncle keeping the young ones amused and at the same time expanding
their sheltered hobbit-horizons! It's no wonder that they all grew up
to be adventurous after hearing stories like these at Bilbo's knees!
Title: Darkness on a Bright Morning · Author: Hai Took · Races:
Hobbits: Hurt/Comfort · ID: 807
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:46:02 Score: 3
Poor Merry! He has done something he thinks is unforgiveable, only to
find himself forgiven. Hai does a wonderful job here in depicting the
relationship between Merry and Pippin. I love stories in which Pippin
is the comforter rather than the comforted. This is one of Hai's best
stories.
Title: No Harm Will Come of It · Author: Marigold · Times: Mid Third
Age: 2851 - 3017 TA: Other Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 456
Reviewer: Rhapsody · 2007-12-30 23:46:14 Score: 4
[tiny spoilers]
I really loved this drabble series as from each piece we could see the
progress in how Sam learnt to read, to pass it on to his sister and
quietly & perhaps unknowingly to Sam himself, his father as well. I
simply loved this bit:
[Burning the furniture weren’t allowed â€" Ham had puzzled out that
notice himself. Better to freeze than end up in the Lockholes. Sam’s
books would burn, but they were his only company now, a comfort even
in the cold.
And they were all Ham had left of his lad.]
This just carries so much sadness and longing in Hamfast words and
Marigold so poignantly tells us how much his son means to him. This is
a beautifully and quiet piece about the Gamgee family, starring
Hamfast. Beautifully done Marigold!
Title: To This My Love Hath Come At Last · Author: Roh_wyn · Genres:
Romance: Incomplete · ID: 699
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-12-30 23:47:47 Score: 6
There's an awful lot to love about this story, but I think what first
got me was the pacing. I very rarely read read longer stories
precisely because I have a short attention span, but the chapters in
this story are just long enough to have some meat on them without
taking an undue amount of effort to plow through. There's a lot of
invention but the story still feels as canonical as any Boromir
romance could. The political details in the first chapter, for
instance: as far as I know they aren't derived from the books, but
they seemed consistent with the political situation in the Ring War,
and had the dynamics down for real-life meetings of this sort. It's a
convincing read, and I'm looking forward to see how it develops.
Nicely done.
Title: Falling Into Shadow · Author: Marigold · Races: Cross-Cultural:
Incomplete · ID: 205
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:48:54 Score: 7
This was so good! A lovely storey and I am so disappointed that there
isn't more of it and I hope that it will be continyed soon!
I hadn't given much thought to Merry and the Black breath other that
what happened to him in the Pelennor but the author is exactly right,
even just at the Ford (I had to go back and count) he had been exposed
to it three times so by the time he faced the Witch-king he must have
been really susceptible. I know it's rather bloodthirsty of me but I
find that appealing because it lends even more to Merry's heroism when
he tried to help Eowyn.
I liked the way that he managed to get somewhere private before he
collapsed, somehow keeping himself going so that no one would be
distracted from Frodo. Pippin's worry over him is written really well!
I liked Glorfindel in this story and the way that he interacted with
the hobbits and his hints that he knows a hobbit himself! I also liked
his thought that Merry having anything to do with his own prophecy was
ridiculous!
I'm hoping for an update very soon!
Title: Death of Hope · Author: Linda hoyland · Genres: Romance:
Drabble · ID: 618
Reviewer: Dot · 2007-12-30 23:49:35 Score: 3
I love the honesty of this â€" that the one leaving seems to face it
with more strength and trust than the one left behind. This is a very
insightful glimpse of both characters and that last line is
particularly moving.
Title: Honor Unabated · Author: Linaewen · Races: Men: Gondor · ID: 570
Reviewer: Marta · 2007-12-30 23:50:39 Score: 3
This is a hard moment to write, but Linaewen tells it well. I
particularly like the characterization of Denethor, who comes across
as nicely nuanced. Good work, from one Denethor-lover to another; you
really captured him.
