Reviews for Thursday, December 16, 2010 (Evening Set, Part Two)
Title: Five Things That Never Happened to Maglor Feanorion · Author: Elleth · Times: First Age and Prior: Mixed Drabbles · ID: 140
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Maglor dreams of how things might have been for his family and the others, if only things were changed in some small way.
Title: Master of Imladris · Author: Nieriel Raina · Genres: Humor: Mixed Drabbles · ID: 56
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 1
The niceties of court etiquette are cleverly illustrated in the little drabble.
Title: Sisterhood · Author: Marta · Genres: Character Study: Gapfiller · ID: 535
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Spoilers!
Despite a lack of female relatives or companions, Eowyn manages to find someone she can trust to talk about wedding night expectations with.
Title: Flame of the Desert · Author: pandemonium_213 · Genres: Adventure · ID: 158
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 10
Spoilers!
This is a glorious romp, with a serious side to it. Pandemonium has taken Fourth-Age Valinor and stirred a plenitude of eclectic elements into the mix, some of which are easier to identify than others: Uluru aka Ayers Rock, of course (there's an illustration to prove it), and probably the Tuareg, perhaps myths such as Hephaestus cast down from Olympus, etc. - and obviously"Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", explicitly alluded to in the author's responses on the SWG site (although maybe Cinderella's pumpkin got a look-in in the matter of the vehicle as well). All this is cross-fertilized with references to the obscurer parts of Tolkien's mythology; characters such as Gilfanon, Elmo and Omar Amillo do not often get an outing. On one level, this is a quest that starts out as a drunken spree and turns into an absurd expedition that takes everyone's dignity down a notch, especially Elrond's. (Pandemonium is decidedly not an adherent of the Peter Jackson / Orlando Bloom theory that elves never raise a sweat, get dirty or stink.) On the other hand, this absurd expedition does seem to lead to some kind of cosmic revelation and, if the procedure initiating it is more than a little suspect, that does not necessarily invalidate it - nor does the inevitable discovery that you can't take such things home with you and things tend to go very wrong in various ways if you try. Underlying that is the acute observation that the perpetual prosperity of Valinor might be increasingly difficult to bear the longer it endures. Apart from this, there are plenty of witty details here, including an explanation of Cirdan's beard that doesn't actually mention Cirdan. Perhaps an even more remarkable achievement, though, is how Pandemonium, in the midst of all this rollicking fun, discreetly manages to make us feel a moment of pity for Melkor's pain at his banishment from Arda.
Title: O Misfortune! · Author: Hallbera · Genres: Humor: Comedy/Drama · ID: 260
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 7
Spoilers!
This is a charming story. It is also hilarious and guaranteed to make you laugh (since even Galadriel couldn't help doing so!). It is true that in The Lord of the Rings, the elven realm of Lothlorien seems a more formal society than both Rivendell and Mirkwood, although some of that has to do with the circumstances in which the Fellowship arrives there, after Gandalf's fall in Moria. However, even in the society of Lothlorien our captain, the protagonist of this story, must clearly stand out through out his standards of propriety, outsize sense of responsibility and careful good manners. He must have been a bit of his trial to his subordinates before the events described here. However, by the end of the story he has been very, very thoroughly humanized... And it is a happy end for him as well! As I had grown to like him very much, that is very much a bonus, as far as I’m concerned. And it is also a delightful twist to see such an unpromising beginning (for him, that is) turn into romance.
Title: Geography Lessons · Author: Ithilwen · Times: First Age and Prior: Noldorin Elves · ID: 282
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 10
Spoilers!
Ithilwen has managed to turn one of the drier passages in the Silmarillion (which itself reads a bit like a geography lesson) into a moving story. What I like about this story is the way it manages to combine the subject of politics with insight into the relationships between family members. Maedhros's lesson in map-reading is very convincing in itself, showing his insight into political aims, necessary compromises and strategy, while, at the same time, it conceals his ulterior motives with regard to his brothers. If his arguments were any less lucid, they would presumably not serve to convince Amrod and Amras. For Amrod and Amras themselves are clearly not easily satisfied - Ithilwen has certainly met the terms of the Fanon Inverted challenge she set herself by making them much more responsible and strongly motivated than they are usually depicted. Given the eventual outcome of Maedhros's plotting, all this is bitter-sweet. The mutual affection between the three brothers under challenging circumstances is confirmed and, in fact, Maedhros's calculations will more or less work out on both counts, as ensuing events in Beleriand go on to show, especially after the Dagor Bragollach - but, in the end, all this will still not be enough to save Amrod and Amras (or, of course, Maedhros himself).
