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Title: Elrond's Farewell · Author: Armariel · Genres: Poetry · ID: 269
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2008-08-29 02:40:24
Spoilers!
A bittersweet poem from Elrond's point of view, encapsulating the joys
and sorrows of fatherhood; and, in the case of Elrond, the special
sorrow of knowing his daughter is leaving him forever and will,
eventually suffer. In releasing Arwen to follow her heart and the
choice she has made, Elrond knows he is letting her go to a fate that
will bring pain as well as joy. But he knows that he cannot, and will
not, hold her.

Beautifully written, with remarkably descriptive imagery.

Title: A Place for Gandalf · Author: Dreamflower · Times: Mid Third
Age: Eriador · ID: 391
Reviewer: nancylea · 2008-08-29 03:24:56
In a sub-catagory that could almost have read "Pip Fest" I had to make
a really tough choice. The stories you competed against were all to my
liking; over all I would deem that this story was less troubles by
small glitches. I would encourage readers who like young hobbits, non-
angsty plot lines, and just a tiny dab of dwarf for flavor to read and
enjoy this story. You bring out many traits in most af the known
characters that are so classically Tolkien. Yes, Bilbo is a good
planner, but occasionally even he needs a feminine minder. You bring
four of the main family groups in and mix them nicely, one might even
say properly. In my mind you have used this story to show that to most
of the to-be-major players, CLASS is an issue not of social standing
but of ethical training. You give our two young hobbits a chance to
work on the right way to handle bullies. I feel that too often now a
days the use of 'violence' is overplayed and in many cases
over-punished, yes I can understand that might does not make right but
some villians leave you with few options other than brute force. you
play the fine line between turn the other cheek and protect the
youngest. But most importantly you write a great story! you have taken
several good story lines and woven them together as a multi-layered
cake that tempts a reader to hurry and get to the good parts.

Title: I Ain't Got Nobody · Author: Ignoble Bard · Genres: Humor:
Valar & Maiar · ID: 568
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2008-08-29 03:37:49
Spoilers!
Poor Glorfindel is too absent-minded to keep a new body alive for
long, Namo is frustrated with the effort of constantly reincarnating
the wayward elf, and Ignoble Bard demonstrates his wicked sense of
humor once more.

Totally silly, with a slightly nasty bite to it. I loved the ending!

Title: WAR: A Promise Before Dying · Author: Fiondil · Times:
Multi-Age · ID: 55
Reviewer: nancylea · 2008-08-29 05:28:27
This is a story for those of us who would not mind if the second age
was not always closed out as one great big bloody war scene. Yeah, I
know thats reality, but it could be handled with this kind of tact.
You give just enough of a background that we feel the greiviousness of
his lossand then you build him such a future that all that can be said
is that Gil-galad has an interesting time in the third age, I have not
found very many stories on the reborn and each one I do leaves me
wanting to have more details. This story starts at the end and builds
very nicely to the conclusion. I don't think it is a spoiler to say
that Gil-galad dies at the end of the second age, the end. this story
shows a little of what he might have experienced as he awaits the
reunion with various other characters. I do hope that you might go
back and give us a little more on the reunion with all the newcomers.
You frame a story that could be chased from more than one point of
view, and yet you keep the story line very clean and precise, Your
hero is not front and center through every scene, and he never leaves
our presence.Then when he does present himself back to centerstage he
gracefullty bows out as THE HERO. Your skill and dexterity as a writer
are extreme. you deserve the accolades of your peers.i look forward to
reading even more of your ideas in the future.

Title: An Elf-lord Revealed · Author: Tanaqui · Times: Multi-Age:
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 406
Reviewer: nancylea · 2008-08-29 06:36:47
As we near the bottom of the list of nominations, I have read some of
your work and must say this may be the cream of the crop.Of course the
fact that its my most favorite elf in the world has little to do with
it. In seven drabbles you make a credible dent in the telling of half
of an elven life. I would like to ask a question on the framing of the
first drabble you entitled it the Halls of the Houseless, and yet you
proceed to describe his body. Is this not a clash of ideals? If he
were houseless we should be seeing him learn to be fea only. You have
chosen five very interesting times in his new life to give his a look
at. Thank you for not highlighting only his grand and gloroius life as
a warrior, but also as a councilor and diplomat. You have written a
Glorfindel that is more willing to give praise then to recieve it, he
wants the quiet moments that peace will give Arda as much as he wanted
Gondolins survival. He is as aware of other peoples dignity as he is
curious as to their battles. You could imagine him walking up of Luke
Skywalker and asking how it felt to use a light saber. And yet he
still leaves me feeling that he's a little bit lost yet himself. have
you considered going back and making a more complete telling of this
story? in the short form that you chose to use you used it artfully
and with wonderful success.

