Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: Answering the Call · Author: docmon · Genres: Drama · ID: 340
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2008-10-04 05:01:02
Spoilers!
A scary and very credible exploration of the fates of the members of
the Fellowship if they had each taken the Ring. Docmon takes the
reader down each tortuous path, from the younger hobbits' rashness to
the duty-driven ensnarement of Boromir and Aragorn's mistake in
judgment. I found the chapters about Boromir and Gandalf the most
haunting; Gandalf becoming more and more like Saruman, but all of
these AU's are hard-edged gems, brilliant and multi-faceted and
sharp-edged.

Title: In The Midst Of Summer · Author: Cuthalion · Genres: Drama:
Final Partings · ID: 270
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2008-10-04 05:18:58
Spoilers!
A lovely and nigh-Tolkienish treatment of the transition in Sam's
life, from the beloved gardener and Master of Bag End to the voyager
he will become for his final journey. The descriptions of Bag End and
the grieving Gamgees, and the loss of the much-loved Rosie, are
wonderful, but it is the transition towards the end, in Sam's heart
and mind, from his daily existence to that yearning he had long ago
released when Frodo took the white ship, now found once more and
waiting to lead him into the West. Cuthalion mixes the prosaic and the
magic seamlessly; and the ending sends a shiver up at least this
reader's spine.

Title: The Sky Is Over · Author: Robinka · Races: Elves: Drabbles · ID: 83
Reviewer: pandemonium_213 · 2008-10-04 13:57:30
As one inclined to verbosity, I admire those who have the ability to
capture powerful emotion and imagery in a spare one hundred words or
so. Frankly, many drabbles fall short in this, but there are writers
who have mastered the art of the drabble. Robinka stands tall among
them. [The Sky is Over] is an outstanding example of her work. Every
time I read this ficlet -- a response to a challenge on the
Silmarillion Writers' Guild -- Finrod's emotions in response to his
sister's shattering question hit me viscerally. Binka's word-craft is
exquisite and precise, extracting the pain of Finrod's loss for the
reader to truly experience.

A beautiful piece, Binka.


Title: Broken Star · Author: pandemonium_213 · Races: Villains:
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 54
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:27:05
Spoilers!
This is drabble that manages to be both painful and exquisite at the
same time. The subject matter is painful; the writing is exquisite.

I note that pandemonium, in her author's notes, says she does not feel
herself to be a natural at the short form. Iin this work she has
certainly delivered everything that a great drabble should provide: a
well executed structure, carefully selected and appropriate
vocabulary, and a powerful conclusion in the final line.

The scene is a moment after the fall of Eregion when Sauron attempts
to recover the three rings of the Elves after the fall of Eregion.
Most impressive is the way the whole sweep of the relationship between
Celebrimbor and Sauron is laid out in a few words, as well as each of
the protagonists' respective feelings at this particular moment, and
pandemonium ensures Celebrimbor will not be remembered as a potential
fool blinded by love of craft but as a tragic hero with strength and
presence of mind.

In short, this drabble is a gem as wonderful as those wrought by the
master craftsman of the Elves who is his subject. Well done!

Title: The Kindly Airs · Author: Dwimordene · Times: Late Third Age:
General Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 480
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:27:26
This drabble was written for a request for rarely-heard-from points of
view, and it is certainly that! There is some wonderful phrasing in
here, such as ["woe-laden with roiled earth"], and a stirring final
line. A very cleverly written piece.


Title: Deliverance · Author: Imhiriel · Races: Men: Gondor Drabbles ·
ID: 285
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:27:39
Spoilers!
It's a delight to comes across a drabble that explores one of those
small throwaway lines tucked away in Tolkien's great legendarium that
are rarely touched upon by fanfic writers. It's even more of a
pleasure when one finds the subject has been tackled by Imhiriel, who
has produced another of her small masterpieces.

Her descriptions of the mariner and his surroudings are vivid; the
sense of despair halfway through the drabble is tangible; and the
coming of hope at the end is as delicately and subtly dropped upon the
reader as the falling eagle feather. Lovely work – bravo!