Title: The Witch-king's Cloak · Author: Radbooks · Genres: Humor:
Parody · ID: 106
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:51:06 Score: 2
This just made me giggle. Sometimes we need a bit of silliness, and
it's fun to see those fearful Bad Guys skewered!
Title: Green · Author: annmarwalk · Times: Late Third Age: 3018-3022
TA: Gondor Drabble · ID: 461
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:51:20 Score: 2
A perfectly executed drabble: the last line filled with double
meaning, as we learn the meaning of the scent of athelas to Faramir.
Title: Counsel · Author: Alassiel · Races: Cross-Cultural: Gondor ·
ID: 292
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:51:34 Score: 3
A very interesting conversation, and made plausible by the use of
JRRT's own devices--I found the advice given very straightforward and
true, and only wish that RL leaders could have such good advice!
Title: No Harm Will Come of It · Author: Marigold · Times: Mid Third
Age: 2851 - 3017 TA: Other Fixed-Length Ficlet · ID: 456
Reviewer: trikywun · 2007-12-30 23:52:09 Score: 10
[spoilers]
I like writing drabbles myself and I know how very hard it is to write
even a halfway decent one. This are just superb, and I hope someday
that I can begin to write such good ones. The author somehow manages
in each drabble to get all of the emotion and information that we
would need to have in a full chapter of a longish story.
This is a very nicely done set of drabbles that starts out with the
gaffer making a momentous decision when he decides to let his Sam
learn his letters. But in the end it proves to be not so bad.
He even allows Sam to teach his little sister Marigold to read and
write as well and the whole family enjoys hearing Sam reading tales to
them about all sorts of fanciful things that they didn't know about
before.
As the drabbles progress the writer takes us right through the time
span of the Quest but we see things that are going on in the Shire and
how he can make out some of the words posted in the orders by the evil
men.
He has to send Marigold away to Tookland, even though he didn't want
his children to go travelling, but he knows she will be safer there.
In the end the poor gaffer is left with no wood to burn on his fire,
but rather than burn Sam's books, which would at least keep him warm
he starts trying to learn to read them himself, using his slight
knowledge of letters learned from his children and his memory of the
stories Sam used to read.
I really liked the part at the end when he gets a letter from the king
and, although Frodo offers to read it to him, decides he can manage to
read it himself.
Title: Circumstantial Heroes · Author: Gwynnyd · Genres: Drama: Minas
Tirith · ID: 684
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2007-12-30 23:53:21 Score: 5
[spoilers]
An outstanding story from an excellent writer - here, the newly
crowned Aragorn grapples with kingly responsibility and the
intricacies of power over other people's fates. Contrasts are made
between two servants - one who showed his devotion to Denethor by
following the orders that would have killed Faramir as well as
Denethor himself; and another who truly looks out for those in his
care even beyond the scope of orders. Add to the mix, a drunken Pippin
and the question of Beregond's punishment; and Aragorn has a full
plate; and the readers have a feast.
Title: Magical Mystical Cave · Author: Lily · Races: Hobbits: Children
· ID: 213
Reviewer: Dreamflower · 2007-12-30 23:54:37 Score: 1
I love stories of young Frodo and little Merry! They have quite an
adventure in this one!
Title: Glimpse of Glory · Author: Linda hoyland · Times: Late Third
Age: 3018-3022 TA: General Drabble · ID: 575
Reviewer: Dot · 2007-12-30 23:55:06 Score: 3
This is incredibly well done. I love how Galadriel starts by thinking
of her realm and ever-flourishing beauty but as soon as she focuses on
her own power and pride she realises how easily evil creeps in. The
way you write the thought process is very clever and that last line
made me smile.
Title: Summer Daze · Author: Marta · Genres: Romance: Pre-Ring War ·
ID: 471
Reviewer: Súlriel · 2007-12-30 23:55:27 Score: 2
I enjoyed reading this sequel, I had missed it when you originally
wrote and posted it. Well done, and, I felt, well portrayed for the
nobility of almost any city.
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