Yahoo Forum Archive

Title: Moon of the Sea · Author: pandemonium_213 · Times: Second and
Early Third Age · ID: 213
Reviewer: stefaniab · 2008-10-27 02:00:05
This lovely set of ficlets is quite a contrast to the other
Pandemonium stories that I have read. Each drabble and ficlet is a
succinct celebration of light, be it diamonds, gleaming waters, and
most importantly, the light of the moon, celebrated in the name of its
main character, Isilme.

Isilme, wife to Elendil, is little more than an entry on Tolkien's
genealogy charts. But in Pandemonium's rich and glittering done style,
Isilme comes glowingly to life. "Moon of the Sea" gives us enchanting
vignettes from various times in Isilme's life. I also loved the
picture Pandemonium paints of life in Numenor just before its fall,
and the intriguing portrayals of Isilme, husband Elendil, and their
young son Isildur.

Based on what I have seen in this ficlet collection, I would eagerly
read more fleshed out stories, perhaps even a novel, about Isilme and
her experiences.

Title: Untold Tales of the Mark: The Banishment of Éomer · Author:
Katzilla · Genres: Alternate Universe · ID: 206
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2008-10-27 05:59:23
Spoilers!
Interesting AU version of Eomer's banishment, and return, to Edoras,
during Wormtongue's interregnum. Katzilla has the guts to take this
story into dark places, and her narration, which alternates between
grueling and moving, does not disappoint those who enjoy intricate,
angsty epics.

Title: Of Old It Was Not Darksome · Author: EdorasLass · Races:
Dwarves · ID: 70
Reviewer: Raksha the Demon · 2008-10-27 06:19:57
A fine Gimli vignette, exploring a sad but necessary task awaiting him
after the Ring War. Excellent texture to the story, Gimli's dignity
and honor and essential decency shine, and there's a bittersweet twist
at the end.

Title: First Name Terms · Author: Marchwriter (The Lady of Light) ·
Races: Cross-Cultural: Elves and Men · ID: 311
Reviewer: Larner · 2008-10-27 08:58:30
Spoilers!
The young Dunadan meets Haldir of Lorien for the first time, and it is
not precisely love at first sight. Some Elves have had bad experiences
with Men, after all. But when the young man, found tipped from the
rocks above with a poisoned orc arrow in his shoulder, cries out in
Sindarin for his father, Haldir makes the decision to help the young
Man in spite of his bad memories.

Well written action, and interesting to see how prejudice against Men
might be expressed by the Elves of Lorien.

Title: Duty, Honour, Country · Author: Rhapsody · Races: Elves: Other
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 81
Reviewer: Moreth · 2008-10-27 14:23:42
Rhapsody uses these three drabbles to present Maglor's perspective on
his actions.

[Duty] gives us Maglor's reflections on the Oath and his departure for
Middle-earth. [Honour] shows his motivations during the battles for
Beleriand. Finally (my favourite) [Country] shows us his current
situation, coloured by memories of the past.

A poignant and moving depiction of Maglor's thoughts.

Title: Philosophia to Philomythus and Misomythus · Author:
pandemonium_213 · Genres: Poetry · ID: 50
Reviewer: Moreth · 2008-10-27 15:40:36
Since the moment I first read this poem, it has lodged in my brain!
Much as I like the imagery in Tolkien's 'Mythopoeia', I cannot around
the feeling that he portrays science as a joyless and miserable
exercise in futility. Nothing could be further from the truth, as
Pandemonium so eloquently argues here.

The reading of any poem is, of course, highly personal but, for me at
least, these verses describe very well the sense of wonder and beauty
that comes from a scientific study of the world - and the elation of
the moment when some tricky question (whatever one's discipline) is
resolved, and it proves to be an elegant and beautiful solution.

That said, the value of myth and story endures and inspires. So let us
have both! (Although Pandemonium says it very much more poetically...)

This poem has been added to my mental horde of gems that I enjoy
revisiting. Thanking a poet for writing is probably like thanking a
fish for swimming, nevertheless, a big thank you to Pandemonium for
sharing this!

Title: A Darkness Lies behind Us · Author: Bodkin · Races: Elves:
Incomplete · ID: 190
Reviewer: Imhiriel · 2008-10-27 17:41:15
Wonderfully nuanced characterisations, elegant prose, and fine,
evocative descriptions. A thoughtful exploration of dealing with
exiled and reborn Elves vs. those who stayed, the passage of time, in
a very nuanced and sensitive way.

It shows a credible system of easing the Elves from their release from
the Halls of Mandos to a re-entry into society might have begun and
developed in its early stages, complete with trial-and-error hick-ups.
I particularly liked the idea that not only the Elves, but also the
Valar themselves had to find out the hard way what worked and what didn't.

To use Finrod as a "testing case" for a system of how to deal with
Reborn Elves strikes me as a very neat idea; so very fitting for his
exploring, curious and tolerant mind. It was fascinating to read about
how he slowly and sometimes painfully integrated his memories and his
identity into his "new" self.

Apart from the characterisation of Finrod and Finarfin, I particularly
love this take on Amarië, the balance between the calm, a bit shy
woman with great will, perseverance and steadfastness, and a deep well
of love and joy inside her. And also the portrayal of the deep
connection between her and Finrod throughout all that happened.

Title: A Cat in King Elessar's Court · Author: agape4gondor · Races:
Cross-Cultural: Friendship · ID: 66
Reviewer: Marta · 2008-10-27 20:02:18
Spoilers!
This story constantly amazes me in the way it balances the feline
point-of-view with the great events it is describing. As a cat lover,
I can testify that the point of view is definitely that of a cat, and
as such a point-of-view requires the cat's concerns are not those of
humans; perhaps because of that, this human empathized with the
characters portrayed in a new way and found much she had missed about
the afore-mentioned great events. Brava, Agape!