Title: Giving Gifts · Author: Marta · Genres: Humor: Other
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 426
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:27:57
Spoilers!
This quadruple-length drabble made me laugh out loud. Marta has seen
beyond the surface of Denethor's generally cold manner in the books to
explore the man who could produce the occasional flashes of dry wit
described by Tolkien. While I think the exact circumstances described
are only credible in the context of a humour piece like this, they do
allow Marta to perfectly convey the way Denethor and Imhrahil can
bicker and taunt each other privately while maintaining appropriate
court etiquette that, on the surface, cannot be taken as offensive.
The writing is sly and understated, slipping many jokes in under the
reader's guard, an ideal vehicle to express the actions and thoughts
of her protagonists. Well done!


Title: Gently Held · Author: viv · Genres: Romance: Other Fixed-Length
Ficlets · ID: 6
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:28:08
In this triple drabble, viv has created a wonderfully lyrical hymn of
praise from Arwen to Aragorn. The phrasing is rich and rolling, and
expressive of both Arwen's sweetness and her strength. The reason she
gives to the gossips of the Gondorian court (for it is surely them she
is answering) for loving her husband might seem a little unexpected to
her listeners and yet makes perfect sense. Just delightful!


Title: There shall be Mirth at our Meeting · Author: Imhiriel ·
Genres: Humor: Drabbles · ID: 377
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:28:21
This is a cute drabble providing an excellent outsider's perspective
from a couple of well-drawn original characters. Nicely done.

Title: Recognition · Author: Dwimordene · Times: Late Third Age:
Gondor Drabbles · ID: 481
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:28:37
Dwimordene has created a nicely expressed and subtle exploration of
how Eowyn's deeds must have been perceived in Gondor and how Eowyn
must have felt about her reception. Hooray for Ioreth's perceptives
(and Faramir's too, of course)! Most enjoyable.

Title: Call of the Wild · Author: annmarwalk · Genres: Romance:
Drabbles · ID: 94
Reviewer: Tanaqui · 2008-10-04 14:29:17
Spoilers!
This drabble provides a delightful description of Thengel and the
dashing figure he must have cut at the Gondorian court in his youth.
The contrasts with the men Morwen has known all here life are sharply
drawn, and her own strength of character shines through. Very nice.


Title: In absentia · Author: Robinka · Races: Elves: House of Finwe ·
ID: 84
Reviewer: pandemonium_213 · 2008-10-04 14:32:44
With [In absentia], Robinka has written a stunningly dark and (to me)
starkly realistic take on Maedhros' post-Thangorodrim state of mind.
Such a horrific experience must have damaged Maedhros profoundly. In
this story, he wavers on the precarious boundary between sanity and
madness.

Robinka illustrates this so well in the searing intensity of Finrod's
desperation to reach Maedhros and the dialog that emerges between
them. The setting of the story and its carefully thought-out details
-- the darkness of Maedhros' chamber, the hissing and crackling of the
fire in the hearth (a sinister feel here, not at all comforting), the
odors that assault Fingon's senses, all in contrast their past lives
in the "Arcadia" of Aman -- act as a foundation to Fingon's
frustration and Maedhros' compromised state. The bittersweet
resolution of the story offers a glimmer of hope -- that Fingon has at
last reached his cousin.

Such an intense scenario could lend itself to overwrought angst, but
Binka avoids this. There is an authenticity here that never descends
into clichéd pathos.

I'll also add that [In absentia] highlights one of the major
attractants that Tolkienian fan fiction holds for me: the varied
interpretations of key events and characters of the mythology. It's
comparable to a group of artists painting a still life from a single
subject: each artist's eyes and mind see something a bit different.
Robinka's interpretation is one of the more compelling ones that I
have read. Well done, Binka. Very well done.




Title: The Prisoner of Time · Author: Raksha the Demon · Genres:
Alternate Universe: Steward's Family · ID: 313
Reviewer: pandemonium_213 · 2008-10-04 15:53:09
[The Prisoner of Time] is a superb "what-if" scenario in every sense
of the word: character, plausibility, setting and the very fine
writing. I hesitate to label Raksha's story as "AU" since *every*
detail is so consistent with the characters as depicted by the old
Oxford don, but given the premise, it must necessarily be designated
as such*. It is a well-crafted and highly believable alternate stream
in Middle-earth's flow of time.

