Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: The Stolen Child · Author: SurgicalSteel · Races: Men · ID: 197
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 16:27:18
Surgical Steels's stories of the acerbic surgeon Serinde are among my
favorites. This one, however, is a painful one, dealing as it does
with the tragic loss of a child, one I can certainly identify with.

Feelings are authentic, and the aftermath of the tragic birth are
sensitively done. Well, well worth the read.

Title: The Road Trip · Author: Garnet Took · Times: Modern Times · ID: 410
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 16:42:52
Oh, dear--Hobbits are off on a road trip, and all begin to wonder if
they'll survive to make their destination.

The story is cute, Pippin is so Pippinish, and their arrival is
specifically what one would expect. Now it's inspiring me to read
another story I hadn't realized had been group written!

Title: Recognition · Author: Dwimordene · Times: Late Third Age:
Gondor Drabbles · ID: 481
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 16:45:35
Ooh! Another Ioreth drabble! Wonderful images here, and love Ioreth's
recognition of her patient's true state!

Title: The Chieftain of the Dunedain · Author: Avon · Races: Men:
Pre-Ring War Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 623
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 16:52:50
Spoilers!
Ah, to see newly-returned Aragorn through the eyes of one who knew him
as a toddler. An evocative piece, with lovely imagery. Now I wish to
see how a particular friendship grew.

Title: Wounds of a Friend · Author: Sivan Shemesh · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Other Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 710
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 16:56:14
Hazel eyes? And how are they fighting orcs under the Tree?

Title: I Ain't Got Nobody · Author: Ignoble Bard · Genres: Humor:
Valar & Maiar · ID: 568
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 16:59:53
Hilarious, and I HOPE not reflecting the REAL Glorfindel. An excellent
laugh.

Title: In The Darkness Of My Dreaming · Author: Cuthalion · Genres:
Alternate Universe: Angst/Tragedy · ID: 284
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 17:02:49
I myself have wished Frodo had found a love within the Shire so he
could know that fulfillment; but lacking that, having loved Lily
Proudfoot would have been nice.

A tragic thought as to what Lily herself might have come to had this
scenario come to pass, although I believe Frodo would have felt it
well worthwhile, knowing he took these memories with him.

Title: A Friend's Hug · Author: Golden · Races: Cross-Cultural:
Friendship · ID: 142
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 17:14:30
Spoilers!
Ah, to see these two become friends and for Pippin to accept this form
of comfort and therapy. But the time was stressful, after all; and the
others needed such reassurance as they could find. It was wonderful
seeing Pippin doing what he does best--helping to lighten the burdens
of other through his humor and lightheartedness, hiding that his own
heart was breaking.

Lovely story.

Title: Five Hair Care Tips for Rohirrim · Author: EdorasLass · Genres:
Humor · ID: 71
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 17:21:46
Darling, although I have yet to fully appreciate the tips on sacrfice?
Love that it's to Rapunzel! Heh!

Title: Gently Held · Author: viv · Genres: Romance: Other Fixed-Length
Ficlets · ID: 6
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 17:26:59
Ah, Viv--this was the man who stole my heart away at the tender age of
thirteen, whom I grieved to see was given to another. Knowing that the
one he loves returns that love for this reason relieves my own
grieving for him.

Beautiful, gently emotional piece. Arwen's beautiful spirit shines
through as much as Aragorn's.

Title: Dangerous Folk · Author: Budgielover · Genres: Adventure · ID: 546
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 17:30:41
Ooh--we meet water goblins here, and wonder again at the variety of
evil creatures Sauron and his mentor created and cultivated.

A marvelous drama as we see the Fellowship dealing with another deadly
danger as they journey toward Caradhras, and as more dark creatures
are drawn toward the lure of the Ring, seeking to take the Ringbearer.
Characterizations of our nine are perfect.

Title: Music hath Charms · Author: Linda hoyland · Races: Men: Minas
Tirith · ID: 361
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-07-22 17:40:43
Ah, but Faramir and Aragorn have managed to each earn his lady's ire.
But they remember the old adage about music and its effects upon the
savage breast....

Sweet means of achieving forgiveness.