Title: With Many "Fond" Acknowledgments · Author: Thundera Tiger ·
Genres: Humor · ID: 472
Reviewer: docmon · 2008-08-29 20:15:05
Thundera shows her great skill in writing humor as she creates a
wonderfully enjoyable situation here. She turns these heroic,
admirable characters on their heads – and manages to keep them in
character. It's delightful to see this self-conscious, even
egotistical side of these usually selfless warriors. And
long-suffering Sam is excellent throughout. Faramir's cameo is
perfect, and although it seems to serves the usual purpose, Sam soon
realizes he's not free, as Thundera adds a twist at the end to leave
us with a few more laughs.

Title: The King's Colors · Author: Dwimordene · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Steward's Family · ID: 482
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger · 2008-08-29 23:05:19
Spoilers!
I've never been disappointed when Dwimordene sits down and spins out
an Aragorn story, and I don't think I ever will be. She is the
undisputed master when it comes to writing my favorite Ranger, and in
this story, she proves she's equally adept at writing Boromir. There
are countless parallels between Boromir and his brother, but there are
subtle differences, too. The confrontation in this first meeting of
King and Steward's son has a quiet intensity about it. It feels kind
of like two big cats sizing one another up and determining what the
first move should be. This tone is balanced by some wonderful moments
of humor (I especially liked Boromir's response to Aragorn's request
for heraldry), but the levity serves to make the tension that much
clearer. In the absence of Faramir, Aragorn's arrival on the Pelennor
is far more complicated a matter. Not only does Boromir stand before
him, but Denethor does not seem to have given way to his despair. And
herein lies the story's true strength. We don't know anything about
Faramir's travels with the Fellowship except for the fact that he
won't be coming home, but Dwimordene manages to weave an enormous
backstory into Minas Tirith's side of the tale. With Boromir
captaining Gondor's last defenses, the war is very different. No one
goes out to a desperate final stand wearied by a father's accusations.
No one is left burning on a funeral pyre (at least, not that we know
about). And all of a sudden, Faramir's warning to Frodo in Ithilien
about becoming embroiled in Gondor's politics is a very real danger.
Fantastic glimpse of what might have been. It definitely left me thinking.

Title: Parth Galen · Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Steward's Family · ID: 705
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger · 2008-08-29 23:06:53
Spoilers!
This story definitely left me wanting to hear more. It leaves off
almost exactly where ["The Fellowship of the Ring"] leaves off! Only
instead of Aragorn racing to save the hobbits, this time it's Boromir.
Which leaves me to wonder what the rest are doing. Is someone fated to
die? And have we just switched up who that someone is?

But as for the rest of the story, that knife's edge Galadriel alluded
to is very thin, and it's fascinating to watch Boromir step back
rather than step forward. And it required so little to change that
step! It makes one ache for what was lost in the books because Boromir
didn't take the time to find the perspective needed. I love how the
Voice of the Ring was depicted, and its whisperings were exactly what
I would expect them to be while tempting Boromir. Great little AU
gapfiller!

Title: The Price of Pity · Author: celticbard · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Steward's Family · ID: 373
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger · 2008-08-29 23:07:29
As if the relationships in Faramir's life weren't complicated enough!
This story does an excellent job of preserving all the politics and
schemes found in Minas Tirith while adding additional complications in
the form of Faramir's first wife. But if anyone can navigate the mess
that left behind, it would be Faramir and Eowyn.

Title: A Great Evil Unmade · Author: Linaewen · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Steward's Family · ID: 267
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger · 2008-08-29 23:09:05
Spoilers!
Before saying anything else, I have to give this story full props for
a wonderfully deceptive title. When I first clicked on the link, I
assumed that the title referred to the destruction of the Ring, which
doesn't actually happen in this story. I have a lot of hope that it
WILL happen, but nothing's certain yet. No, instead, the title refers
to the character change undergone by Boromir, and what a character
change it is! But one has to wonder if it was worth the cost. The fate
of the rest of the Fellowship is left untold, which makes for a rather
uneasy feeling. On the other hand, Boromir proves himself quite adept
at sneaking into Mordor, and one has to wonder what would have
happened had the full Fellowship attempted this trek together. I'm not
sure Boromir would have been able to abandon Minas Tirith if others
were overseeing the Quest's completion, but his ability to make it
past the Ephel Duath certainly would have stood them in good stead.
Great characterization work for both Boromir and Frodo, and excellent
back and forth narrative to give this small piece an epic feeling.