Through Denethor's point of view, Raksha captures precisely what I
would imagine his character to be in the waning days of his reign had
he not chosen the
path to self-destruction. In fact, here he is a dogged survivor --
bitter as poison and anguished -- but nonetheless a survivor. He is
galled by those who turn to whom he sees as the pretender of the
degraded Northern line. From individuals like his brother-by-marriage
who question his sanity to the whole of Minas Tirith as exemplified by
Raksha's absolutely delicious text...

{The usurper rides through the streets of the White City. The City
that had entombed his lady...now throws open her broken gates to
Isildur's upstart heir like a giddy strumpet opening perfumed knees.}

...Denethor feels betrayed by all.

Raksha skillfully addresses the multiplicity of outcomes of Denethor's
decision in this alternate stream. A heart-wrenching cascade of
tragedy and loss occurs as the result of his survival.

Although Denethor's resentment is searingly acidic, Raksha, through
her story-telling skills, creates a sympathetic character in the
embattled Steward. As one who gravitates toward these dark,
intelligent and conflicted types, I found myself rooting for Raksha's
Denethor: "Hang on and survive, man, just to spite them all!"

*I do not see AU as pejorative in the least, but in fact this is a
genre that I like a great deal. Raksha's stone-cold knowledge of canon
is why this AU works so well.




Title: Dreamscape · Author: Tanaqui · Races: Dwarves: Drabbles · ID: 442
Reviewer: Imhiriel · 2008-10-04 16:16:12
Spoilers!
What a wonderful and convincing way to explain the quote at the
beginning of the drabble! Yes, I can well imagine that the Dwarves in
their pride, their sense of history and nostalgia would want to keep
the symbols of their forcefully abandoned kingdom alive in their
various homes in exile.

I can feel Gimli's excitement at exploring newly-free Erebor - a
wonder all by itself. What must it have been like to be able to
reclaim one of their old kingdoms after the death of Smaug? And his
feeling of awe and satisfaction and instant, instinctive recognition
when he recognises the image of the three mountains, is tangible.

I like that in addition to describing the symbolical meaning of
Gimli's find, Tanaqui also doesn't forget that Dwarves especially
would acknowledge and find importance in the aspect of the *craft*,
and the use of precious metal and stone, that has gone into the
rendering of the peaks - in all their different forms, both in the
Ered Luin and here in Erebor.

Title: Home · Author: Aranel Took · Races: Dwarves: Drabbles · ID: 533
Reviewer: Imhiriel · 2008-10-04 16:16:36
It's fascinating to contemplate just how Gimli might have fulfilled
his dream to work in the Glittering Caves, as he had wished to do.

This drabble depicts the care and practicality he and his Dwarven
companions employ within the natural wonder that is their workplace,
and is slowly becoming their home.

I must admit that last line caught me off-guard and made me laugh out
loud: It was such an unexpected departure from the contemplative,
practical tone of the preceding lines; and I can fully imagine the
tone with which it was said.

Title: Young Fëanáro Makes A Stone · Author: Oshun · Genres: Humor:
Valar & Maiar · ID: 77
Reviewer: pandemonium_213 · 2008-10-04 20:05:25
Although oshun wrote this as a birthday gift for another, I would have
greedily snatched it away for myself. Fortunately, she has shared it
with all on the SWG.

Tolkien, ever the experimentalist with his story lines, wrote several
versions of the origins of the Elessar, or Elfstone. Here Oshun plays
off the version in which Fëanor creates the famous green stone which
he gave to Maedhros who in turn gave it to Fingon. From that point,
history is silent on how the stone would up in Galadriel's possession
although I am sure there a story there somewhere.