Title: Dol Amroth Yule · Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · Genres:
Adventure · ID: 295
Reviewer: Imhiriel · 2008-07-22 18:23:53
This story has much action and excitement, interwoven with calmer
moments. No matter which pace is set, the characterisations at the
heart of the matter are complex and engaging, each character distinct.
It is a pleasure to follow familiar as well as new ones, and to see
how skilfully the relationships amongst them are handled: with
gradations and nuances, familiarity or formality as warranted.

I love the detailed and realistic world-building. We get a good look
at the time Hethlin spent in Dol Amroth in training to become a
Swan-knight, and at the problems and prejudices facing her as a woman
in men's world, as well as the struggles that face Gondor even after
Sauron's defeat.

This the low point (at least the readers have seen on page) in the
relationship of Andrahar towards Hethlin, and his unfair treatment of
her made me uncomfortable, and I was glad to see a mellowing in the
end (and even more that the story "Reparation" acknowledges that Andra
truly went too far in DAY and showed his stance there for the wrong
behaviour that it was).

Title: Dragons In The Trollshaws · Author: Bodkin · Genres: Adventure
· ID: 170
Reviewer: Imhiriel · 2008-07-22 18:24:31
Spoilers!
I loved the lively dialogue in this story, the banter between the
twins, the recollections of exploits in the past, with subtle
undercurrents of more serious feelings, like the the still sore wound
of Celebrían's loss. It's fascinating how much of the plot is revealed
through the dialogue.

The story is structured engagingly, the back and forth between the two
parties provide variation in perspective that increases the focus of
the story; often, they complement and/or provide new insight into each
other.

It's entertaining to witness the twins' knowledge and speculations
about dragons, be they fact or fable. It brings them fully into the
world and history of the Third Age of Middle-earth, so to speak, and
acts also to remind us of some facts about Tolkien's "known" dragons
like Glaurung or Smaug. It was fantastic when the dragons were finally
on the scene, vividly described for all senses: their appearance and
movements, the sounds and smells, how the fight and feast, etc.

Title: Sour Milk · Author: Linda hoyland · Genres: Humor: Other
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 521
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2008-07-22 18:58:09
Spoilers!
Linda takes on one of the most notorious pictures in Tolkien Calendar
history, that of bare-legged Aragorn receiving the White Rod from a
similarly clad but blond Faramir while various bosomy blondes in
scanty apparel look on, as a challenge prompt, and comes up with a
novel and amusing alternate universe fairy tale.

Aragorn's expression in the picture inspires the first half of the
tale; setting up the problem - his expression is so haughty that it
sours the milk in Minas Tirith. And Linda shows that more than his
expression is arrogant; in the story, Aragorn dismisses Faramir rather
than accept his service as Steward. The second half of the tale
delivers the resolution of the problem, humbling the haughty king as
only a pride of cats could.

The insertion of the ginger cat, who, I have on good authority, is the
author's own feline companion, adds a personal touch; with a lovely
verbal portrait of an imperious and canny cat, as well as a great
photo of the ginger cat lounging in splendor.

Despite the fanciful setup, the description of feline attitude and
tactics rings very true. For who but cats could challenge the
cold-hearted King of the West and actually win? One doesn't have to be
a cat lover to appreciate this clever, amusing story.

Title: Amara · Author: Claudia · Genres: Mystery · ID: 236
Reviewer: stefaniab · 2008-07-22 20:38:21
All I can say is OMG, thank you so much, Claudia. Your lovely story
fuses two subjects that for decades have been near and dear to my
heart: Tolkien's fictional Faramir and Middle Eastern culture and dance.

Claudia has Faramir comfort ill Frodo with a fantasy tale that might
have come from the mouth of Sheherazade herself. Faramir describes his
first mission as Ranger captain on a foray into South Ithilien to
confront a force of Haradrim. In the middle of the night, he hears
mournful bellows and moans and sets out to investigate.

At this point, the tale becomes magical, full of images that evoke
Bedouin life, subtle hints about (and for) belly dancers, and other
Middle Eastern fantasy subjects that could have come from the "1001
Nights" or 19th century Orientalist paintings. Not to mention what
happens when Faramir comforts an injured white she-camel that
becomes...well, you'll just have to read "Amara" to find out.

I particularly enjoyed how Claudia hints that Faramir's encounter
might have been a dream, or possibly his own far sight working in
unexpected ways. Or is "Amara" simply a ghost story to fulfill Frodo's
request?