Title: The Prisoner of Time · Author: Raksha the Demon · Genres:
Alternate Universe: Steward's Family · ID: 313
Reviewer: Thundera Tiger · 2008-08-29 23:10:43
Spoilers!
I don't think any story has ever sobered me as quickly or as
effectively as this story just did. With the unraveling of only a
single thread, several tragic events start to cascade: Faramir dies.
Eowyn is lost. And then there is Denethor himself. Wow. What a somber,
eerie piece of characterization has been painted for Gondor's Steward.
It gave me chills. It comes off completely naturally, and it is set in
stark contrast to the celebration going on beyond Denethor's self-made
tomb. He's walled himself away as effectively as Faramir is now walled
away, except that Denethor is still alive. And the idea that Denethor
is going to stay alive just to spite his opposition feels very much in
keeping with his mad decision to burn himself and his surviving son on
a pyre. But what really struck me was his obsession with the
hourglass. Time seems to be all that Denethor has left, and just as he
watched and counted all in his stewardship before Aragorn's return, so
he now watches and counts all that remains to him. And I think that's
where the biggest punch of the fic lies. I ached when Faramir died and
I cringed when Eowyn took off, but when Denethor turned over the
hourglass, I found myself at a complete loss for words. Brilliantly
crafted story, and one that has left me thinking.

Title: Nightfall · Author: Jael · Times: Second and Early Third Age ·
ID: 87
Reviewer: crowdaughter · 2008-08-29 23:12:04
Spoilers!
When we read stories about the Last Alliance, we rarely get the point
of view of the Silvain and Sindar elves, and we rarely see what impact
the loss of two thirds of their warriors in Amdir's and Oropher's
reckless charge before the Morannon had on these Elves. This tale
rectifies that blank, in spades. It takes us right to the foot of the
Morannon, and shows us the impact that loss had on the freshly
-made king of the Greenwood Elves.

How did Thranduil, following the loss of two thirds of his warriors in
that famous charge of his late father before the Morannon, manage to
stay during the whole siege of Mordor, but keep enough men to take
home afterwards to have a kingdom left? How did he settle into the new
and grim duty of being king, and how did he deal with the treatment by
the Noldor of Gil-galad's army, who apparently were less than
impressed by Oropher's reckless charge?

This story answers these questions, and also give us the image of the
transformation of a freshly crowned Thranduil into his new duties as a
king. Of coutrse, Jael also gives us vivid descriptions and quite some
insight both in Thranduil's and Oropher's personality, in this, as
well as in those of Thranduil's closest retainer. The battle scene is
powerful and compelling; and the image of Thranduil, crying his
defiant battle cry in the face of the approaching orcs, is a sight to
behold. The impact is well balanced by the wry, subtle humor worked in
some of the exchange between Thranduil and his valet, as well as some
flashback scenes. But then, the deadliness and reality of war and loss
is brutally driven home by the sad scenes of the second part.

And yet, Jael still manages to let the tale end on a note of hope - a
doubtful hope, for the characters at that moment, facing the beginning
of a long siege, but hope nonetheless.

All in all, a perfectly crafted tale, which is a great follow up to
the prequel, "Rose in a fisted Glove". Very well done!

Title: Boromir at the Bat · Author: White Gull · Genres: Poetry: Late
Third Age · ID: 632
Reviewer: stefaniab · 2008-08-30 02:07:54
Oh, gee, baseball analogies are very popular in the U.S. media these
days. Our political campaigns are ramping up. When a politician gives
a particularly great speech, the press exudes that so and so "hit it
out of the park" or at the very least, "hit a triple bagger."

White Gull's "Boromir at the Bat" is a whimsical reworking of the
classic baseball tragicomedic poem, "Casey at the Bat." In the
original, the star player Casey, all arrogance and bluster, in a
clutch situation dramatically strikes out. White Gull's version
injects Boromir into the poem as the character upon whom all hopes are
pinned. Like Casey, in the clutches Boromir finally lets the
Fellowship down, but not before we've had a few chuckles at his expense.