Here we watch the journey of invention as Fëanáro attempts to capture
the unique green light of the sun (err, well, a photon-emitting Tree)
shining through leaves. Oshun not only describes the trials and errors
of the scientific process with accuracy, but also the relationship of
mentor and student. The description of the ambitious young Fëanáro's
experiments and his burning desire to get his hands on the better
instrumentation in Aulë's locked room all ring very true to the
scientific experience in our primary world. I loved her description of
crystallization, couched in "Arda-ized" language.

Lots of other details appealed to me as well, for example, Aulë's good
fit into his incarnate form and his laughing to the point of potential
decorporealization. I was especially tickled by the following:

[He bowed and touched his forehead in the manner that Aulë, despite
the master's innate lack of care for the details of protocol and empty
formality...]

This certainly fits my vision of Aulë -- straight-forward, direct and
-- Valarin nature notwithstanding -- humane. Fëanáro's thoughts -- [He
knows that I want something] are hilarious! Aulë knows him too well,
which is often the case of mentor and student.

Truly a funny and endearing story, and one that holds deep appeal to
me as a scientist and as a fan of both Fëanor and Aulë.


Title: Another Prometheus · Author: Gandalfs apprentice · Races:
Cross-Cultural: Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 85
Reviewer: pandemonium_213 · 2008-10-04 20:43:18
In a crisp one hundred words of fiction, Gandalf's Apprentice (GA)
boils down the key elements of an almost 1500 word non-fiction screed
I wrote last year in which I complained about the depiction of
inventors and technologists in Tolkien's world: they meet bad endings
for daring to delve too deeply into the fount of knowledge [the
province of the gods] and to take pride of possession in their
knowledge and invention.

However, the unnamed historian of [Another Prometheus] offers a
radical counterpoint to the established and seemingly unshakable
beliefs of his students, stating that Fëanor's accomplishments and
innovation set the stage for bettering the lives of men. GA's
historian's words imply that Fëanor's invention and rebellion not only
contributed to tumult in Middle-earth but also to *progress*.

[Another Prometheus] is reminiscent of [King Elessar's Peace], also a
Fourth Age tale (see GA's "Many Guises and Many Names" at HASA) in
which an elderly man, whose father fought in the War of the Ring, tell
his young grandson that Minas Tirith [is filled with laughter and
gardens and schools of medicine, music, and astronomy. Instead of
wielding a sword, you will make books on Master Falborn's new printing
press. Such are the blessings of King Elessar's Peace."] I'd like to
imagine that the historian of [Another Prometheus] is a leftist
professor on the faculty at one of those schools in the White City!

Many thanks, GA, for the creation of another drabble which shows that
there is a place for us "progressive apes" in Middle-earth.

Title: Sunset Gates · Author: Ignoble Bard · Races: Dwarves: Drabbles
· ID: 342
Reviewer: Imhiriel · 2008-10-04 21:54:20
What a wonderful piece of misdirection! This drabble carries us
pleasantly along, each new description just reinforces our
preconceptions, until - with perfect set-up - the twist is slipped
neatly under our "radar". The timing is excellent, and I like how it
coincides with Gimli coming closer and finally arriving at his
destination.

I find it truly astonishing just how well the descriptions from "what
we expect" can be transposed to "what we get", how striking the
parallels are (and I'm thinking here especially about Galadriel's
stately farewell scene in Lothlórien).

Gimli's reactions are conveyed very vividly; and I can well imagine
that his emotions mirror those of so many who arrived at the same
destination as he does here - the relief, and joy, and hope.

Title: A Moment in the Morning in Bree · Author: Budgielover · Races:
Cross-Cultural · ID: 731
Reviewer: Imhiriel · 2008-10-04 22:16:06
A realistic cross-cultural moment, taking a plausible look at the
beginning of the acquaintance of the Hobbits with "Strider".

Aragorn's deliberations are reasonable and show much common sense as
well as his much-needed ability to quickly adapt his demeanor to his
surroundings. The Hobbits' characterisations are equally well-done.

The humour of the situation is all the more effective because of this
solid groundwork and excellent pacing. It reminds me of so many
children, who seem also strangely fascinated by witnessing their
father doing what Aragorn does here.