Title: Five Hair Care Tips for Rohirrim · Author: EdorasLass · Genres:
Humor · ID: 71
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2008-07-22 20:58:04
Hilariously funny advice for the many warriors of Rohan and their
unwashed shaggy manes! It is high time those renowned heroes thought
of their own manes as well as those of their beloved horses!

Title: The Making of Werewolves · Author: Ignoble Bard · Races:
Villains · ID: 42
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2008-07-22 22:23:28
Spoilers!
What a deliciously horrific tale of the creation of werewolves!
IgnobleBard always is able to bring such a wonderful atmosphere to
stories - this one, though conveyed sparely and starkly, nevertheless
feels heavy and unrestful, quite appropriately given the event
described. The language throughout evokes the style of the Silm, and
suggests an isolated portion of an epic tale (the repeated sending out
of hunters particularly made me think this, though it also made me
laugh and so worked well as black comedy in the middle of a story
quietly but clearly filled with pains).

The metallic flavor that those opening lines brings in also seems to
me perfectly suited to the story, suggesting the mechanical, forced
nature of this 'birthing.' As opposed to creation, this is a shaping
and a transformation that operates by invasion and by deformation.
This is villainy bald-facedly at work. Very well done!

Title: Of Dreams... · Author: Avon · Races: Men: General Fixed-Length
Ficlets · ID: 7
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2008-07-22 22:23:57
Spoilers!
The idea that dreams are revelatory is very old, and usually is taken
to reveal two realities: the future and the self. Given the importance
of prophetic dreaming to the royal line of Númenor, one suspects that
a look into the dream life of its latest scion will combine the two.

The repetition of that one line works very well - Aragorn does not
dream of power. This is the key to his character, especially of his
movie character where this is so clearly at issue in the scene at
Gilraen's grave. Yet power has come to him, and he has a decision to
make about taking it up. Avon portrays this shift in his life very
well, but I think also hints at what we know is the case: that the
dreams are a revelation and a kind of guarantee: now and tomorrow,
Aragorn does not dream of power.

Nice staging of this conflict, Avon!

Title: Now the Green Blade Riseth · Author: annmarwalk · Genres:
Drama: Ring War Drabbles · ID: 37
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2008-07-22 22:24:12
Spoilers!
Ann knows how to get the most out of a hundred words, and often
creates these lovely 'green' moments where her love of nature shines
through. Being a city girl, I can only envy her this talent.

But it's not just the lyrical descriptions that draw me into this
drabble. I like the contrast between the Gaffer and Sam, and precisely
over a point that so often plagues us. Our ends and aims and desires
are diverse, and they do not often form a coherent whole that could be
achieved. In the wake of the Shire Occupation, with so many shattered
lives, the Gaffer focuses directly on the people, while Sam looks to
the ravaged Party Tree (and so many others, as we know). The title
aptly hints of the triumph of the tree (the [green blade rises]), but
in the end, the rise of the Shire's green is also the rise of its
inhabitants - or at least of one Gaffer Gamgee. In the cohering of the
healing of the land and of Hamfast, we get one of those Tolkienesque
moments when we believe that a redemption of the whole is possible.

Well done, Ann!

Title: Confidence · Author: annmarwalk · Races: Men: Minas Tirith · ID: 38
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2008-07-22 22:24:24
Going along with her talent for dealing with the world of gardens, Ann
is able to evoke a very textured, sensual world. This holds true
whether she's writing romantic encounters for Theodred and Boromir or
dealing with the domestic routines and relationships that go on
quietly behind the lines of epic questing that Tolkien gave us.

Mormegil's position as man-servant is one of those social constructs
that is extremely hard, I think, for modern writers to capture. The
very idea of this kind of relationship is exceptionally difficult to
feel one's way into if one is accustomed to 'fending for oneself'
being the mark of responsibility and standing. But Middle-earth is a
feudal world, and Mormegil comes off believably as a man with an
important, if distinctly unglorious, position. His interactions with
Denethor feel right, and give a glimpse into the relations above and
below the salt in Denethor's Minas Tirith.

Thanks, Ann!

Title: The Mariner's Son · Author: cairistiona · Genres: Adventure ·
ID: 329
Reviewer: Dwimordene · 2008-07-22 22:24:47
Spoilers!
It's interesting to see a story involving the Ring of Barahir - that's
fairly rare, but I quite like the use cairistiona put it to in this
short story.