Title: Tears on the Battlefield · Author: Alassante · Genres: Humor: Parody or Black Humor · ID: 310
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 5
Spoilers!
A very effective parody that leaves everyone's reputation in shreds (what was left of it, after Tolkien himself had pretty much done his worst to some of them already!). Poor Fingon the Valiant, being made to hide behind Maedhros's back when there is a scent of Balrogs in the air! A bit of a low blow, that. And it seems Balrogs are a rather sensitive subject with other characters as well... As for the tears alluded to in the title, they refer to what appears to be one of Namo's less successful attempts at elven psychotherapy. Some readers might consider that Feanor did not have to go so very far to find his inner child, although others, I'm sure, would disagree!
Title: Barreling Out of Mirkwood · Author: Nieriel Raina · Genres: Humor: Mixed Drabbles · ID: 621
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 4
Spoilers!
A very neat drabble about a minor character in The Hobbit. Poor Galion! Bilbo's kind thought in returning the keys and trying to make the dwarves' escape as mysterious as possible does not seem to have been a lot of help, as far as he is concerned. I don't blame him for seeking greener pastures. Maybe, when the Battle of the Five Armies is over, though, there might be an amnesty for him as well, and a homecoming to Thranduil and Mirkwood? (Oh--and extra points for the lovely pun in the title!)
Title: Final Voyage · Author: MithLuin · Times: Second and Early Third Age · ID: 523
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 6
Spoilers!
This is an extremely interesting choice of subject. MithLuin does a great job of bringing two characters to life that up till now had only led a shadowy existence in one of The Lord of the Ring's appendixes, and thereby throws light on what is after all a significant period of Gondor’s history. The naval background is sketched in lovingly and (to a landlubber like myself) very convincingly. MithLuin is clearly well-read in naval literature as well as in Tolkien's writings, and I suspect that readers familiar with that context might appreciate things that I am overlooking. The king and his son are surrounded by a surprising number of carefully sketched and believable original characters. The plot twists are well handled, and the tragedy is genuinely moving.
Title: In His Eyes · Author: Alassante · Races: Elves · ID: 92
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
No matter their age, adult children still want (and often need) their parents approbation and absolution.
Title: Tears on the Battlefield · Author: Alassante · Genres: Humor: Parody or Black Humor · ID: 310
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 1
In times of great stress, family squabbling is guaranteed to break out.
Title: Grace · Author: Lanyon · Times: Modern Times · ID: 558
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 7
Spoilers!
In a way this is just one of those love stories that could happen to just about anyone: meeting somebody who looks like a very promising partner until, far too late, it becomes obvious that he (or, in other cases, she) is in fact inextricably tied to a former lover. If this prospective partner happens to be a Noldo and, in fact, Fingon himself, he will be unnaturally quick at picking up how to play an instrument, but in the end things will not really be all that different. This is a sad story expertly told, with well-chosen details from the background of the POV character into whose orderly life this hopeless passion irrupts. We also hear Fingon's own account of the famous rescue, edited for a modern and uninformed audience. The cameo appearance of a rather down-at-heel Maedhros is impressive. (This story is also a song-fic and the fact that I have never heard the song unfortunately means that there is an aspect to it that I'm not really able to appreciate sufficiently.)
Title: Tales from Vairë's Loom: To Stand Fast Against the Night · Author: Fiondil · Races: Men · ID: 632
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 7
Spoilers!
This is an interesting episode to pick. I am not well read in fiction about Numenor, but I believe when Tar-Palantir appears it is more often at the end of his life or even as a memory only, viewed from the perspective of the following reign. His relationship with his brother and father is certainly worth looking at, and it is interesting to get a glimpse of a few other members of the royal family such as his mother and his wife as well as his daughter, and of his relatives from Andunie. Tar-Palantir appears very determined and courageous in this story, if perhaps not entirely diplomatic - not that it is clear by any means whether diplomacy would have served him better under the circumstances he found himself in. His story is ultimately almost as sad as Amandil's. The use of Adunaic in this story and the way it is contrasted with Sindarin is in itself a well-thought-out feature, which clearly has taken a lot of work.