Title: The Dancing Lesson · Author: Lindelea · Races: Hobbits:
Friendship · ID: 664
Reviewer: Marta · 2008-10-27 20:02:42
Spoilers!
This is a delightful glimpse into the life of Bilbo and Frodo before
Bilbo left the Shire. Bilbo is so delightfully "Bilboish," full of
humor with just the right mix of "oddness" to make him feel like the
Bilbo of _The Hobbit_, and Frodo is every inch the sulky teenager.
This is a moment that every teenager (or parent of the same) should be
able to relate to, and Lindelea does a really nice job breathing life
into it.

Title: Wild Swan · Author: Tanaqui · Genres: Drama: Gondor
Fixed-Length Ficlets · ID: 328
Reviewer: Marta · 2008-10-27 20:02:50
Tanaqui's drabbles are usually among my favorite in the fandom, and
never moreso than when she sets her sites to Gondor. And "Wild Swans"
certainly doesn't disappoint on that mark. This drabble series covers
more years and more varied situations than I usually see in a series,
yet it maintains its coherency, giving a glimpse of how Imrahil's
character changed over the years, starting with the love-sick puppy
that followed Thorongil around until at last we see a grandfather in a
time of peace. In a way it is a microcosm of Gondor herself in the
generation or two before the Ring War. And as such it does a great job
of capturing the variety of experiences of those folk.

I particularly liked the way in the last drabble that Tanaqui captured
a faithful Numenorean's tie to the White Tree, and the mirroring
experiences of Imrahil related to that icon. I won't say more because
I don't want to spoil, but it was simply beautiful and really got at
the heart of the matter.

Title: There shall be Mirth at our Meeting · Author: Imhiriel ·
Genres: Humor: Drabbles · ID: 377
Reviewer: Marta · 2008-10-27 20:03:00
Hee! I rather like the idea that our favorite heroes would leave a
string of sighing maidens (and not-so-maidenly ladies) across
Middle-earth. I can see it, and you do a good job developing the OC in
so few words.

Title: Shall We Dance? · Author: Isabeau of Greenlea · Races: Men:
Steward's Family · ID: 93
Reviewer: Marta · 2008-10-27 20:03:13
Spoilers!
I think that of all of all of Isabeau's pre-Ring War Stories that I've
read, "Shall We Dance" is probably my favorite. Isabeau delivers some
very interesting characterizations of Imrahil and Denethor especially
but also of their various children. I am really a stickler when it
comes to Denethor's characterization, and while I didn't agree with
everything here (I never do), I did find his change of heart Isabeau
leads us through --and most especially the REASONS for said change of
heart-- to be much more consistent (both story-internally and with the
larger canon/my personal fanons) than is usually the case.

More than the characterization issues, I think I most enjoy how this
story manages to balance the light-hearted with the more bittersweet.
It seems like too often Gondor stories before th Ring are either pure
fluff or very angsty; but here Isabeau gives us a nice mix of sad
remembrances of both Finduilas and Imrahil's wife (an OC); as well as
the more frivolous concerns that turn out to be not so frivolous as
they may at first seem. The descriptions were lively as well; a very
enjoyable tale.

Title: Last Stroke · Author: Elena Tiriel · Genres: Alternate
Universe: Drabbles · ID: 465
Reviewer: dkpalaska · 2008-10-27 23:20:36
Spoilers!
Nearly the entirety of this drabble is a masterful work of
misdirection, and I do mean masterful. It takes some thought and
planning to craft a scene-setting as evocative and tangible as this
one is, that inserts me so firmly into what seems to be a very
specific time and place through perfectly-chosen resonances with the
original work - and then spins me completely out of all of that into a
wholly different scenario in the space of one short and final sentence.

The tone, descriptive writing and structure are all extremely well
done. Even in the space of so few words, there is a discernible
tension that builds from start to finish. The language is
Tolkienesque, flows very naturally and complements the atmosphere of
the piece.

And the after-effects: Elena Tiriel leaves me thinking on about the
state of the rest of Middle-earth, if this is what is happening in
this particular corner of it. It's a dismal place indeed...

I think that my favorite impression, however, is how well-drawn the
similarities are between where I thought I was and where the drabble
actually takes place. The same nobility and fierceness of character,
the determination to stand firm until the bitter end: it sends chills
down my spine and speaks to all that I love best about LotR.

Title: Least Expected · Author: Imhiriel · Genres: Alternate Universe:
Drabbles · ID: 512
Reviewer: dkpalaska · 2008-10-27 23:25:10
Spoilers!
I don't read many AU fanfics as a rule, although the ones I have read
I usually enjoy very much. Even so, I have noticed in my limited
sampling that the majority of AUs based upon a particular departure
from canon do not lead to an easier road for the protagonists. Quite
the contrary! As if Tolkien did not make things difficult enough, the
authors commence to drag our favorite characters through one
increasingly adversarial condition after another until I'm wincing and
cringing over their pains in the story.

["Least Expected"] definitely *fulfills* expectations on that account!
Her poor lead character! As if getting undeservedly whacked in LotR
wasn't bad enough, Imhiriel plausibly sets up an even more terrible
and unexpected fate. The author's mastery at succinct storytelling is
put to good use here, where the canon scene-of-departure is deftly
laid out amid a wonderfully dark, mysterious and unsettling
atmosphere. You just know something bad is going to happen. (The
title, so excellently chosen, matches both Halbarad's PoV and the
reader's.)

The actual content of the drabble is chilling enough all by itself,
but the worst of this scene is only presented by shifty allusion. Only
afterward, as I sat thinking on what must have occurred prior to this
encounter, did the full horror of Imhiriel's AU come over me.

I think I need a good stiff drink now...