The story starts us out in media res, and it's far from a pleasant
situation for our poor, nameless prisoner, though the reader has her
suspicions about who this must be fairly early. Captivity and
confusion are well portrayed, as is Aragorn's mounting desperation:
what begins with the promise of a confrontation with one of Sauron's
minions becomes a struggle with the elements which Cairistiona writes
very well. What had seemed to be shaping up as a battle that would be
a contest of wills against a human opponent ends up being a battle of
Aragorn for himself - his survival, but also his struggles with his
identity.

This more inward struggle ends up giving him a point of solidarity in
a way with the other two characters in the story, both of whom are
marked by a namelessness that on the one hand, for the Mariner,
signifies a deliberate letting go of the past man, and in the case of
his adult son, a kind of innocence of identity. Aragorn has to find a
way between these extremes - he can change his name, but he cannot not
have one, for all his names in the end refer back to another name -
Heir of Isildur. The link between Isildur and the Ring of Barahir in a
way gives Aragorn the chance to occupy a middle ground: that of having
his identity taken from him, at first symbolically, then literally
through amnesia, leaving him to learn to desire what he had once
thought he could have gladly given up.

But the adventure also gives him the chance to show that even in the
absence of identity, his anchor is in his character, which is that of
a king, whether or not named.

Nicely done! Aragorn fans should enjoy this.

Title: The Fire of Hope · Author: Raksha the Demon · Races: Men:
Pre-Ring War Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 625
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2008-07-22 23:34:07
I often wonder just what Aragorn would think and feel during his long
days of wandering.What was it like to wander in the wilds without home
comforts and no settled place of abode? I wonder if he were lonely and
cold or hungry?

In this beautifully written ficlet,Raksha cotemplates Aragorn sitting
on a hill overlooking Bree and seeing the lights below and thinking of
the warmth and cheer the people who dwell there enjoy.Little do the
Breelanders know it, but without Rangers like Aragorn they would
quickly be overrun by Orcs and other creatures of darkness.Their
comfortable lifestyle depends on the sacrifices of men like Aragorn.
Instead of being grateful,though, they mock and fear him should he
visit the town.

Aragorn does not brood for long,though but lives up to his Elvish name
and always has hope in the form of his dreams of restoring the lost
glory of his people and winning the heart and hand of the beautiful
Arwen.I love it that he will save himself for her and her alone.What a
lesson the fickle youuth of today could learn from this Ranger!

My favourite part of this enjoyable ficlet was Aragorn's dream of
having seven children and his vision of the fair Arwen and and a
lovely little boy in his arms.It makes the reader happy to know that
Aragorn's dream will come true.

A lovely ficlet well worth reading.



Title: A Hobbity Wizard · Author: Golden · Races: Hobbits: Childhood ·
ID: 596
Reviewer: Linda hoyland · 2008-07-22 23:42:09
Just imagine if Gandalf had ever babysay Pippin! A very cute tale of
what happened.

Title: A Dainty Dish · Author: Linda hoyland · Races: Cross-Cultural:
Friendship · ID: 722
Reviewer: Branwyn (Lady Branwyn) · 2008-07-23 00:39:03
Spoilers!
In this gentle fic, Merry and Pippin are once again the agents of
change, this time a change in culinary fashion. It is so hobbit-like
that Merry knows exactly how long that soup recipe has been in his
grandmother's family, and the Gondorians' distrust of and disdain for
mushrooms shows the cultural conservatism that is so characteristic of
that ancient society. The "recipe exchange" made me smile, though the
cooks on both sides may be mystified by some of the ingredients. Court
cooking in Dol Amroth would probably include some exotic ingredients
unknown in the Shire! Linda's graceful writing leaves you hungry for
more (mushrooms!), and I wonder if the writer has considered adding
recipes at the end of the story?
Faramir's comment about how wary cityfolk are of wild mushrooms is
spot on. When I was a child, I went morel hunting with a friend and
her family. I still remember how careful we had to be to avoid the
"false morel" (a mushroom of doubtful edibility). It is almost
indistinguishable from the real thing. Luckily, we didn't find any
morels that day, false or otherwise, but you do take your life into
your own hands when you eat wild mushrooms.
But the moral at the end of this tale is definitely not a false one—
[..the simple pleasures of life were often the best.]