Title: Wedding Traditions · Author: Vilwarin · Genres: Humor: Gondor · ID: 412
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Certain traditions are unique to every culture, and yet they are often very much the same -- especially when it comes to weddings.
Title: Beneath Golden Leaves · Author: Avon · Races: Cross-Cultural · ID: 488
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Elves are afforded many opportunities to attempt to understand the meaning of the Gift of Men.
Title: More Than Memory · Author: Marta · Races: Elves: Drabbles · ID: 241
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Spoilers!
Schedules are important but should not be overly restrictive. A resident of Imladris loses the chance to reconnect with their past because of this [time had been short.]
Title: In The House of Elrond · Author: Aeärwen · Races: Cross-Cultural: Incomplete · ID: 123
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 3
Spoilers!
Gilraen brings her son Aragorn to shelter in Imladris after her husband Arathorn is killed. The ways of the Dúnedain are far different from the ways of the Firstborn, as Gilraen discovers while attempting to acclimate herself to the changes in customs, language and societal mores.
Title: Aragorn - a feminist's nightmare? · Author: Virtuella · Genres: Non-Fiction: Character Essays · ID: 489
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Spoilers!
Despite the presence of his mother, Aragorn's upbringing appears to have been sorely lacking in the knowledge of how to deal intelligently with women.
Title: Spoils of War · Author: Aeärwen · Genres: Horror · ID: 116
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Spoilers!
In war, a prisoner who is freed by unknown, strange victors is just as frightened by them as by the original captors.
Title: Hope of a Star · Author: Mirach · Races: Cross-Cultural · ID: 129
Reviewer: Shipwright's Trick · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 5
Spoilers!
A series of crucial events as seen by Earendil. Hardly one of the usual viewpoints in Tolkien fanfic, but definitely a good one. Earendil sees so much, and yet so very little!
I enjoyed Mirach's portrayal of Earendil and the things he sees during the War of the Ring (as well as after and before), as well as key events in Earendil's own lifetime such as the slaying of Ancalagon the Black, the voyage to Valinor, and his reunion with Elrond and his parents.
An excellent follow-up read to Hope of a Star, as well as a fic that stands very nicely on its own. Thank you!
Title: King of Shadowed Halls · Author: Jael · Genres: Drama: Family or Children · ID: 121
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 3
Spoilers!
Leaving home to establish a safer one is challenging at best, since it can often be perceived as cowardice. But Thranduil is determined to lead his people to safety underground, away from the Shadow that is starting to overwhelm the former Amon Lanc.
Title: Five Things That Never Happened To Bilbo Baggins · Author: Dreamflower · Genres: Alternate Universe · ID: 58
Reviewer: Shipwright's Trick · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 4
Spoilers!
And thank all goodness that they didn't happen!
A serious look at just five of the things that could have gone wrong. Now that these have been shown to me, I can easily think of dozens of other things that could have gone terribly wrong in the space of an instant, and with other characters than Bilbo, too. (I hesitate to say 'more important' - that theory just went effectively out the window, didn't it?) *shudders*
Excellently written, thought-provoking, and touching. Thanks.
Title: Celebrimbor · Author: Oshun · Genres: Non-Fiction: Character Essays · ID: 190
Reviewer: Himring · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 5
For anyone whose memories of the actual source for some of Silmarillion lore occasionally gets a bit hazy, but who can't find the time to track down and re-read the relevant sections of the originals, reading Oshun's biographies is a marvellous way of keeping one honest as a fan fiction writer. They are not only conveniently accessible, readable and helpful, but alway thought-provoking in minor or even major ways. Oshun also is good at selecting the right quotation. Celebrimbor's biography is a classic example of this - but relatively unusual in the way its scope extends beyond the Silmarillion into the Lord of the Rings.
Title: The Return of the King · Author: Jael · Genres: Character Study: Angst · ID: 573
Reviewer: Liadan · 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Score: 2
Spoilers!
Thranduil returns to home after the Last Alliance, only to discover that succeeding his late father and becoming King is going to be much more difficult than he ever imagined.